07 // PROJECT MERIDIAN: ORBITAL DEPLOYMENT CLASS

Project Meridian is the orbital deployment class — free-space habitats operating in low Earth orbit, cislunar space, or at Lagrange points. The pressure differential is absolute: 14.7 psi interior against hard vacuum. There is no partial credit. Every seal, every viewport, every hatch must hold against a full atmosphere of outward pressure with zero tolerance for leakage.^[21]

The structure. Two construction approaches, both supplied through the partner ecosystem. Rigid modules: Metallic Sciences aluminum-lithium pressure shells launched in payload fairings, fitted out with Hex-Cell interior panels after on-orbit assembly. Expandable modules: Kevlar-Vectran soft-goods pressure vessels from Polymer Press that launch in compact form and inflate to full volume on orbit, providing greater habitable volume per launch mass than rigid structures. The interior architecture is identical regardless of hull type — Hex-Cell panels, modular utility connections, and the full building-systems stack.^[22]

Artificial gravity. Long-duration habitation in microgravity produces bone density loss at approximately 1–2% per month, muscle atrophy, cardiovascular deconditioning, and fluid redistribution that impairs vision. For stations intended for permanent occupation, the habitat rotates to produce centripetal acceleration at the floor level. A 100 m radius structure rotating at approximately 3 RPM produces 1 g at the rim — within the rotation-rate threshold that most humans tolerate without persistent motion sickness. Smaller radii require faster rotation and produce larger Coriolis effects; the engineering trades radius against launch cost.^[23]

Life support. Orbital ECLSS follows ISS heritage: CO₂ scrubbing via zeolite or amine swing beds, oxygen generation by water electrolysis, humidity control via condensing heat exchangers, and water recovery from humidity condensate and urine processing. Cellular Foundry bioregenerative modules supplement the physicochemical systems with algae-based CO₂ fixation and food production, reducing the resupply mass budget. Power: solar arrays for LEO, Stellar Furnace compact reactor for deep-space or permanently shadowed orbits.