WATCH | Airbus unveils futuristic concept for a new space station

European aerospace giant Airbus has unveiled a new concept space habitat.

The multi-purpose orbital module called LOOP will be more spacious and comfortable than existing space stations.

Designed for a four-person crew, the LOOP module hosts three floors, including a habitation deck and a science deck that are connected by a central tunnel.

The final floor is set to be a centrifuge that creates Earth-like gravitational conditions, reducing the stress of weightlessness on the human body. It is well known that the human body quickly deteriorates in the absence of gravity, with muscles and bones wasting away from disuse.

A three-storey column will mark the centre of the station's structure, acting as a greenhouse for growing crops. At 8m wide, LOOP is designed to fit into the fairing of the upcoming generation of superheavy launchers, such as SpaceX's Starship and could thus be deployed with one launch and be habitable immediately after reaching orbit, Airbus said.

The concept space habitat could be ready to fly in the early 2030s after the end of life of the International Space Station.