Bigelow Aerospace Advances Work on Full-scale Space Habitat
Space News
“Bigelow said he and his team plan to have two Sundancer modules flight-ready by the end of 2011, as well as a docking node and propulsion bus system. By the end of 2012, the firm plans to have its first full BA-300 standard vessel ready for flight as well. ‘That’s regardless of whatever happens transportation-wise,’ he added, referring to the company’s ongoing search for a suitable launcher to get its hardware into orbit…
“‘The crew transportation issue is certainly challenging, and it keeps me up at night more often than my infant son … and that’s saying something,’ said Mike Gold, director of Bigelow Aerospace’s Washington office. However, there is hope, he added.”
Bigelow Aerospace has chosen Orion Propulsion, Inc. to provide the forward attitude control system for its Sundancer space habitat. Orion Propulsion will provide four ACS bi-propellant modules, which will be used for attitude control and desaturating momentum wheels.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to support Bigelow Aerospace’s Sundancer program, which is placing the first commercial human-rated space habitat in Earth orbit,” said Orion CEO Tim Pickens. “This kind of trailblazing opportunity is in line with Orion’s commitment to commercial space efforts. Affordable thrusters and systems are centerpieces of Orion Propulsion’s product line.”
Orion Propulsion is located outside of Huntsville, Alabama. Bigelow Aerospace is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bigelow Aerospace has invited the public to try to identify a bright spot that is appearing in images beamed down from their orbiting Genesis I module. You can submit your guess at:
http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/genesis_I/?Mystery_in_the_Sky.
Space expert Jon Goff has some thoughts about that potential blockbuster deal for Lockheed Martin to provide up to 50 Atlas V’s to support cargo and crew transport to Bigelow Aerospace’s planned space station.
“If he were just running an orbital hotel (he isn’t), I’d be very skeptical. Instead I’m somewhere between skeptical and guardedly optimistic. While there haven’t been large numbers of takers for flights on the Soyuz, what Bigelow’s offering is fundamentally different. Flight opportunities are frequent (which is critical for most microgravity research programs–imagine trying to run an R&D lab that you could only visit once or twice a year!), the situation is more customer friendly, training would likely be more streamlined (I hear that for Soyuz training the “passenger” is actually more of a third crew member than an honest-to-goodness passenger), etc.”
You can read more of his post at Jon’s excellent Selenian Boondocks blog.
Hobby Space has an update on Bigelow Aerospace’s progress. The Las Vegas company is in the process of moving the Genesis II module and its support team to Russia. Meanwhile, the launch of the space station prototype could be delayed by problems with the Dnepr rocket.
For the complete article, click here.
Bigelow Aerospace plans a big announcement in April. Will it include space stations, hotels or sports complexes in orbit or inflatable lunar and Martian habitats? MSNBC’s Alan Boyle speculates over at Cosmic Log.