Bigelow Aerospace

Bigelow Aerospace, founded in 1999 and based in Las Vegas, Nevada, focuses on the development of inflatable space station modules. The company’s core business centers around designing and building expandable habitats intended for orbital use, representing a departure from traditional rigid spacecraft designs. This specialization positions Bigelow Aerospace within the emerging field of commercial space stations and long-duration space habitation.

Key to Bigelow Aerospace’s approach is its proprietary inflatable technology. These modules are designed to be compactly stowed during launch and then expanded on-orbit, offering a potentially more cost-effective and volumetrically efficient solution for creating large habitable spaces compared to traditionally constructed modules. The company has invested significantly in materials science and deployment mechanisms to ensure the structural integrity and reliability of these expandable habitats in the harsh space environment.

While specific mission details are not publicly available, Bigelow Aerospace notably launched and deployed two prototype expandable habitats – Genesis I in 2006 and Genesis II in 2007 – to demonstrate the viability of the technology in orbit. These missions served as crucial tests of the deployment mechanisms and material performance.

Bigelow Aerospace’s unique value proposition lies in its focus on providing large-volume, privately owned space stations and habitats. By pursuing inflatable technology, the company aims to lower the barriers to entry for commercial activities in space, potentially enabling research, manufacturing, and tourism opportunities beyond those currently available on the International Space Station.