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SpaceX teams up with Bigelow Aerospace

YellowSubmarine

YellowSubmarine

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The two companies in the world I'm a fanboi of just teamed up. I can describe the excitement I'm getting from this, but it will be terribly inappropriate. :rommie:

http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20120510
http://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...ace-stations/2012/05/10/gIQAJAjqFU_story.html

Hawthorne, CA, and Las Vegas, NV– Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Bigelow Aerospace (BA) have agreed to conduct a joint marketing effort focused on international customers. The two companies will offer rides on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, using the Falcon launch vehicle to carry passengers to Bigelow habitats orbiting the earth.

According to Bigelow Aerospace’s President and Founder, Robert T. Bigelow, “We’re very excited to be working with our colleagues at SpaceX to present the unique services that our two companies can offer to international clientele. We’re eager to join them overseas to discuss the substantial benefits that BA 330 leasing can offer in combination with SpaceX transportation capabilities”.

The BA 330 is a habitat that will provide roughly 330 cubic meters of usable volume and can support a crew of up to six. Bigelow Aerospace plans to connect two or more BA 330s in orbit to provide national space agencies, companies, and universities with unparalleled access to the microgravity environment.

“SpaceX and BA have a lot in common. Both companies were founded to help create a new era in space enterprise,” said SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell. “Together we will provide unique opportunities to entities -- whether nations or corporations -- wishing to have crewed access to the space environment for extended periods. I’m looking forward to working with Bigelow Aerospace and engaging with international customers,” Shotwell explained.

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will be capable of carrying seven passengers to orbit. With the company’s Falcon family of rockets, SpaceX is working to create the world’s safest human spaceflight system.

The companies will kick off their marketing effort in Asia. Representatives from Bigelow and SpaceX will meet with officials in Japan shortly after the next launch of the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft.
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:drool:
 
I love them both as well, but this amounts to nothing more than "if we get a customer, we'll do it".
 
Maybe, but not necessarily.

SpaceX has customers, and unless they start losing them (by failing to make their launches), they could use the money to develop a heavier launcher. I believe Robert Bigelow can fund Bigelow Aerospace even until they build BA 2100, so in theory both companies could launch and build a small space station even without the customers.

I don't know if they would do that, but it's certainly possible.

And a space station will most definitely find customers at the right price, so we can hope they can offer it.
 
1. Spacex IS building a heavy launcher. the Falcon Heavy.
2. Bigelow has pretty much put his company in "sleep mode" at the current time. He's basically waiting for some of those commercial manned craft to go into actual use.
 
sojourner said:
^At a terrible price.
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I'd be worried about the fact that it is dependant on the decisions of Congress. It would be nice if the decisions for such projects are kept in the private sector as much as possible. Especially when the people behind the businesses involved are determined to do something.

I've seen some draft of super heavy launcher projects by SpaceX, I think they might decide to actually go ahead and develop some of them – it would be consistent with Elon Musk's crazy statement about the spare change round trips to Mars. While still probably impossible, such endeavour will most definitely find a use for a really heavy launcher.
 
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This is pretty cool but nothing unexpected, bigelow has been waiting for quite some time. At this point in time were waiting on the dragon to put someone in orbit, until then nasa, bigelow, and all the other private interests, can't really do anything. It's kind of sad but hopefully were only gonna need to wait a few more years.
 
SLS will be about a shuttle lift off price. More would be spent on asteroid mining. A Bigelow type module might be a good way to hose an asteroid allowing a shirt-sleeve environment inside, and allowing force to be used on the rock if the envelope is strong enough to brace a jack hammer.
 
Bigelow modules are too small to fit an asteroid inside. The bigelow module also uses and internal structure that runs through the center for structural rigidity, precluding fitting an asteroid inside. Further more, the bigelow modules aren't designed to have one end opened up to allow something to be "hosed inside" and then resealed.
 
Some modification could be done. In the same way Kursk was chopped up by cables, this could be done with certain asteroids. The artwork I have seen shows some types of cables surrounding an asteroid to keep folks from floating off, and allowing them to bear down with force.
 
^You would basically have to cut it down into donut rings to get it in and then find a way to seal up the module afterwords. Better to build something for the job than to Rubegoldberg it.
 
publiusr said:
...cables surrounding an asteroid to keep folks from floating off, and allowing them to bear down with force.
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They won't have people physically mining the asteroids either. The expense and risk of sending a crew onto an asteroid with heavy machinery is prohibitive. It will have to be done with machines, likely controlled form the mining ship, which might be controlled from earth.
 
I hope the folks at Dream Chaser launch atop the coming Falcon 9 heavy. This way, the minispaceplane won't be as vulnerable to weight creep as the case with Atlas V. Falcon 9 heavy's payload is to be--what--40-53 tons depending on who you talk to?

Using kerosene, it won't have the payload with of larger LH2 designs, but the greater payload would allow a more capable spaceplane--and Falcon is more robust than EELV designs what with engine out capability.
 
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