The Space Taxi Race

Abstract

First there was Genesis I, then Genesis II, and, if all goes well, there will be a Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) attached to the International Space Station (ISS) by 2015. Each mission marks an incremental step in the evolution of Bigelow Aerospace’s plan to launch a commercial station comprising linked Bigelow BA-330 modules, perhaps as early as 2016. Will it happen? Probably. After all, there are plenty of launch vehicles capable of lofting BA-330s into low Earth orbit (LEO). But launching clients? Well, that’s another matter. Bigelow is not in the business of building launch vehicles, which is why the company must rely on companies which are part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Programs (CCPs), such as Boeing and SpaceX. The CCP (see Appendix I) was established to encourage commercial operators to develop man-rated vehicles capable of ferrying astronauts to LEO. Without at least one of these companies succeeding, any chance of a Bigelow Space Station being flown any time soon are slim to none because there won’t be any way to ferry clients to the station. So, before looking ahead to the possibility of Bigelow’s space station becoming operational, it’s worth taking time to understand the CCP and the vehicles involved.