Quote from: rcoppola on 05/02/2012 12:35 am{snip}Could SpaceX take on Bigelow as a customer?They already have. Bigelow was one of SpaceX's first customers. Although the flight is on permanent slip.
{snip}Could SpaceX take on Bigelow as a customer?
Bigelow has said he's buying an Atlas V to launch in 2014.If anybody has actual confirmation this is not the plan any more I'd like to see it.
Quote from: spectre9 on 05/02/2012 12:03 amBigelow has said he's buying an Atlas V to launch in 2014.If anybody has actual confirmation this is not the plan any more I'd like to see it.http://www.spacex.com/launch_manifest.phpBigelow Aerospace 2015 Falcon 9 Cape CanaveralThis alleged launch is falling behind about a year for every six months of real life.
Quote from: Danderman on 05/02/2012 03:43 amQuote from: spectre9 on 05/02/2012 12:03 amBigelow has said he's buying an Atlas V to launch in 2014.If anybody has actual confirmation this is not the plan any more I'd like to see it.http://www.spacex.com/launch_manifest.phpBigelow Aerospace 2015 Falcon 9 Cape CanaveralThis alleged launch is falling behind about a year for every six months of real life.The Atlas V flight may refer to a CST-100 test flight. In fact, I bet that's what it is.
Quote from: Robotbeat on 05/02/2012 03:44 amQuote from: Danderman on 05/02/2012 03:43 amQuote from: spectre9 on 05/02/2012 12:03 amBigelow has said he's buying an Atlas V to launch in 2014.If anybody has actual confirmation this is not the plan any more I'd like to see it.http://www.spacex.com/launch_manifest.phpBigelow Aerospace 2015 Falcon 9 Cape CanaveralThis alleged launch is falling behind about a year for every six months of real life.The Atlas V flight may refer to a CST-100 test flight. In fact, I bet that's what it is.We know that Bigelow has built the CST-100 test articles, but Boeing is going to build CST-100 capsules in OPF-3, right ? Wouldn't the first CST-100 capsule for launch, even for a test flight, come out of OPF-3 ?
We know that Bigelow has built the CST-100 test articles
Quote from: Lurker Steve on 05/02/2012 03:59 pmWe know that Bigelow has built the CST-100 test articlesReally?
Quote from: Danderman on 05/02/2012 04:06 pmQuote from: Lurker Steve on 05/02/2012 03:59 pmWe know that Bigelow has built the CST-100 test articlesReally?They built the one that just was air-dropped.
Quote from: Robotbeat on 05/02/2012 04:07 pmQuote from: Danderman on 05/02/2012 04:06 pmQuote from: Lurker Steve on 05/02/2012 03:59 pmWe know that Bigelow has built the CST-100 test articlesReally?They built the one that just was air-dropped.was surprised to hear that too, but some Internet searching appears to confirm it (though I probably shouldn't be doubting you Robotbeat )So why does a big aeronautical and aerospace company such as Boeing need to outsource such a prestigious project? Do they think it's not important enough to build up internal experience or is it because they simply don't think of aerospace engineering as a core activity?
Quote from: Danderman on 05/02/2012 03:43 amQuote from: spectre9 on 05/02/2012 12:03 amBigelow has said he's buying an Atlas V to launch in 2014.If anybody has actual confirmation this is not the plan any more I'd like to see it.http://www.spacex.com/launch_manifest.phpBigelow Aerospace 2015 Falcon 9 Cape CanaveralThis alleged launch is falling behind about a year for every six months of real life.Bigelow was asked about this flight in an interview a few months ago. He said that instead of reimbursing Bigelow for its deposit on a Falcon 5 flight, SpaceX decided to reserve them a Falcon 9 flight. But he made it sound like that flight was only a placeholder.
Quote from: yg1968 on 05/02/2012 05:47 pmQuote from: Danderman on 05/02/2012 03:43 amQuote from: spectre9 on 05/02/2012 12:03 amBigelow has said he's buying an Atlas V to launch in 2014.If anybody has actual confirmation this is not the plan any more I'd like to see it.http://www.spacex.com/launch_manifest.phpBigelow Aerospace 2015 Falcon 9 Cape CanaveralThis alleged launch is falling behind about a year for every six months of real life.Bigelow was asked about this flight in an interview a few months ago. He said that instead of reimbursing Bigelow for its deposit on a Falcon 5 flight, SpaceX decided to reserve them a Falcon 9 flight. But he made it sound like that flight was only a placeholder. He stated something more like he did a 50k deposit (or was it 20k?) for a Falcon 5 flight. But then that vehicle never materialized. So SpaceX asked him if they could keep his money and keep him on the manifest, and he said yes. The way he tells it it sound just shy of a gift. I'm sure that he being the business man he is, it might come with some string attached, like a significant discount from list price when and if he decides to use it. But that's just speculation. It's just that no business man of that magnitude gifts that money. They might spend ten times more on a birthday gift, but business is business.
Maybe Bigelow can build the test articles cheaper than Boeing can internally ?
Empty seat.