Author Topic: Bigelow Aerospace - anything new? (Read 14662 times)

Benny · « **on:** 03/29/2006 02:55 pm »

Hi,

just wanted to ask if there are any news about Bigelow Aerospace out there.
Are they still planning to launch in 2006 ?
They changed their provider from Spacex to a russian/ukranian based company but
I haven´t heard anything since then...

Thanks.

Crispy · « **Reply #1 on:** 03/29/2006 03:15 pm »

They're just about the most secretive of all the alt.space guys. The barest of barebones website, no PR, hardly any press. If anything comes to light, it'll probably pop up here, but I've not heard anything recently.

braddock · « **Reply #2 on:** 03/29/2006 03:57 pm »

Quote

Benny - 29/3/2006 9:55 AM
They changed their provider from Spacex to a russian/ukranian based company but
I haven´t heard anything since then...

I thought they had added the Dnepr test launch in addition to the SpaceX test, and that they were just going to do two test flights instead of one. They still have a Falcon 9 flight on the SpaceX manifest for Q1 '08; I think that is for the second Genesis test. I haven't been following Bigelow very closely though.

I think Bigelow really needs SpaceX to succeed not just with low cost cargo flights, but eventually low cost manned flights. I don't think they'll bail from SpaceX unless a more viable competitor emerges; every resort destination needs an airline.

anik · « **Reply #3 on:** 03/29/2006 04:20 pm »

Quote

Benny - 29/3/2006 6:55 PM

Are they still planning to launch in 2006?

Yes!...

Their Genesis-1 satellite will be delivered at Dombarovsky (Orenburg region, Russia) on May 15 and launched by Dnepr rocket later (possibly in June)... Genesis-2 launch is planned on Dnepr in 2006 also...

Benny · « **Reply #4 on:** 03/29/2006 04:53 pm »

Does the Genesis-1 have any function or is it merely a test-version to
try inflation systems etc...

anik · « **Reply #5 on:** 03/31/2006 04:39 pm »

Quote

anik - 29/3/2006 8:20 PM

launched by Dnepr rocket later (possibly in June)

June 13...

josh_simonson · « **Reply #6 on:** 03/31/2006 07:24 pm »

It's going to test the inflation systems in-situ and also moitor to make sure that it doesn't leak over time. They will probably also monitor the temperature, insulative qualities, radiation, and other things that are difficult to simulate on earth. It's easy enough to test one of these in a vacuum chamber, but getting thermal and radiation performance data on earth would be much more difficult.

CEV Now · « **Reply #7 on:** 03/31/2006 11:09 pm »

Good luck to them, they are an interesting conceptual company that we really could see turn into "metal in the sky" - as much as it won't be metal

Benny · « **Reply #8 on:** 04/17/2006 11:40 am »

The Website of Bigelow Aerospace has been updated

www.bigelowaerospace.com

Does anyone know more about the America´s Space Cup?
50 Mio Dollars seem to be a very high jackpot compared with the Ansari X Prize.

Jim · « **Reply #9 on:** 04/17/2006 11:54 am »

Quote

Benny - 17/4/2006 7:40 AMThe Website of Bigelow Aerospace has been updated www.bigelowaerospace.comDoes anyone know more about the America´s Space Cup?50 Mio Dollars seem to be a very high jackpot compared with the Ansari X Prize.

Orbital flight. Bigelow needs a ride to his spacestation

braddock · « **Reply #10 on:** 04/17/2006 01:08 pm »

Quote

Benny - 17/4/2006 7:40 AM
The Website of Bigelow Aerospace has been updated

Looks a lot more pragmatic than their old site, with that big-old picture of their sign so that you know they are a real comany.

Quote

Does anyone know more about the America´s Space Cup?

This contest rule seems a little restrictive; any likely competitor now would be taking NASA COTS money (aka SpaceX). I wonder if they'll change it.

The Competitor must not accept or utilize Government development funding related to this Contest of any kind,

josh_simonson · « **Reply #11 on:** 04/25/2006 07:52 pm »

SpaceX probably can't do the 20% or less expendible part very easilly - they'd have to fast track a re-useable second stage. They may not be able to refurbish a falcon 9 heavy in the time frame allowed either. I imagine there'd have to be bean counters monitoring how much gear is thrown out during the refurbishment process... Yuck.

bad_astra · « **Reply #12 on:** 05/31/2006 12:56 am »

Yeah. I imagine America's Space Prize is really more of a token PR gesture then anything else. Unlike the CATS or X-Prize, no one is going to win it anytime soon, and even if they did, $50 million would be a tiny drop in a big bucket. Proffitability of that kind of system would be more important in the long run. If Bigelow is going to make his hotel work, he will either have to do it with expendables for now, or else Blue Origin (the REALLY secrative alt.space company) is going to have to pull a deus-ex-machina for him.

Tap-Sa · « **Reply #13 on:** 05/31/2006 07:40 am »

Quote

josh_simonson - 25/4/2006 11:39 PM

SpaceX probably can't do the 20% or less expendible part very easilly - they'd have to fast track a re-useable second stage.

No need for re-useable second stage for meet the 20% requirement. The combined dry mass of both the spacecraft and the first stage would most certainly be more than 80% of total dry weight.

braddock · « **Reply #14 on:** 07/11/2006 04:49 pm »

Alan Boyle is running a little blog feature on Bigelow in anticipation of the Genesis-1 launch due tomorrow.
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2006/07/10/998.aspx

Benny · « **Reply #15 on:** 07/11/2006 07:27 pm »

Are there any Details on their launch goals (except for getting their payload into Space

) ?

braddock · « **Reply #16 on:** 07/11/2006 10:39 pm »

From an MSNBC article when the launch was delayed last month:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13171475/

"The Genesis 1 payload will be a one-third-scale model of an inflatable habitation module that could form the backbone of an orbital facility for space tourists and commercial space researchers sometime in the next decade. NASA experimented with the concept early in the international space station program, but budget cuts forced them to terminate research. Bigelow Aerospace has picked up that approach and has perfected the technology, observers say."

edkyle99 · « **Reply #17 on:** 07/12/2006 06:10 pm »

Nothing on the payload from Bigelow yet.

braddock · « **Reply #18 on:** 07/12/2006 06:14 pm »

Good article by Alan Boyle, MSNBC: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13828908/
Strangely still no new info on the Bigelow web site...

general · « **Reply #19 on:** 07/12/2006 09:17 pm »

They're a small company, so we shouldn't expect constant updates on their website.