Aerojet Provides Propulsion for Space Hotel

You see, these sorts of things are what keeps me writing these stories.

I get to write things like "the space hotel's gots rockets now!"

This entertains me.

Anyway, the news of the day (or rather, last week since I'm a bit behind) is that aerospace manufacturer Aerojet has agreed to a $23 million deal with Bigelow Aerospace to provide propulsion for the aft section of their Sundancer space hotel prototype. This propulsion system will be used for docking maneuvers, in conjunction with the fore propulsion system for attitude control, and eventually, for de-orbiting the craft when it is no longer needed.

Aerojet has worked on many space-related systems before, and among other things, will provide propulsion systems for the Mars Science Laboratory. A system similar to that which is planned for the Sundancer was successfully used to land the Mars Phoenix Lander a couple of weeks ago.

The Sundancer module (for those of you who don't know) is Bigelow's first human-habitable space hotel prototype. The inflatable module will be able to support a crew of three, and if it is successful, it will be used as a part of Bigelow's first operational tourist hotel. Launch is expected sometime around 2010.

Progress: 3.73%  Flight Time: 0:05:35

Genisis I Makes its 10,000th Orbit

Genisis I, after 660 days in space, has successfully made its 10,000th orbit! Genisis I, in case you don't know, is the first operational space hotel prototype, created by Bigelow Aerospace.

Genisis I has been doing remarkably well during its mission! The inflatable module has traveled a whopping 270 million miles, and has taken over 14,000 pictures. A more advanced prototype, Genisis II, was launched a little less than a year ago, and has been just as successful. This, of course, is all leading up to their first crewed prototype, the Sundancer, to launch around 2011, probably on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Progress: 3.73%  Flight Time: 0:05:35

Bigelow Aerospace

There are a few companies out there that are taking on the goal of creating space habitats for tourism purposes, but none of them are as promising as Bigelow Aerospace.

Bigelow Aerospace was founded in 1999 by Robert Bigelow. The company purchased rights from NASA to technologies that had been researched for NASA's canceled Translab program. The particular technologies they were interested in were designs for inflatable space station modules. Bigelow Aerospace took these designs and ran with them, quickly beginning design and production of prototype modules based on the technology.

Inflatable technology has several advantages. The modules are launched in a compressed state, allowing for a launch vehicle's typically volume-limited design. After the vehicle reaches orbit and the module has separated, it is inflated with breathable air, creating a much larger orbital habitat. The use of a flexible outer shell also makes the module much lighter then conventional metal habitation modules.

Concern has been raised about the prospect of meteorite impacts potentially puncturing the modules' walls and causing them to deflate. However, those concerns have been at least somewhat discouraged by the fact that the modules' walls are made of several layers of vectran, a material twice as tough as kevlar. If you shot the walls, you would have to dodge the ricochet. Also, a meteor impacting a flexible surface that was tough enough would theoretically bounce off where it might damage a rigid surface, due to the fact that the energy would largely be transferred back to the meteor.

On July 12, 2006, Bigelow Aerospace successfully launched the Genisis I, a 3000 lb, 15 foot prototype module. After achieving orbit, it successfully inflated and deployed its solar panels, and it orbits the Earth to this day. Bigelow hopes to keep it operating for at least another three years. Just a year later, on June 28, 2007, Bigelow launched Genisis II, their second prototype. Genisis II is similar to Genisis I, except that it contains twice as many cameras and a more complex array of sensors and other devices. Also, Genisis II contains an array of random items sent in by interested members of the public for Bigelow's "Fly Your Stuff" program.

Initially, Bigelow had plans to launch a larger prototype craft called the Galaxy, but the success of Genisis was so great, and launch costs are increasing so much, that they canceled the Galaxy program and are skipping to their full-size, human-habitable Sundancer prototype, to launch between 2010 and 2012. The speculation is that the Sundancer will be launched on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, but this hasn't been confirmed. If the launch and deployment of the Sundancer is successful, crew may be transported to it to further test its capabilities. Following that will be the launch of the first BA 330 (the first full-scale, production module) from 2012-2014.

And after that, a space hotel becomes a significant possibility. And remains an awesome possibility.

Progress: 3.24%  Flight Time: 0:04:51

SpaceX Releases Mission Manifest

Well, it seems as if SpaceX has really been busy of late, and is ramping up for full-scale operations. They just released their revised mission manifest for launches from this spring all the way to 2011. There is some pretty interesting stuff here! It goes something like this:

Customer	Launch Date	Launch Vehicle	Launch Site
US Government & ATSB	Q2 2008	Falcon 1	Kwajalein
ATSB (Malaysia)	Q3 2008	Falcon 1	Kwajalein
US Government	Q4 2008	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
MDA Corp. (Canada)	2009	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
Avanti Communications (UK)	2009	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
NASA COTS - Demo 1	2009	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
NASA COTS - Demo 2	2009	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
SpaceDev	2009	Falcon 1	Kwajalein
NASA COTS - Demo 3	2010	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral
MDA Corp. (Canada)	2010	Falcon 1	Kwajalein
Swedish Space Corp. (Sweden)	2010	Falcon 1	Kwajalein
Bigelow Aerospace	2011	Falcon 9	Cape Canaveral

Some of these are simply communications satellite launches. However, the items 5, 6, and 8 that say NASA COTS are of some interest. These are demonstration launches of SpaceX's pressurized Dragon capsule. The NASA COTS program (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services) has been set up to finance demonstration flights by several commercial space launch companies to see who might best be able to provide cargo and crew transportation for the international space station after the space shuttle retires, but before the Ares/Orion vehicle project is completed. These three launches will demonstrate the capabilities of the Dragon capsule for NASA, in the hopes that it will be chosen to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. These will also serve as the Dragon's only currently planned test flights (SpaceX is all about the saving of the moneys).

The second interesting item is launch 7. This launch is being performed for SpaceDev, the company that designed SpaceShipOne's rocket, and is a former competitor in the COTS program. The goal of this launch is to put a number of very small satellites in orbit (called micro- and nanosatelites) developed by SpaceDev and others to advance the technologies behind mini floaters of doom. Or something.

The last, but most interesting item is the last on the list, the launch for Bigelow Aerospace. Bigelow Aerospace is a company that is developing very exciting space habitat technologies based on an inflatable design originally developed by NASA. The payload on this launch will likely be Bigelow's Sundancer prototype craft, the third of Bigelow's flight prototypes, though this has not been confirmed. If successful, this launch will almost certainly lead to more interesting space tourism potential.

It looks like SpaceX is going to attempt its first satellite launch this spring without having made a successful test flight, so one way or another, this will be an exciting year for the company! I posted in greater detail about SpaceX just last week here, I will post in greater detail about Bigelow Aerospace in the next few days, and a full profile of SpaceDev is on my to-do list later down the road.

Progress: 3.24% Flight Time: 0:04:51

Space Tourism Companies

I mentioned in my first post that there are no less than five companies seriously working toward sending rich people (and perhaps an average joe) into space. I'll now back that up by giving a run-down and brief description of each of these companies, in order of how far along they are in their plans to send people to space.

Space Adventures Ltd
Everybody has heard of this one, but almost nobody knows its name. This is the company that currently partners with the Russian government to send people for week-long stays at the International Space Station. As of the beginning of 2007, this is the only Space Tourism company actively getting people into space. They also have plans to construct their own sub-orbital spacecraft, and long-term plans to send people to the moon.
Prices:
One week on the ISS: $30,000,000
Proposed sub-orbital flights: $102,000
Proposed trips to the moon: $100,000,000

Virgin Galactic
This company is partnering with Scaled Composites in the construction of SpaceShipTwo. SpaceShipTwo is currently under construction, and will begin flight testing this summer. Sub-orbital tourist flights are expected to begin in 2009. They are also planning ahead for orbital flights and beyond, but no specific details have been announced.
Prices:
Proposed sub-orbital flights: $200,000

SpaceX
SpaceX is currently constructing a prototype of Dragon, a Soyuz-like vehicle capable of taking 7 people into orbit. Dragon will first be tested in flight this year. Though SpaceX is primarily geared toward providing spaceflight services to governments, and have no announced plans for space tourism, I mention them here anyway because of:

Bigelow Aerospace
Bigelow Aerospace is more focused on creating structures in space than on getting people there. However, space hotels intended for tourists are among their future plans. Their structures are based on a unique inflatable design, and they have two prototypes in orbit right now. It has been suggested that SpaceX's Dragon capsules could be used to transport people to the proposed space hotels, but no specific plans have been announced.

EADS Astrium
This company actively develops systems that are being used in space, including the Colombus capsule that was launched yesterday aboard Atlantis toward the International Space Station. It is currently developing an aircraft somewhat similar to SpaceShipOne in that it is designed to launch six people into space from atmospheric flight. The difference is that SpaceShipOne uses a "mothership" to carry it up to launch altitude, while Astrium's craft is designed to be capable of both powered atmospheric and sub-orbital flight without the need of a mothership.

Blue Origin
Blue Origin is currently designing a unique sub-orbital craft capable of vertical takeoff and landing, with the intent to use it for space tourism. As of today, they have had one successful test... to 285 feet. This company is fairly hush-hush, so details about their specific plans are scarce.

Benson Space
Benson Space was founded by the founder of SpaceDev, the company that designed the hybrid rocket engine for SpaceShipOne. They plan to use the Dreamcatcher, a craft being designed by SpaceDev, to provide sub-orbital flights (and potentially future orbital flights) to tourists. They intend to launch the first sub-orbital tourism craft, and will have to beat Virgin Galactic's expected 2009 launches to do it.
Price:
Proposed sub-orbital flights: $200,000-$300,000

Constellation Services International
This company has rather ambitious plans to refurbish and upgrade used Soyuz capsules for orbital space tourism and cargo transport, as well as trips around the moon. Their proposed journey to the moon would include a week-long stay at the International Space Station. Few specific plans have been announced.

Excalibur Almaz
This company has plans to develop space tourism by means of modernized Russian TKS capsules (which have flown successfully unmanned) and plans derived from the Russian Almaz space stations, three of which were launched in the 70s.

So by my count, that's nine companies that will potentially be involved in space tourism! Many more than the five I promised. In future posts, I'll be profiling each of these companies (to the best of my amateurish abilities). So keep reading!