The International Space Station will receive an additional room next year that has been privately built and is inflatable.
This room, called the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), is set to launch into orbit next year inside SpaceX's Dragon cargo aircraft, and it will be installed on the Tranquility node's aft port by the robotic Canadarm2, according to Space.com. Once installed, the module will test the possibility of expanding the use of space habitat technology.
NASA will give Bigelow Aerospace, the space tech startup behind BEAM, $17.8 million to launch the module to the ISS. The company plans to have the module in space for at least a couple of years.
BEAM would be the latest project that Bigelow would put in orbit, as the company's Genesis I and Genesis II are currently in space collecting information about low-Earth orbit (LEO) conditions and the efficiency of the technology,CNET reported.
Bigelow plans to use BEAM to collect even more data about how well its technology can perform in space, as well as launch its own space station called Bigelow Aerospace Alpha Station. The goal is to have the station in space in 2015 at the earliest, and for it to be at least partially operational.
Bigelow representative Mike Gold said at the International Astronautical Congress Thursday that LEO "will become a commercial domain," adding that commercial satellites are mostly run by private companies now instead of the government, and that every part of people's lives, including cell phones, are affected by LEO, Space.com reported.
"This will happen when it comes to crew operations," Gold said.
He also talked about the restrictions on private work in space that come from the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which doesn't allow countries to share technology with each other. He urged other companies to help him persuade government officials to make changes that would give countries more freedom with their projects.
"We cannot fight the New Space vs Old Space battle ... with so few companies," Gold said. "The pie is too small. We need to come together as space enthusiasts."
The ITAR relaxed its restrictions on tech-sharing earlier last year, which may provide some hope for companies that want to work together in their space projects.
As part of the deal with Bigelow, NASA will use BEAM to measure the module's radiation levels and compare them to levels in other parts of the ISS. By measuring these levels, the space agency will be able to make sure the space station is safe to inhabit.
