Private Space Stations Edge Closer to Reality (Bigelow)

[bananas]

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/private-space-stations-bigelow-100120.html

Private Space Stations Edge Closer to Reality
By Leonard David
SPACE.com’s Space Insider Columnist
posted: 20 January 2010

LAS VEGAS – With two prototype modules for a commercial space station already circling the Earth, Bigelow Aerospace is gearing up for a full-scale assault on space.

For the upstart firm, it's about volume — and not entirely in the sense of quantity or number of items sold. The company's expandable module designs are designed to offer low-cost commercial volume in space — for rent or lease — not only to private sector interests, but also to national space agencies.

Entrepreneur Robert Bigelow founded Bigelow Aerospace in 1999. Over the years, the space businessman has invested some $180 million in his vision, drawing from a bank account built on construction and real estate deals, along with money gleaned from his hotel chain, Budget Suites of America.

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Bigelow is now eying 2015 as the year when the larger human-rated habitats will be in Earth orbit, ready for boarding. All that is predicated, however, on launch availability — be it on an Atlas 5 or the yet-to-fly Falcon 9 rocket under development by private booster builder Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). It will take seven rocket flights, he said, to hurl the elements for the first Bigelow Aerospace complex into space.

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[zbdent]

1. can we get the Walton billionheirs and Bloomberg to be some of the first

occupants of the luxury suites? You know, before they iron out all the kinks in the airlocks ...