{"id":38677,"date":"2017-10-17T18:04:27","date_gmt":"2017-10-17T10:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/ula-and-bigelow-expand-association-with-lunar-depot-plan\/"},"modified":"2017-10-17T18:04:27","modified_gmt":"2017-10-17T10:04:27","slug":"ula-and-bigelow-expand-association-with-lunar-depot-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/ula-and-bigelow-expand-association-with-lunar-depot-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"ULA and Bigelow expand association with lunar depot plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Bigelow Aerospace have updated their future plans via an agreement to launch a B330 module on a Vulcan rocket to an eventual home in Low Lunar Orbit. Set with a target date of 2022, the \u201cLunar Depot\u201d could become a precursor to a Deep Space Gateway that NASA is interested in assembling later in the decade.<\/p>\n

Bigelow To The Orbit of the Moon:<\/p>\n

Robert Bigelow, the founder of Bigelow Aerospace, has held a long-time interest in the Moon, including the lunar surface.<\/p>\n

\"\"A recent overview at the ISSR&D conference saw the American businessman cite \u2013 in cartoon form \u2013 the threat of falling behind the Chinese as a driver of his ambitions, along with a warning the United States needs to remain focused on international competition.<\/p>\n

With the US government now moving NASA toward a path that could even result in a return to the lunar surface, Bigelow is well placed for providing module options that could be involved with such future missions.<\/p>\n

With the company already associated with NASA under several agreements, actual space hardware from Bigelow is performing well on the International Space Station (ISS).<\/p>\n

\"\"The Bigelow expandable module, BEAM, launched aboard SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket on the CRS-8 mission and has exceeded expectations to the point NASA is exploring an extended stay for the module to allow for further research on its long-term capabilities.<\/p>\n

It was initially set to be a two-year experimental mission to validate expandable module technology in the human spaceflight arena.<\/p>\n

Another part of an initial plan for Bigelow\u2019s forward plan revolved around a historic announcement at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2016.<\/p>\n

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\"2016-04-12-000759\"Bigelow and Tory Bruno, President and CEO of ULA discussed general terms of an agreement that would see the veteran Atlas V rocket launch two expandable Bigelow spacecraft by 2020.<\/p>\n

The technology is not only based on BEAM, but the improvements over the years following the 2006 and 2007 launches of the Genesis I and Genesis II expandable Bigelow modules, which are still functioning in orbit today.<\/p>\n

Since that time, Bigelow and its expandable technology systems have waited for the opportunity to provide human-based expandable habitat platforms in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) via the first commercial space stations placed into LEO.<\/p>\n

\"2016-04-12-215535\"Per the announcement, the focus was on the potential to launch a B330 expandable module to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

During the press conference, Mr. Bigelow noted enthusiastically that one of these modules would account for approximately 30% of the current internal volume of the ISS.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Mr. Bigelow stated B330 modules would provide more work space for NASA and potential commercial partners wishing to lease portions of the facility.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the press conference also talked about the use of commercial transportation companies \u2013 specifically SpaceX (whose Dragon2 capsule featured in the press conference), Boeing, Sierra Nevada, and Blue Origin \u2013 to ferry crew to the space stations as well as perform resupply missions to them.<\/p>\n

See Also<\/h4>\n