A 63-year-old American billionaire has plans to launch an inflatable private space station that doubles as a hotel.
Bigelow Aerospace is working on "an inflatable space station, to be precise a massive bouncy castle meant to expand when it gets into orbit," Wired magazine said. "It will be the first privately owned destination in space, and Bigelow proposes to rent it out as an orbital research lab, a training facility, or even a tourist hotel."
Before you dismiss Robert T. Bigelow as another super rich guy that's watched too many Star Trek episodes, know that he has two scale prototypes circling the earth right now. Genesis I and II were launched in the last 16 months from Russia, and photos taken from them can be viewed at the Bigelow Aerospace website.
Inflatable Private Space Station/Hotel
Bigelow Aerospace
Trend Themes
1. Inflatable Space Habitat Trend - As Bigelow Aerospace introduces inflatable space technology through space hotels and training labs, space travel can become more accessible, affordable.
2. Private Space Tourism Trend - Bigelow Aerospace's inflatable space hotels could pioneer private space tourism, creating a new market for commercial space travel.
3. Orbital Research Trend - Bigelow Aerospace's inflatable space laboratory could provide researchers with a unique and low-cost microgravity research environment not currently available in traditional space stations.
Industry Implications
1. Space Tourism Industry - The space tourism industry can use Bigelow Aerospace's inflatable space technology to pioneer privately-owned space tourism, opening up new business opportunities.
2. Space Research Industry - Bigelow Aerospace's inflatable space laboratory is set to disrupt and lower costs for microgravity research and development, offering commercial space research opportunities to companies and organizations.
3. Space Transportation Industry - The inflatable habitat technology developed by Bigelow Aerospace can provide opportunities for companies in the space transportation industry to support private space ventures, moving beyond traditional NASA-funded missions.