Bigelow Aerospace to offer $760 million for spaceship

[itsfullofstars]

http://space.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn12836&feedId=online-news_rss20<br /><br />"Bigelow Aerospace intends to spur development of a commercial space vehicle to take people into Earth orbit by offering to sign a contract worth $760 million with any company that can meet their criteria, company president Robert Bigelow says."<br /><br />Here is the bit that got me..........<br /><br />"The potential offer tops the $500 million NASA has budgeted for its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) programme, which is part of the agency's own effort to spur development of commercial orbital crew launch capabilities."<br /><br />Thats some real money being put on the table, at last, instead of 'well we got these modules and we have our fingers crossed somebody can launch them for us........'<br /><br />Exciting stuff!!<br /><br />itsfullofstars

 

[docm]

Jesus, Mary & Joseph....this <i>***Intentional Bypassing of the Profanity Filter Deleted***</i> getting serious <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[itsfullofstars]

"Jesus, Mary & Joseph....this <i>***Reference to Bypassing of Profanity Filter Deleted***</i> getting serious"<br /><br />Yes it is isnt it!!<br /><br />Richard Branson used to be my hero, now I'm kind of thinking Hmmmm Bigelow!!<br /><br />Now if they could both put their heads together.......<br /><br />itsfullofstars

 

[thereiwas]

I liked this part:<br /><br /><font color="yellow">"The contract or purchase agreement would be worth $760 million in total for eight launches. To show that Bigelow Aerospace is serious, it will deposit $100 million in an escrow bank account up front if the plan goes forward."</font><br /><br />That's $95M each. SpaceX still says a Falcon 9 (5m fairing) mission to LEO is $35M. That's for about 9-10,000kg depending on launch site and inclination. An F9 Heavy will do 27,500 kg for $90M. Mass of a Sundancer is 8600 kg, a BA-330 is 23,000 kg, so a Sundancer could go up on an F9 and a BA-330 on an F9H. (I assume those are unprovisioned mass numbers.)<br /><br />Can ULA touch this? Of course, anyone can quote a price on something they can't deliver yet... Still, this is an interesting development and it is neat how Bigelow's and Musk's plans mesh.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">"Bigelow says he hopes within a month or so to be able to make an announcement officially offering the potential $760 million contract, along with detailed information about the criteria Bigelow Aerospace would use to select the partner for the contract."</font>/safety_wrapper>

 

[docm]

I find it interesting that they specified a certain number of launches.<br /><br />This may mean they need x number of flights to assemble and fit the stations equipment. Raw assembly of the modules to the hub may be done remotely, but they'll need warm bodies on board to get the equipment out of the module cores and get things ready for occupation. <br /><br />Yup...sounds like a job for SpaceX and they already have the first Sundancer module on their manifest. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[thereiwas]

This also suggests to me that Bigelow has customers lined up.

 

[docm]

Yup, that too. I can't wait for their full announcement and other interviews to take place. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[spacy600]

I thought he was talking about people only.<br /><br />"But we can't even start to queue that up if we can't say there's a transportation system in process – and here's all the details about it, here's what your seat cost is going to be, here's what's the architectures looks like, here's who's manufacturing it," he said.<br /><br />Not cargo

 

[Huntster]

>>but they'll need warm bodies on board to get the equipment out of the module cores and get things ready for occupation.<br /><br />While this is certainly the case to an extent, I understood that a significant amount of hardware would be sent up with each module, reducing somewhat the need for additional cargo flights. I cannot source that, however, so that may be my poor memory showing. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[docm]

I wasn't talking cargo flights, just people. Note that I mentioned the gear stowed in the modules core. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[itsfullofstars]

“but they'll need warm bodies on board to get the equipment out of the module cores and get things ready for occupation.â€<br /><br />That’s the thing. It’s relatively easy to launch the hardware (relatively). Bare minimum one launch for the module, second launch for the internal hardware (progress type craft) and third, ‘warm bodies’ to cart the stuff out of the cargo module and install it, and return safely to earth. <br /><br />And then of course that same man rated vehicle to launch the guests/scientists. <br /><br />There are only three agencies/governments that are, at the moment, capable of launching a man rated vehicle.<br /><br />Is he still asking too much? or do you reckon it will end up being one of the three agencies launching ‘warm bodies’?<br /><br />Or is he expecting somebody else to come up with a man rated vehicle any time soon?<br /><br />itsfullofstars

 

[spacy600]

I see this as a perfect fit for Dream Chaser.<br /><br />I can't see Bigelow going to any government.

 

[Huntster]

Sorry docm, I seem to have missed that key phrase. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jimfromnsf]

"Yup...sounds like a job for SpaceX "<br /><br />Spacex isn't designing a docking system

 

[thereiwas]

They don't need to design a docking system. They are using existing designs on Dragon. Both LIDS and the large ISS adapter, depending on customer requirements.

 

[docm]

Correct. Each end of the Bigelow modules will use the common berthing mechanism (CBM) and so will Dragon. Dragon can also be outfitted with LIDS or APAS support if required. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[thereiwas]

This AW&ST article say Sundancer would have a Soyuz adapter on one end and a LIDS on the other. If it's big enough I suppose it could hold a CBM. The BA330 pix I've seen look like they have CBM hatches.

 

[docm]

Right, on the pix I have it's a CBM or LIDS. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jimfromnsf]

CBM is not a "docking" adapter. It is a mating adapter. It is not made to take docking forces, the two mating components have to be placed together by another mechanism (i.e. RMS) <br /><br />LIDS isn't "developed" yet.

 

[thereiwas]

If NASA plans to use LIDS on Constellation then it should be ready around the time a BA330 would need it. Bigelow has expressed interest in licensing it. But if Bigelow is ready sooner than LIDS is ready I presume they'll use one of the alternatives in the short term. "Available" beats out "best" every time, and becomes the new standard.

 

[gunsandrockets]

This news is a year too late to save RPK! Ironic...

 

[docm]

It was too late for RpK the day after they signed their COTS agreement <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[hal9891]

So if SpaceX could do 8 launches with just $280 million (8 x $35M) they would still get $760 million?<br /><br />Looks like a nice business plan for SpaceX, if they up to it , of course. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#808080" color="#999999"><font size="1">"I predict that within 100 years computers will be twice as powerful, 10000 times larger, and so expensive that only the five richest kings of Europe will own them"</font></font><br /></div> </div>

 

[jimfromnsf]

$35M doesn't include the Dragon capsule

 

[hal9891]

And how much is that? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div style="text-align:center"><font style="color:#808080" color="#999999"><font size="1">"I predict that within 100 years computers will be twice as powerful, 10000 times larger, and so expensive that only the five richest kings of Europe will own them"</font></font><br /></div> </div>