Inflatable Space Capsules May Become Hotels for Space Tourists

Expandable space capsules similar to one attached to the International Space Station on Sunday could one day serve as hotels for tourists wishing to orbit the Earth, according to plans announced in a release by Bigelow Aerospace and the United Launch Alliance at the 32nd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

A similar expandable capsule made by Bigelow was included in cargo carried into space by rival rocket company Space X on Friday. By Sunday, the structure could be seen as an appendage to the International Space Station.

"Bigelow Aerospace (BA) and United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced they are partnering to develop and deploy habitable volumes in Low Earth orbit (LEO)," the release stated on Monday. "The volumes will be based on the Bigelow Aerospace B330 expandable module with the initial launch to orbit in 2020 on ULA's Atlas V 552 configuration launch vehicle."

Bigelow would make the balloon-like spacecraft and ULA would provide rockets to move the capsules into low-earth orbit.

"The craft will support zero-gravity research including scientific missions and manufacturing processes," the release added. "Beyond its industrial and scientific purposes, however, it has potential as a destination for space tourism and a craft for missions destined for the moon and Mars."

The companies explained that the B330 will have 12,000 cubic feet of internal space.

"Development of Bigelow’s B330 is well underway as is the integration of the B330 to the Atlas V. The companies are working together to develop the business construct, commercial product offerings and marketing plans," the release stated.

The United Launch Alliance is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. It competes with Space X to provide launch services for the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and private satellite companies.