Growing Space Enterprise

This past week, while the Shuttle Atlantis returned safely to Earth and Anousheh Ansari and the rotating crews continued their International Space Station (ISS) activities, some really big space news came out of an AIAA conference in San Jose, California. (Sometimes I really wish I could get paid to go to conferences!)

Robert Bigelow, founder and President of Bigelow Aerospace announced plans that include accelerating development and flight of inflatable commercial human space habitats and that he is collaborating with Lockheed Martin to study use of the Atlas V launch vehicle for commercial human transport to his facilities. LM has already been considering use of the Atlas V for commercial human spaceflight.

This is big! The entrance of one of the traditional large aerospace corporations into the emerging commercial human space travel industry, blurring the difference between 'old space' and 'new space' activity, could really accelerate the emergence of commerce in space and all of its impact on the future of humanity.

(Disclaimer: I am employed by Lockheed Martin. Any comments posted here are purely my own personal views and do not claim to represent my employer.)