Genesis I is an experimental space habitat designed and built by the private American firm Bigelow Aerospace and launched in 2006. It was the first module to be sent into orbit by the company, and tested various systems, materials and techniques related to determining the viability of long-term inflatable space structures through 2008. Such structures, including this module and others built by Bigelow Aerospace, were similar to the 1990s NASA expandable TransHab design, which aimed to provide increased interior volume at a reduced launch diameter and potentially reduced mass compared to traditional rigid structures.
Image from one of the seven exterior cameras on Genesis I
Bigelow Aerospace was an American space design and manufacturing company which closed its doors in 2020. It was an aeronautics and outer space technology company which manufactured and developed expandable space station modules. Bigelow Aerospace was founded by Robert Bigelow in 1998, and was based in North Las Vegas, Nevada. It was funded in large part by the profit Bigelow gained through his ownership of the hotel chain, Budget Suites of America.
NASA's design for the now-canceled TransHab module
A full-scale mockup of Bigelow Aerospace's Space Station Alpha inside their facility in Nevada.
NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver views the inside of a full-scale mockup of Bigelow Aerospace's Space Station Alpha.
Full-scale mock-up of a BEAM at the Johnson Space Center Space Vehicle Mockup Facility