NASA Enlists Aerospace Company to Renovate International Space Station for $17.8 Million

The International Space Station is due for renovation, and NASA believes that the private company Bigelow Aerospace is up for the job. In a recent press release, it was acknowledged that the Bigelow landed a $17.8 million contract in exchange for constructing space habitat technology, to be added to the Station upon completion.

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver explains, "The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that enables important discoveries that benefit humanity and vastly increase understanding of how humans can live and work in space for long periods. The partnership agreement for the use of expandable habitats represents a step forward in cutting-edge technology that can allow humans to thrive in space safely and affordably, and heralds important progress in U.S. commercial space innovation."

Bigelow Aerospace was founded in 1999 by Robert T. Bigelow, and has since catered to both "national space agencies and corporate clients," according to the company's official website. Bigelow's resume includes the Genesis I and Genesis II orbiter prototypes, which launched in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

"Let's face it; the most expensive aspect of taking things in space is the launch," adds Garver. "So the magnitude of importance of this for NASA really can't be overstated."

Robert Bigelow expects 2013 to be a big year for his Aerospace company. "This year is probably going to be our kickoff year for talking to customers. We have to show that we can execute what we're talking about," he says.