What Bigelow Aerospace does

Bigelow Aerospace is a privately-held space technology company founded in 1999 by Robert T. Bigelow, headquartered on a 50+ acre campus in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The company's sole strategic focus is the development of expandable habitat modules for low Earth orbit, cislunar, and lunar-surface applications, built around an exclusive commercial license to NASA's cancelled TransHab program acquired in September 2003. Over 24 years of founder-funded R&D, the company has refined the technology into a portfolio that includes the Genesis I and Genesis II technology demonstrators (2006-2007), the BEAM module currently operating on the International Space Station, the B330 human-rated habitat for LEO and beyond, the XBASE variant proposed for ISS, and the First Base lunar surface concept unveiled in 2019. Bigelow holds over 20 patents related to expandable habitat architecture and has accumulated more than $350 million of personal investment from its founder.

The company generates revenue through government contracts with NASA (including sole-source awards for BEAM operations and mission extensions) and through payload services to the ISS operated via its 2018 subsidiary Bigelow Space Operations. Strategic partnerships with United Launch Alliance for a lunar-orbit B330 'depot' and with CASIS for research payload flights broaden the commercial pipeline. The GTM motion is enterprise field sales to government agencies and strategic aerospace primes, with no consumer-facing product and no public pricing disclosed for habitat modules. The customer base is concentrated almost entirely in NASA and NASA-adjacent government programs, with secondary optionality in commercial space stations and space tourism markets that have not yet translated into disclosed recurring revenue.

Name

Bigelow Aerospace

Legal name

Bigelow Aerospace, LLC

Website

https://bigelowaerospace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bigelow Aerospace is a privately-held space technology company developing expandable habitat modules for low Earth orbit, lunar orbit, and lunar surface applications, anchored by an exclusive NASA TransHab license and serving primarily NASA and U.S. government space programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Space Habitats and Expandable Spacecraft

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro primary industry

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Structures, Mechanisms & Thermal Control (IMABACAF), Space Logistics & In-Orbit Servicing (Refueling, Tug, Debris Removal) (IMABACAM)

Keywords

• Expandable space habitats
• Space station modules
• Low earth orbit platforms
• Lunar habitat systems
• Inflatable spacecraft technology

Headquarters

HQ city

North Las Vegas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Government Space Contracts: Bigelow Aerospace generates revenue primarily through government contracts with NASA, including sole-source contracts for BEAM operations and mission extensions. These contracts support the development and deployment of expandable habitat technology for government space programs.
2. Space Station Module Sales: Sale or lease of expandable space station modules (B330, XBASE) to government agencies and private enterprise for low Earth orbit, lunar, and deep space applications.
3. Payload Services (Fly Your Stuff): Historical program offering customers the ability to send small payloads aboard Genesis spacecraft for orbital flight and photography, priced at $295 per item.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bigelow Aerospace designs, develops, and manufactures expandable space habitat modules and space station platforms. Its core product line includes subscale technology demonstrators (Genesis I and II), an ISS-attached expandable module (BEAM), and full-scale human-rated habitats (B330, XBASE, First Base) for low Earth orbit and lunar surface applications. The company's technology is based on an exclusive license of NASA's TransHab expandable habitat architecture.

Product overview

Bigelow Aerospace is a space technology company specializing in expandable habitat technology for low Earth orbit, lunar, and deep space applications. The product portfolio progresses from subscale technology demonstrators (Genesis I and II) to human-rated operational habitats (BEAM, B330/XBASE, First Base). BEAM is currently operational on the ISS, while B330 and First Base are designed for lunar orbit and surface deployment respectively. All products utilize proprietary expandable habitat architecture licensed from NASA to provide low-cost commercial space platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Genesis: Subscale expandable habitat technology demonstration spacecraft program, including Genesis I and Genesis II launched in 2006 and 2007 respectively.
• BEAM (Bigelow Expandable Activity Module)
• B330
• First Base
• Bigelow Space Operations

Products and services

• Genesis I First operational spacecraft demonstrating expandable habitat technology in orbit. Successfully validated expansion, pressurization, and safe operation of an expandable spacecraft in low Earth orbit.
• Genesis II Second operational expandable spacecraft with enhanced capabilities, including 22 internal and external cameras. Served as a proof of concept for larger habitat architectures.
• BEAM (Bigelow Expandable Activity Module) Expandable habitat technology demonstration module attached to the International Space Station's Tranquility module. First privately-owned expandable module in space; NASA extended its mission as an operational station asset holding over 1,000 pounds of cargo.
• B330 Bigelow Aerospace's main human-rated expandable habitation system for low Earth orbit (LEO) and beyond LEO destinations, including lunar orbit.
• XBASE Mission-specific variant of the B330 proposed as a destination on the International Space Station.
• First Base Lunar surface habitat concept designed as 'a lunar lander's best friend.' Features 330m³ interior volume, accommodates 4 people long-duration or 6 people for 120 days, with six crew quarters, two toilets, two galleys, two airlocks with double compartments, and attached propulsion and warehouse structures.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transport volume greatly decreased for space missions due to expandable design
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• CASIScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 February 2018Bigelow Space Operations (a subsidiary) announced partnership with CASIS to fly research and commercial payloads to the International Space Station, expanding access to orbital research facilities.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2017NASA has partnered with Bigelow Aerospace on multiple initiatives including the BEAM (Bigelow Expandable Activity Module) demonstration, sole-source contracts for mission extensions, and deep space habitation development. NASA awarded a contract to support extension of BEAM's life and its use as an operational ISS asset storing over 1,000 pounds of cargo.
• United Launch Alliance (ULA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2017ULA and Bigelow Aerospace announced a partnership to place a B330 habitat module in low lunar orbit, creating a lunar depot. This strategic partnership targets future deep space exploration and commercial lunar operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Axiom Space: Axiom Space is building commercial modules for the International Space Station and a planned free-flying commercial space station. It is the most direct competitor to Bigelow Aerospace, pursuing the same NASA-funded commercial LEO destination market with module-based habitats.
• Sierra Space: Sierra Space (a Sierra Nevada Corporation subsidiary) is developing the LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) expandable habitat module and is partnering with Blue Origin on the Orbital Reef commercial space station. It directly competes with Bigelow's expandable habitat architecture.
• Voyager Space (Nanoracks): Voyager Space, through its Nanoracks subsidiary and the Starlab joint venture with Airbus, is developing commercial space stations including the Bishop Airlock already attached to the ISS. It competes directly with Bigelow for commercial LEO habitat market share.
• Blue Origin: Blue Origin is partnering with Sierra Space on the Orbital Reef commercial space station and is pursuing NASA human landing system contracts. It competes with Bigelow in the commercial space destination and habitat market with significantly greater capital resources.

Emerging players

• Vast Space: Vast Space is developing the Haven-1 commercial space station with plans for a free-flying orbital outpost. As a newer entrant with substantial private funding from Jed McCaleb, it represents an emerging competitor to Bigelow's planned commercial station offerings.
• Gravitics: Gravitics is an emerging space infrastructure company developing modular space station components including the StarMax habitable module. As a smaller and earlier-stage company pursuing commercial LEO habitats, it competes for the same emerging market opportunity as Bigelow.

Broad incumbents

• Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman manufactures the Cygnus cargo spacecraft, performs in-space servicing via Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV), and has participated in NASA NextSTEP habitat studies. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping space infrastructure capabilities but operates across a wider portfolio.
• Lockheed Martin: Lockheed Martin has participated in NASA NextSTEP-2 habitat studies and builds Orion spacecraft and other deep space exploration hardware. As a large aerospace prime, it has the engineering and capital resources to develop habitat modules that could compete with Bigelow's offerings.
• Boeing: Boeing is the prime contractor for ISS operations, built ISS modules including Destiny and Quest, and manufactures the CST-100 Starliner crew vehicle. Its established ISS presence and space station heritage make it a relevant incumbent comparable to Bigelow's space habitat focus.
• Thales Alenia Space: Thales Alenia Space has manufactured pressurized modules for the ISS (Columbus, Harmony, Tranquility) and is developing commercial space station modules for multiple customers. It is a leading European space habitat manufacturer with comparable module production capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BigelowSpace
• Facebookfacebook.com/109662302394191
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bigelow-aerospace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bigelow Aerospace