Inflatable space habitat

Inflatable habitats, also called expandable habitats, are special tent-like structures. They can hold people and be filled with air to keep them safe in space. After they are launched into space, these habitats can grow bigger. This gives more room to live without needing a lot of heavy material.

The idea of building an inflatable space habitat started in 1961. A company named Goodyear made a design for a space station, but it was never used. Later, in 1989, scientists at the Johnson Space Center's Man Systems Division suggested a big round habitat. They thought it could be placed on the Moon and covered by lunar soil to keep it safe.

One famous inflatable design was called TransHab, short for Transit Habitat. It was planned to be added to the International Space Station. A private company named Bigelow Aerospace later used this idea for many new space projects. These projects could help people live and work in space.

Construction

The construction of an inflatable space habitat depends on what it is meant to do. But they often have layers of strong materials like Kevlar and mylar around a flexible air bladder that holds in the atmosphere. The shape stays firm because of the pressure between the air inside and the vacuum of space outside. Inflatable modules made by Bigelow Aerospace have a special core inside that helps them stay steady when they are launched into orbit.

Ongoing research

Currently, Sierra Space and NASA are leading the research on inflatable space habitats. NASA is exploring ideas for inflatable lunar bases and plans to use expandable technology in spacecraft for future moon and Mars missions.

Bigelow Aerospace did important early work on inflatable space habitats with NASA, but the company closed in 2020. In 2021, Sierra Space began continuing this work. One famous project was the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), tested on the International Space Station from 2016 to 2020. Other ideas include big space station designs and habitats for the moon. Sierra Space is now developing the LIFE Habitat for use in commercial space stations. NASA also has plans for a Lunar Surface Habitat for the Artemis program. Lockheed Martin and a startup called Max Space are also working on inflatable habitats, and China launched a small inflatable module in September 2024.

Main article: Bigelow Expandable Activity Module

Main article: Nautilus-X

Main article: Large Integrated Flexible Environment

Advantages

Inflatable space habitats can give more living space using less material. They are packed small for launch and then grow big in space, where shape does not matter.

Some designs help protect against space debris and radiation. The B330 gives strong ballistic protection and good radiation protection, like the International Space Station. It also lessens the effect of secondary radiation.

Flight experience

The 1965 Voskhod 2 mission used an inflatable airlock for the first ever EVA.

By 2019, the only designs used in space were the Genesis I, Genesis II, and Bigelow Expandable Activity Module from Bigelow Aerospace.