Spacehab

Spacehab

Spacehab

Spacehab owns and operates supply and research modules that are carried on NASA's space shuttles. Its modules also supply Russia's Mir space station with items ranging from food to clothing to technical equipment.

Spacehab announced a partnership with Energia to develop a commercial module called Enterprise for the station’s Russian segment. Enterprise never moved beyond the concept stage.

Spacehab, a Houston-based firm that builds laboratory modules for conducting research in orbit, in 2000 spun off a venture with the Russians called Space Media, which would use a new commercial module, Enterprise, that the company hopes to dock to the space station in order to “develop space-related media and edutainment [sic] opportunities.” The business plan may have been slightly ahead of its time, however. A year later Space Media was laying off staff, and is now biding its time before rushing to put the first studio in orbit.

Created: 2023-08-10

Updated: 2024-03-09

Company - Spacehab

Founded
Country
1984
USA
Funding
Yes, ?
Spacehab

Product/Service - Enterprise

Classification
Space Stations & Habitats
Category
Commercial Space Station
Commercial ISS Module
Space Entertainment
Fields
Commercial ISS Module
Status
Cancelled
First launch
2002

The idea for what would become Spacehab, Inc. originated in 1983 with Robert Citron, a former scientist with the Smithsonian Institution. According to the New York Times, Citron, who then lived in Seattle, conceived of a pressurized container for tourists to be carried in the cargo bay of the space shuttle. Round-trip airfare would be $1 million. NASA turned down this proposal, but voiced interest in a similar module for manned experiments.

Spacehab’s name was created as a contraction of “Space Habitat.” The company’s new mission was to provide a commercial supplement to the similar-sounding Spacelab, which was NASA’s version of the mobile laboratory that flew inside the space shuttle beginning in 1983. Spacelab was limited by funding and ultimately flew on only five flights between 1983 and 1992.

Unlike other government contractors, Spacehab would own its product and would seek service contracts for the use of it. The company raised $2 million before the explosion of the Challenger in January 1986. NASA suspended shuttle launches for two years following the accident.

During that time, Spacehab began looking for a CEO, and signed on Richard Jacobson in February 1987. Prior to his appointment, he had led the McDonnell Douglas Delta rocket program. He was preparing to retire when McDonnell Douglas offered to become the prime contractor for Spacehab. Spacehab’s chairman, James Beggs, also had long ties to the space industry, championing the commercialization of space while an administrator at NASA. In 1987, Spacehab’s offices were relocated opposite NASA’s in Washington, D.C., near the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.

In the spring of 1988, the government of Taiwan offered to finance the Spacehab project’s entire $75 million estimated cost. Taiwan had been excluded from NASA’s space projects because the United States did not officially recognize its government. Unfortunately for Spacehab, however, the president of Taiwan died before their deal could be consummated. (Spacehab did receive about $10 million from private Taiwanese investors in 1989, though.)

Later in 1988, Spacehab landed a major contract from NASA. The agency authorized Spacehab to develop a 1,000 cubic foot pressurized space habitat module for the cargo bay of the space shuttle. The company would pay NASA $28 million for each of six flights to cover transportation costs and other expenses, and would lease space for up to 50 scientific experiments on the space shuttle.

Encouraged by the NASA contract, more investors— including Chemical Bank, Mitsubishi Trust Bank, and Industrial Bank of Japan—committed another $150 million to the project in 1989. The Industrial Bank of Japan dropped out within a year, however, to be replaced by Banque National de Paris and Paribas.

A Big Sale in 1990

By the fall of 1990, Spacehab had four contracts worth $50 million for space on its ten-foot by 13.5-foot aluminum module, which multiplied the space shuttle’s manned experiment capacity by a factor of four. In November, NASA bought 200 of Spacehab’s 300 available slots on six shuttle flights for $184 million. Spacehab had been the only company to respond to NASA’s request for bids for research space in March 1990. Commercial operations like Spacehab offered NASA’s research centers a less cumbersome administrative means to get experiments into orbit than the traditional procurement process.

Because Spacehab had only eight employees in 1991, the company farmed out the design and manufacturing work. McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company became the prime contractor for the module. Aeritalia (later Alenia SpA) designed and built most of it, while the Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan acted as its home country’s sales agent. By this time, Spacehab had $40 million committed to the module, mostly from its manufacturing partners and overseas investors. The module was expected to cost $92 million to build, plus more than $5 million a year to insure.

The buyback arrangement with NASA enabled Spacehab to secure $64 million in financing from Chase Manhattan Bank in March 1991, a deal that took two years to complete. Although the Bush administration was generally sympathetic to the space program, NASA remained subject to the whims of the federal government, with every contract subject to Congress’s annual appropriations process. A group of 150 insurers led by Lloyd’s of London provided unique insurance against these risks, while McDonnell Douglas guaranteed against cost overruns. All told, the modules cost $150 million to build.

By the middle of 1991, Spacehab had a backlog worth $250 million. Its two 1,100-cubic-foot modules, with 25 lockers each, were capable of carrying 50 experiments in all. The company was renting each locker for $1.8 million a flight—the first of which was scheduled for December 1992, but later postponed.

The Spacehab module took its first flight on the space shuttle Endeavor in July 1993. The mission lasted ten days. The Discovery then carried the module in February 1994 and February 1995. The Washington Post recorded that these three missions were backed by 46 corporations, 27 universities, and eight research institutes, as well as NASA. They studied the possibility of growing protein crystals (used in drug synthesis) or assembling semiconductors in space. In July 1995, Spacehab won a $54 million, four-mission contract to resupply Russia’s Mir space station.

Public in 1995

Spacehab launched an initial public offering on the NASDAQ exchange in December 1995. This act presented people with a rare opportunity to invest in a company solely dedicated to the commercialization of space. The company’s lack of consistent revenues, however, made it a purchase for the long term. The share price fell from $12 to $8 within a year.

By this time, there had been a change in the executive ranks. Dr. Shelley A. Harrison became chairman, while Richard P. Hora—formerly with General Dynamics Corp.—became president. Prior to these changes, Harrison had co-founded Cymbal Technologies, the company that developed bar code scanners. He had taken over Spacehab through his venture capital firm, had been on the board of directors since August 1987, and became chairman in August 1993 and CEO in April 1996.

In 1996, Spacehab was building a new module double the size of the original to help meet NASA’s massive demand for experimentation space. NASA reportedly found it cost only a tenth as much to hire Spacehab’s module as it would have to maintain its own. In 1997, NASA awarded Spacehab a Research and Logistic Mission Support (REALMS) contract that allowed the agency more flexibility in ordering Spacehab’s services.

Spacehab changed its conservative accounting practices in 1997 to allow it to report revenues earned before missions were completed. The company acquired Astrotech Space Operations, L.P., a provider of satellite processing services, from Northrop Grumman Corporation in February 1997. This became another factor keeping zeroes out of the company’s quarterly income reports and making it less dependent on NASA. Spacehab bought another NASA contractor, Johnson Engineering Corpo-ration, in July 1998. This unit (renamed Spacehab Engineering Services) conducted training for astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. All of these occurrences led to Spacehab’s reporting of a net income of $9.6 million on revenues of $64 million for the 1998 fiscal year.

In May 1999, the Spacehab module was used to resupply the first elements of the long-awaited international space station (ISS) under construction. Spacehab bought the first option on commercial space aboard the ISS from the Canadian Space Agency in August 1999. By this time, David A. Rossi was serving as Spacehab’s president.

Spacehab won contracts for second and third ISS resupply missions via space shuttle in 2000. These missions ferried food and equipment needed by the first permanent crew, and were scheduled for that October. By this time, Spacehab’s long-term strategic partners included Daimler Chrysler Aerospace (or DASA, which merged with Matra Marconi to form Astrium) and the Mitsubishi Corporation.

Spacehab prepared to debut its Research Double Module (RDM) on a space shuttle flight in early 2001. Part of the mission involved the company’s Space Technology and Re-search Students (STARS) program, which carried experiments from students in five different countries. The STARS program’s experiments included one from China to see how well silk-worms produce silk in zero gravity. Spacehab hoped to have up to a million students involved as the company moved into the future.

SPACEHAB, Energia to build commercial module for ISS
Posted: Dec. 10, 1999

SPACEHAB, Inc. today announced an historic agreement with RSC Energia of Korolev, Russia, to establish the first permanent commercial presence in space. SPACEHAB and Energia will build a pressurized module, named Enterprise, which will be attached to the International Space Station (ISS). Enterprise will be manned and dedicated to servicing a myriad of commercial mass markets on Earth."Among our new businesses will be the first independent commercial television and Internet Web-site broadcasts from space," said Dr. Shelley Harrison, SPACEHAB's Chairman. "We will also expand our highly successful S*T*A*R*S space and science education program from the Space Shuttle to Enterprise, targeting millions of youngsters around the world."

"SPACEHAB will provide a unique blend of space-originated news, information, education, entertainment programming and business advertising and promotion, broadcasting from Enterprise to Earth TV and Internet links as it orbits the Earth every 90 minutes," said Dr. Harrison.

SPACEHAB is the first company to own and operate commercial space habitation modules, flown on NASA Space Shuttles to increase pressurized volume in which astronauts can live and work. U.S. Senator John Glenn performed research in a SPACEHAB Research Module upon his return to space in October 1998 aboard the Shuttle Discovery. (Glenn's flight was SPACEHAB's fifth Shuttle research mission.) SPACEHAB Logistics Modules supported seven critical resupply missions to the Russian space station Mir and the first resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). RSC (Rocket Space Corporation) Energia is the leading Russian corporation in manned space operations, spacecraft, space stations, launch vehicles, communications satellites, R&D, manufacturing and launch operations, with experience from Sputnik to Mir and now the ISS.

Artist's concept of Enterprise module docked to Russian portion of International Space Station. Photo: SPACEHAB

 The new pressurized space module Enterprise, which will be attached to the Russian portion of the ISS, will house a broadcast station and a research laboratory in which company-sponsored microgravity experiments targeting new biotech and advanced materials products and processes will be conducted. SPACEHAB officials estimate that it will cost approximately $100 million to develop Enterprise and establish the space media company. SPACEHAB will raise private financing for its portion of this endeavor. Energia will construct Enterprise and coordinate with the Russian Space Agency (RSA). RSA will provide launch services and other resources to the enterprise."Our long-term strategic partners Daimler Chrysler Aerospace (DASA) and Mitsubishi Corporation are highly supportive of this initiative," said Dr. Harrison. "SPACEHAB's initiative begins to fulfill the International Partners' objective of commercializing the ISS," commented DASA President Mr. Josef Kind.

"Enterprise is an historic project -- the first commercial real estate in orbit," said SPACEHAB President David Rossi. "This partnership is the first big step off Planet Earth for private enterprise in space, independent of government funding, " he said. "The ISS partners have endorsed greater commercial participation in the space station. As a private company with 15 years of experience working in manned space and partners and customers around the world, we are committed to making space commerce a reality."
SPACEHAB, with its Johnson Engineering and Astrotech subsidiaries, is the world's leading provider of commercial payload processing services for manned and unmanned payloads. The Company also supports NASA astronaut training at the Johnson Space Center.

Spacehab (Astronautix)

Status: Operational 1993. First Launch: 1993-06-21. Last Launch: 1999-05-27. Number: 14 . Gross mass: 5,000 kg (11,000 lb). Height: 3.00 m (9.80 ft). Span: 4.50 m (14.70 ft).

Spacehab was initially formed to develop a 5000 kg pressurized module derived from ESA's Spacelab. The 3 meter long Spacehab module was carried inside the Shuttle cargo bay and provides 28.3 cubic meters of expanded habitable space for experiments and logistics transport to space stations.

NASA agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding in December 1985, but its agreement with the European Space Agency prevented it from using competitive systems such as Spacehab's before 1989.

Consequently, the company signed contracts with the main European Spacelab contractors (MBB/ERNO and Aeritalia) to take a share in Spacehab as well as serve as prime contractors. By 1986 some $1 million had been spent on the project and the company initiated negotiations with NASA, claiming some 350 customers had expressed interest in using the module. NASA turned down a request from Spacehab for Shuttle launches on a deferred payment basis in 1987, and also briefly considered canceling other commercial agreements with Space Industries Inc. and 3M as well.

The agency informed Spacehab that no launches would be available before 1995 since the Shuttle was extremely overbooked following the Challenger accident. Spacehab then tried to sign up priority customers such as the Defense Department which would have forced NASA to assign Spacehab to an earlier flight. However, President Reagan's National Space Policy from February 1988 specifically ordered NASA to 'make best efforts' to launch Spacehab's $65-70 million cargo module on the Shuttle in the early 1990s. Federal regulations required NASA to open the expansion module to competition but Spacehab provided the only response by the 30 April 1990 deadline. NASA then agreed in principle to launch six commercial Spacehab flights by 1995, but the company initially found it difficult to raise capital.

Spacehab finally signed a contract with NASA in December 1990 to lease two-thirds of the payload space for $184 million. An important mission was hardware tests for Space Station Freedom; the module could carry up to four Space Station-type experiment racks. NASA agreed to launch Spacehab eight times at a cost of $28.2 million per flight. More than $20 million had already been spent on the project by this time, and Chase Manhattan Bank agreed to provide a further $75 million after Spacehab offered to buy insurance if Congress cancelled the project.

The company paid a 20% premium. Spacehab was almost cancelled in January 1992 when the House and Senate panels with NASA oversight indicated Congress only would pay $25 million in 1992 and $35 million in 1993. NASA had requested $39 million and $50 million, respectively. The House and Senate reached a compromise in March which allocated a $40 million budget for Spacehab in Fiscal Year 1992, and the investors (who had spent $44 million at that point plus another $50 million borrowed from Chase Manhattan Bank) said they were satisfied with the project's progress.

The company then unveiled its first Spacehab module in May 1992. The partners expected to make a profit after six flights, which had been bought by NASA in 1990. Under the agreement, Spacehab bought launch services from NASA and leased capacity to users for $1.76 million per experiment locker. Each module had 50 lockers and a dedicated flight thus costs $79.8 million. The first flight took place in June 1993, but with 98% of the facility occupied by experiments managed and paid for by NASA.

The company also investigated concepts other than the basic augmented Shuttle module, including Spacehab expansion modules for the Space Station. In 1986, Spacehab estimated a basic module would cost $15 million, rising to $40 million for a not-yet-approved advanced model that would have contained thermal control and augmented power and life support systems. The total cost of three basic modules was to be $50 million and Spacehab proposed a first mission in 1988 followed by three in 1989 and four in 1990. Proposed missions included Space Station technology testing and augmented 'construction shack' living quarters for assembly workers. NASA's problems with the Shuttle and Space Station forced the company to delay its first launch until 1994 while the space station module had to be cancelled.

NASA signed a $54-million contract with Spacehab Inc. in August 1995 for Shuttle/Mir logistics flights. The deciding factor was Spacehab's faster turnaround between missions. Spacehab remained an active participant in the Shuttle/International Space Station program. The company proposed a new $30-40 million docking/logistics double module that would make it possible for the Shuttle to reboost the Space Station by 16 km per docking as opposed to just 4.8 kilometers. Spacehab was also collaborating with Russia on a commercial 'Enterprise' laboratory module.

Spacehab, Energia Complete Basic Design Of ISS Commercial Module

Fabrication of some components is ready to begin at Energia's Korolev facilities. The partners plan to launch the commercial Enterprise Module to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2003 on a Russian Proton launch vehicle. Spacehab ImageMoscow - March 5, 2001

Spacehab and RSC Energia have completed the baseline design for their pro sped Enterprise commercial space station module project and endorsement of the project by the Russian Space Agency, Rosaviakosmos.

The partners approved the baseline design following a joint review concluded in late December. Spacehab and Energia are already at work on detailed design and procurement of long-lead-time materials and components.

Fabrication of some components is ready to begin at Energia's Korolev facilities. The partners plan to launch the commercial Enterprise Module to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2003 on a Russian Proton launch vehicle.

In support of this effort, Rosaviakosmos, RSC Energia, and Spacehab signed a Joint Resolution Concerning Basic Principles of Implementation of the Multipurpose Module Enterprise as Part of the Russian Segment on the ISS on February 16, 2001.

This agreement grants docking and utilization rights to the Enterprise partnership in return for providing functions previously planned for a Russian Docking and Stowage Module (DSM).

The Enterprise project involves development, construction, and operation of a multipurpose module as part of the ISS Russian Segment (ISS RS). For the first time in the history of space exploration and development, a project of this magnitude will be performed on a commercial basis with Russian, U.S., and, potentially, other interested companies.

As part of this initiative, Spacehab and Energia are actively seeking customers and investors for marketing and business opportunities, leveraging this unique access to space.

Enterprise will become part of ISS RS configuration, replacing the DSM and providing all of the DSM's intended functions. It will also provide additional functions including a docking port for logistics vehicles, propellant resupply via transit fuel lines, and roll control thruster accommodations while also pursuing other commercial objectives.

Enterprise is being developed to meet research, stowage, crew support, habitation and multimedia needs. This module provides the flexibility to accommodate a variety of users.

Spacehab sets prices for its planned Enterprise ISS module

Staff October 09, 2000
PRICE LIST: Spacehab Inc. and RSC Energia have listed prices for their planned "Enterprise" commercial module on the Russian side of the International Space Station, giving microgravity researchers what could be a cheaper option for ISS facilities but charging more for getting their gear to the…

Enterprise ISS Module

A private-sector partner in America’s space effort says it is teaming up with Russia’s top space company to establish a new commercial outpost in orbit. The plan calls for the construction of a pressurized module named the Enterprise, which could be attached to the International Space Station in 2002, Spacehab announced.

Spacehab Chairman Shelley Harrison said the company’s main partner in the new venture is RSC Energia, which built the Mir space station as well as the Zvezda service module that will serve as the initial living quarters on the new space station.

Problems in completing the service module have delayed the space station construction schedule by months, but Harrison voiced confidence that Energia will deliver the goods for the Enterprise.

“This company has the largest legacy and experience in building space stations and habitats,” he said.

The agreement was announced Dec. 10 at the National Press Club in Washington.

Harrison estimated that the project would cost $100 million (with Spacehab putting up half that amount) and take 24 months to complete, although he conceded that the schedule “might be a little bit aggressive.” The 12-foot-diameter, 36-foot-long Enterprise module would be built at Energia’s Korolev construction facility and launched into orbit by the Russian Space Agency atop a Zenit-class rocket, Harrison said.

Schematics indicate that the Enterprise would be attached to the Russian segment of the space station, between the Zarya control module and the U.S.-built Unity connecting node.

Extending the business
Spacehab’s current core business involves flying experiments and supplies in pressurized modules within the space shuttle’s cargo bay, and Harrison said the new venture would extend that line of business to the International Space Station.

“One portion of the Enterprise will be devoted to research activities” that would require an extended time in the space environment, such as protein crystal growth or materials research, he said.

Harrison said another part of the module would be used as an orbital broadcast station, beaming video and data back to Earth for telecasts and Webcasts. The company tested its Spacehab Universal Communication System aboard the space shuttle in June 1998, and Harrison said that technology would be adapted to the Enterprise.

Cameras and scientific experiments could be mounted on the module’s exterior, and there would be “at least one window,” Harrison said.

Spacehab would set up a media subsidiary to provide a blend of news and information, educational and entertainment programming, advertising and promotion, he said.

“The media company would basically pay for the use of assets and services of the parent company,” Harrison said. “The reason (for this) is that we feel it’s a different business.”

There could be additional opportunities for e-commerce through the global sale of educational and promotional materials. Harrison said the company’s science education program, known as S*T*A*R*S, would also be extended to the Enterprise.

“We’ll have a cosmonaut, at least in the early years, who will work for us,” Harrison said. As time goes on, specialists might be trained as astronaut-broadcasters for the Enterprise.

He said Spacehab was “talking to a range of companies” that could use the content generated by the new venture.

NASA's role
One might well ask what role NASA has in all this. “There’s no direct involvement as far as NASA is concerned,” Harrison replied.

However, he said, the Enterprise plan was in line with NASA’s long-range goals.

“Once again we’re taking the initiative, since all the space agencies around the world have proclaimed that they are looking forward to commercialization,” Harrison said.

NASA has been soliciting proposals for commercializing a future habitation module on the U.S. side of the International Space Station, and Harrison said Spacehab was taking part in those discussions as well. “However, our feeling was that that (venture) has yet to be defined and funded,” he said.

The concept currently being considered by NASA would result in a module with inflatable outer walls — a design concept that has been dubbed TransHab. Harrison said the TransHab design involved “technology that will be important for the future but is (currently) unproven.”

Experts say developing and deploying a TransHab module could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but Harrison seemed confident that the Enterprise could be built for less. He said Spacehab had already begun the financing effort, drawing upon the company’s experience in handling hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of business involving the space shuttle program.

“I don’t think another $100 million that takes us to the new millennium on station is going to be a problem,” he said.

Update for May 2000: Since this report was published in December 1999, Energia has become involved in another commercial space effort relating to the Mir space station. Energia owns 60 percent of Amsterdam-based MirCorp, which is leasing the Russian station for commercial purposes.

Spacehab’s ‘Enterprise’ moves to Shuttle for lift, but customers remain elusive (SpaceRef, 2001-10-08)

Spacehab’s project to develop a commercial module (“Enterprise”) for the International Space Station has undergone a significant change – within its scope and launch mode. Once planned for launch on a Russian Proton rocket, a senior Spacehab manager now says that it will launch Enterprise on a Space Shuttle.

The Enterprise project has yet to sign up even one commercial user for any of its proposed on orbit stowage or crew habitation services. Moreover, NASA, their prime customer, isn’t exactly flush with funds right now.

Last Thursday, John M. ‘Mike’ Lounge, Senior Vice-President, Space Engineering Services at the Houston-based company, said that the shift to a Space Shuttle for launching services was made possible because of a reduction in the size of the Russian Science Power Platform (SPP). The SPP will now provide only 25 kW of power for the ISS instead of the originally planned 50 kW. This results in a smaller piece of hardware – thus a reduction in mass. This size reduction, along with the deletion of a docking module, would free up some upmass within the SPP’s original allocation aboard its own Shuttle mission. With the repackaging of the SPP, the Enterprise module, the docking module, and a vertical cargo carrier holding the stripped-down power unit, both the SPP and Enterprise would all fit into a single Shuttle payload bay.

Originally, the SPP had been manifested for mission ISS 9A.1/STS-116 in October 2002. NASA now shows the delivery of this hardware in April 2004. Russia has had continuing problems rounding up the funds for the SPP. Part of Enterprise partner RSC-Energia’s contribution to the project is launch services. Energia also provides various services in support of the SPP. Now it would seem that Russia has decided to reduce the SPP’s capabilities and re-sell some of the Space Shuttle cargo capacity to the Enterprise project in order to meet this portion of their ISS commitments.

“This will require us to do some modification” of the module’s design, to make it compatible with the orbiter’s safety and remote manipulation system grappling”, Lounge said. Enterprise had been previously planned for a flight aboard an expendable launch vehicle such as Proton, which would subject the module to different types of launch stresses than those imparted during a Shuttle flight. Omitted from the project now would be a maneuverable upper stage that would have carried the Enterprise to the station, where station robotics would have docked the unit. That function would now be performed by the Shuttle.

Lounge said that Spacehab and its investors had spent between $10 and $20 million thus far on the Enterprise project, which is intended as a commercially-supported augmentation module that would attach to the ISS in the location originally intended for the Russian-provided Docking and Stowage Module (DSM). With an agreement in place with Russia, Enterprise would now perform at least some of that original stowage function. The DSM was originally scheduled for delivery on mission ISS-9R in April 2004. NASA’s websites now show that launch date as “TBD.”

Enterprise is now envisioned as a crew habitat that would allow the crew size of the ISS contingent to be expanded to 6 on an interim basis, while NASA and its 16 international partners continue to address the longer-term habitation and crew rescue issues. Another potential benefit of the Enterprise project is that it would provide a Soyuz/Progess docking collar attached to the unit’s base, giving another location for a Soyuz that would not block the current airlocks and docking accommodations for the single Soyuz that remains on the station.

With a change in the mission of Enterprise comes a need to redesign its interior for habitation purposes. Spacehab also holds out the hope that other capabilities of Enterprise will find customers. As such, Lounge said that Enterprise can be re outfitted to accommodate a host of potential uses, and that some research racks would be preserved no matter whether the customer bought habitation or stowage services. Eight research racks on each side of the module are factored into the current designs, Lounge said.

Lounge said that the project needed to raise “under” $100 million to build and launch the module. Enterprise is based on a design adopted from the Progress tanker spacecraft. While construction of Enterprise has not yet begun, Lounge said that the craft could be ready by 2004 to provide crew habitation services if customer support could be obtained.

Despite Spacehab’s continued enthusiasm for Enterprise, the probability of ‘customer interest’ from the only conceivable customer (NASA) is unclear – at best. NASA has been directed by the White House to delete the Hab module from the ISS program due to cost overruns. This guidance is somewhat redundant inasmuch as this module had already been deleted from the work being done by ISS prime contractor Boeing several years ago. That not withstanding, NASA has significant money problems that are forcing them to do without things once seen as critical to their core vision of what a space station should be. Still, NASA holds out hope that it will eventually be able to bring things such as the Hab module “back into the program”.

None the less, given the cuts being made to many smaller NASA programs so as to meet Presidential budget guidance, it is hard to see how NASA would be able to provide the $100 million Spacehab says it needs – or even a substantial fraction of that amount.

As currently described, the new Enterprise project requires a launch on a Shuttle. Given that the ride for the SPP was originally “free” (as far as Russia was concerned) under the terms of the ISS MOU, and that the SPP is being downsized with upmass freed up, it would seem that the Enterprise project is relying on a Shuttle launch at little or no cost. This would also free up the need for Energia to provide a Proton launch at its own expense.

Given that NASA’s own ISS and Shuttle commercialization policies still exist only in draft form, one wonders how Russia can expect to re-sell cargo space on an American Space Shuttle when Americans can’t yet agree on a way to (or if to) sell it to Americans.

Then again, the first American tourist to go to the ISS got there by buying a ticket on a Russian rocket.

MPM (Enterprise) - Gunter's Space Page

MPM (Multi Purpose Module) Enterprise was a module to replace the DSM (Docking and Stowage Module). In 2000, a joint resolution document between the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (RASA) and RSC Energia (RSCE) confirmed agreements to replace the Docking and Stowage Module of the International Space Station (ISS) with the commercial module Enterprise. Enterprise was to be designed and built as a commercial venture by RSCE and SPACEHAB for launch and deployment in 2003.

The first commercial facility to be attached to the ISS, it was to serve as a multimedia production facility as well as supporting scientific research, station logistics and stowage and acting as a docking location for visiting Soyuz and Progress supply spacecraft.

The MPM ENterprise was to be launched together with the SPP (Science Power Platform) on a Shuttle mission.

Due to lack of funds, the MPM Enterprise was cancelled. It was replaced by the MLM module.

Space Commercialization can be defined as the development of a product, capability, service or other profit opportunity by private industry in response to market-driven requirements (existing or projected) using company funds and at company risk. The resultant capability is then marketed (sale or lease) to private and/or government customers. The commercial contractor will be successful if it provides the desired products and services in a manner that is determined by the customer base to be a substantially better value than similar products or services available from the competition. Profit is the principal incentive; value is the principal objective. Established in 1984, SPACEHAB, Inc. is well underway in achieving its goal of being the world's premier commercial space services provider.

Space Media

Spacehab, a Washington company that sends research modules and cargo pallets into space for NASA, is building a new space module called the Enterprise that will be attached to the International Space Station and will include a broadcasting studio and multimedia production facility.

Spacehab is building the Enterprise with the Russian space firm RSC Energia, and they will attach the $100-million module to the Russian portion of the space station in 2002, two years before the space station itself is due to be completed. Last week, Spacehab announced the launch of Space Media, a subsidiary that will concentrate on creating space-based content for television and the Internet.

The Enterprise initially will broadcast educational programs, make cosmonauts available to chat on morning TV shows and film documentary footage, said Chris Petersen, Space Media’s senior vice president of business development.

Later on, the Enterprise could host journalists and entertainers who would broadcast from space. A Hollywood production company has even approached Space Media about the possibility of filming a sitcom in the giant orbiting tube, which will measure 25 feet long and 9 feet in diameter, Petersen said.

Broadcasts could be sent live to Earth every 90 minutes as the Enterprise orbits the planet. Spacehab is now pursuing distribution deals and strategic alliances with news organizations, television networks and cable stations, the company said.

Entermedia

In 2000 Spacehab’s Space Media and Energia formed “Entermedia” a company designed to foster commercial activities aboard the Russian segment of the ISS. With the collapse of the dot com bubble and less than stellar success by similar ventures such as Dreamtime, media business for Enterprise was not forthcoming. As such, Spacehab was forced to rethink its approach. Spacehab has all but abandoned this media focus and is now eagerly pursuing business from NASA with Enterprise marketed as a replacement for the on-again off-again ISS Hab module.

Status Comment / Notes

SPACEHAB (NASDAQ: SPAB), announced in 2009 that it is changing its corporate name to Astrotech Corporation. The shareholders of the Company’s common stock authorized the corporate name change at the annual meeting held on Feb.10, 2009. Astrotech Corporation (NASDAQ: ASTC) is a name that more accurately reflects the Company’s current mission and vision for future growth.

In 2007, there were 2 warnings from NASDAQ about deficiencies.

Space station module and related in-space products/services seem cancelled as of 2023.

Link

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Dormant

Blue Origin

Orbital Reef

Commercial Space Station

Blue Origin

Development

Budgie

ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilization), In-Space Manufacturing, Commercial Space Station

Budgie

Concept

DEHAS

Commercial Space Station

DEHAS Limited

Early stage

Exodus Star

Rotating Space Station (RSS)

Commercial Space Station, Space Mining

Exodus Star

Concept

Future Space Architecture

Commercial Space Station, Commercial ISS Module

Future Space Architecture

Concept, Pivot

Galactic Harbour

Transport Service (Earth-LEO), Commercial Space Station, Propellant Refuel Station, Propellant Refilling

Galactic Harbour

Concept

Galactic Suite Design

Galactic Suite Space Resort

Commercial Space Station, Commercial Lunar Lander

Galactic Suite Design

Dormant

Gateway Spaceport

VERA Station

Commercial Space Station, Space Station Module, Space Construction Company, In-Space Manufacturing

Gateway Spaceport (Offworld Industries)

Concept

Gravitics

StarMax

Commercial Space Station, Commercial ISS Module

Gravitics

Development

Hamon Industries

Commercial Space Station

Hamon Industries

Concept

InspeCity

VEDA (Vehicle for life-Extension and Deorbiting Activities), RIG (Robotic Insert for satellite Guidance)

On-Orbit Servicing, Active Debris Removal (ADR), Commercial Space Station, Satellite Life Extension

InspeCity

Development

InterPlanetary Ventures

Commercial Space Station

InterPlanetary Ventures

Dormant, Concept

Japan LEO Shachu

Japan Module

Commercial Space Station, Space Station Module

Japan LEO Shachu (Mitsui & Co)

Development

KosmosOne

Kosmos-Station

Robotic Arm, Hardware, Commercial Space Station, Robotic Space Station

KosmosOne

Early stage

Leviathan Space Industries

Commercial Space Station

Leviathan Space Industries

Dormant, Concept

Liftport Group

Lunar Communications Platform (Oreades), PicoGravity Lab, Lunar Space Elevator

In-Space Communications Relay, Commercial Space Station, Space Elevator

Liftport Group

Early stage

Liquifer Systems Group

Space Resources, Resources - Water, Space Architecture, Commercial Space Station, ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilization), Miscellaneous

Liquifer Systems Group (LIQUIFER Space Systems)

Concept

Lunexus Space

Arachne Station

In-Space Manufacturing, Commercial Space Station

Lunexus Space

Early stage

Maverick Space Systems

Commercial Space Station

Maverick Space Systems

Concept

Max Space

Commercial Space Station, Surface Habitats

Max Space

Development

MirCorp

Mini Station 1

Commercial Space Station, Space Entertainment, Commercial Astronaut Services

MirCorp

Dormant

Nanoracks

Outpost, Starlab

Commercial Space Station

Nanoracks (Voyager Space)

Development, Cancelled

Nexus Aurora

Orbital Can Station, MDRS FARMM

Commercial Space Station, Surface Habitats, In-Space Manufacturing, ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilization)

Nexus Aurora

Concept

Northrop Grumman

Commercial Space Station, Persistent Platform

Commercial Space Station

Northrop Grumman

Development

Orbital Outpost X

Commercial Space Station, In-Space Assembly, Hardware

Orbital Outpost X (Space Villages)

Development

Orbital Paradigm

Microgravity Flight Service (LEO), Reusable Satellite, Commercial Space Station, Robotic Space Station, In-Space Platform, Persistent Platform

Orbital Paradigm

Development

Orion Span

Aurora Station

Commercial Space Station

Orion Span

Dormant, Development

Pythom

Olympus, Pythom Spaceship

Commercial Lander, Commercial Lunar Lander, Transport Service (Re-Entry), Commercial Space Station

Pythom

Early stage

Radiant Space Systems

Earthshine-Mini, Earthshine-Robotic

Commercial Space Station, Robotic Space Station

Radiant Space Systems

Early stage

Relativity Space

Stargate, Terran-R, Terran-1

Surface Habitats, Space Construction Company, Commercial Space Station, In-Space Manufacturing

Relativity Space

Concept, Development

Rocket Pi

Commercial Space Station, In-Space Manufacturing, Microgravity Flight Service (LEO), Microgravity Flight Service (Reusable Satellite), Microgravity Research Payloads

Rocket Pi (Rocket π, Beijing) Aerospace Science and Technology, Huojian Pi)

Development, Launched

Sierra Space

Orbital Reef, LIFE Habitat

Commercial Space Station

Sierra Space (Sierra Nevada Corp, SNC)

Development

Space Industries Incorporated

Space Industrial Facility

Commercial Space Station

Space Industries Incorporated

Dormant

Space Island Group

Commercial Space Station, Space Tug, Space Tourism Activities, Space Solar Power

Space Island Group

Dormant

Space Islands

Commercial Space Station, Space Tourism Activities

Space Islands (Hilton International)

Dormant

Space Villages

RoWo

Commercial Space Station, Robotic Space Station, Persistent Platform, In-Space Assembly, Transport Service (Earth-LEO), On-Orbit Servicing

Space Villages (Space Infrastructure Ventures)

Development

Spartan Space

O-HAB

Commercial Space Station, Space Suits & Garments

Spartan Space

Concept

Starlab

Starlab

Commercial Space Station

Starlab (Voyager Space, Airbus)

Development

Synodic Space Labs

Commercial Space Station

Synodic Space Labs (Synodic Space Settlement)

Concept

Thales Alenia

POP3D

In-Space Manufacturing, Hardware, Commercial Space Station

Thales Alenia Space

Demonstrated

The Fairchild Space Company

Commercial Space Station, Microgravity Flight Service (LEO), Transport Service (Re-Entry)

The Fairchild Space Company

Dormant, Cancelled

Think Orbital

ThinkPlatform-1

Commercial Space Station, Space Construction Company, Microgravity Flight Service (LEO), On-Orbit Servicing, Space Tug

ThinkOrbital (Think Orbital)

Development

VAST

Commercial Space Station, Commercial Astronaut Services, Space Tourism Activities

VAST

Development

Vellon Space

Space-Lab, AsteriX Lab

Microgravity Flight Service (LEO), Microgravity Research Payloads, Commercial Space Station

Vellon Space

Early stage

Axiom Space

Axiom Station, AxStation, Axiom Commercial Segment, Orbital Segment

Commercial Space Station, Commercial ISS Module

Axiom Space

Development

Future Space Architecture

Commercial Space Station, Commercial ISS Module

Future Space Architecture

Concept, Pivot

Gravitics

StarMax

Commercial Space Station, Commercial ISS Module

Gravitics

Development

Space Entertainment Enterprise

SEE-1

Commercial ISS Module, Space Entertainment

Space Entertainment Enterprise

Development

ALE

Sky Canvas

Space Entertainment

ALE (Astro Live Experiences)

Active

Avisa Space

Space Entertainment, Space Tourism Support, Space Tourism Activities

Avisa Space

Early stage

Blastoff

Lunar 1

Commercial Rover, Commercial Lunar Lander, Space Entertainment

Blastoff! (Spacelab)

Dormant

Dreamtime

Space Entertainment

Dreamtime

Dormant

Estee Lauder

Space Entertainment, Miscellaneous

Estee Lauder

Demonstrated

Hopstronautix

Space Entertainment, Advertising, In-Space Manufacturing, Space-Flown

Hopstronautix

Early stage, ?

Mars One

Space Entertainment, Commercial Mars Base, Human Landing System, Human Spaceflight

Mars One

Dormant

MirCorp

Mini Station 1

Commercial Space Station, Space Entertainment, Commercial Astronaut Services

MirCorp

Dormant

Moon Mark

Space Entertainment, Commercial Rover

Moon Mark

Development

MoonXcribe

Space Entertainment

MoonXcribe

Early stage

Ninkasi Brewing Company

Space Entertainment

Ninkasi Brewing Company

Demonstrated

Selenian

Space Entertainment

Selenian

Dormant

Space11

Galactic Combat

Space Entertainment

Space 11 (ILBE, Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment)

Early stage

Space Entertainment Enterprise

SEE-1

Commercial ISS Module, Space Entertainment

Space Entertainment Enterprise

Development

Space Hero

Space Entertainment

Space Hero (TDGA Holdings)

Early stage

Space Nation

Space Entertainment

Space Nation (Cohu Entertainment)

Active

Space United

Space Entertainment

Space United

Early stage

Spacetainment

Space Entertainment, Space Art

Spacetainment

Demonstrated

StartRocket

Space Entertainment, Advertising

StartRocket (The Orbital Display)

Early stage