Aims to Address Commercial Crew Transportation
Misperceptions
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation said Wednesday that
Bigelow Aerospace (BA) has joined the Federation as an Executive
Member, having received unanimous approval by the Commercial
Spaceflight Federation's Board of Directors.
"On behalf of the member companies of the Commercial Spaceflight
Federation, we are proud to welcome Bigelow Aerospace as an
Executive Member, said Mark Sirangelo, Chairman of the Commercial
Spaceflight Federation. "Bigelow is a great fit with our other
members, all of who are pursuing the common goal of a robust
commercial human spaceflight sector. With the addition of Bigelow
Aerospace to the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, all of the
pieces of a self-sustaining commercial space economy are falling
into place - launch providers, spaceports, suppliers, and on-orbit
destinations. For those who suppose there is no market for
commercial crew launches other than NASA, Bigelow Aerospace serves
as one counterexample."
Mark Sirangelo
Robert T. Bigelow, Founder and President of Bigelow Aerospace
said, "The future is being created now. Commercial crew
transportation has the potential to revolutionize the space
industry for public and private sector entities alike. The
unprecedented success of the Falcon 9's inaugural launch clearly
demonstrates that it's possible to dramatically reduce the cost of
human spaceflight operations. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon
capsule were developed at a cost dramatically below that of
traditional cost-plus programs - this should be a wakeup call that
it's time for a new way of doing business. We are becoming a member
of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation at this time to join with
like-minded organizations, who want to see America able to compete
again in the global space launch marketplace, and push back against
the pernicious misconceptions that are being perpetuated to harm
the Administration's commercial crew initiative."
"Specifically, I'm appalled by the condemnation of commercial
crew as being somehow less safe than government programs, and the
refrain that commercial companies need to prove they can deliver
cargo before they deliver crew. In regard to the latter, a leading
contender for commercial missions, the Atlas V, has had 21
consecutive successful launches. This rocket is arguably the most
reliable domestic launch system in existence today. It strains the
bounds of credulity to claim that any new rocket would be able to
trump the safety of a system that has an extensive record of
flawless operations."
Falcon 9 First Launch
"Moreover," Bigelow added, "we're extremely pleased to be part
of the Boeing team constructing the CST-100 capsule under the
auspices of NASA's own Commercial Crew Development program.
Boeing's unparalleled heritage and experience, combined with
Bigelow Aerospace's entrepreneurial spirit and desire to keep costs
low, represents the best of both established and new space
companies. The product of this relationship, the CST-100 capsule,
will represent the safest, most reliable, and most cost-effective
spacecraft ever to fly. Again, I don't understand the critics who
say 'commercial' entities can't safely build a capsule. Why is it
that Boeing, the company that constructed the ISS itself, can't
safely build a capsule that would go to their own space
station? These are the sorts of questions and issues that we
will be posing in Washington as a member of the Commercial
Spaceflight Federation."
Bretton Alexander, President of the Commercial Spaceflight
Federation, added, "Bigelow Aerospace joining the Commercial
Spaceflight Federation will help us to further our organization's
goals - to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight,
pursue ever higher levels of safety, and share best practices and
expertise throughout the industry. This is the start of an exciting
new era for commercial spaceflight."