Bigelow Expandable Activity Module
Experimental inflatable module – Installed on ISS / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Bigelow Expandable Activity Module?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) is an experimental expandable space station module developed by Bigelow Aerospace, under contract to NASA, for testing as a temporary module on the International Space Station (ISS) from 2016 to at most 2028, when the contract can not be further extended. It arrived at the ISS on 10 April 2016,[6] was berthed to the station on 16 April 2016, and was expanded and pressurized on 28 May 2016. Although originally planned to be a two year test, it has exceeded expectations and is used as additional cargo storage. The module is under ownership of NASA after Bigelow Aerospace suspended operations in 2021.
Module statistics | |
---|---|
COSPAR ID | 2016-024A [1] |
Launch date | 8 April 2016, 20:43:31 UTC[2] |
Launch vehicle | Falcon 9 Full Thrust (SpaceX CRS-8) |
Berthed | 16 April 2016, 09:36 UTC [3] Tranquility aft |
Unberthed | 2028 (planned) |
Mass | 1,413 kg (3,115 lb) [4] |
Length | 4.01 m (13.2 ft) [5] |
Diameter | 3.23 m (10.6 ft) |
Pressurised volume | 16.0 m3 (570 cu ft) |