Galaxy (spacecraft)
Galaxy was a canceled prototype space habitat designed by the American firm Bigelow Aerospace, and was intended to be the third spacecraft launched by the company in their efforts to create a commercial space station. Like other modules made by Bigelow Aerospace, Galaxy was based on the inflatable TransHab design by NASA, and was to be used for advanced systems testing before the company launched human-rated vehicles.
Spacecraft history
Galaxy started life as twin spacecraft named Guardian which would have acted as 45% scale intermediates between the one-third size Genesis I & Genesis II pathfinders and the full size BA 330 man-rated module. Sometime after 2004, the two Guardian flights were split into the Galaxy module and larger Sundancer module, each testing progressively advanced systems. This Galaxy had twice the interior volume of the Genesis craft:. In 2007, the parameters for Galaxy were again modified, with final specifications being for a spacecraft in length, in diameter and with of interior volume—45% greater than the Genesis modules. It was intended for launch in late 2008.In August 2007, however, Bigelow Aerospace announced that due to rising launch costs and the successful Genesis missions, the Galaxy spacecraft would not be launched. Instead, many of the module's systems—possibly the entire craft—would be constructed and ground tested, allowing Bigelow employees to gain further experience and potentially advance Sundancer