Galaxy (spacecraft) - Spacecraft History

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: 23.0 cubic metres (812.2 cu ft). In 2007, the parameters for Galaxy were again modified, with final specifications being for a spacecraft 4.0 metres (13.1 ft) in length, 3.3 metres (10.8 ft) in diameter and with 16.7 cubic metres (589.8 cu ft) 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 (stated as three times more expensive than for previous launches) 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's schedule.