SPACEHAB: Product, Support Leader for Public, Private Sector

SPACEHAB is a commercial enterprise dedicated to furthering exploration efforts in outer space. It's comprised of several unique components that provide a range of services, including research, product development and on-site processing. Headquartered in Webster, Texas, SPACEHAB also maintains operations in California and Florida.

About the Company

SPACEHAB, incorporated in 1984, delivered its first unit to NASA for a 1993 space flight. Additional modules created by SPACEHAB went onboard shuttle spacecraft to the Mir space station and to the ISS. These pressurized units were designed to be habitable while supplying transfer capabilities of shuttles' payload. SPACEHAB also developed non-pressurized units to transport cargo.
 
In early 1997, the company acquired Astrotech Space Operations, which gave them the capability to process launches. This includes providing rocket services to both Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Its engineering arm offers assistance to government entities, as well as the oil and gas industry.
 
With a fully integrated menu of research, support services and products, SPACEHAB is an acknowledged leader in both private and public sectors. Today, its main headquarters remain in Webster, which is near Houston's Johnson Space Center.

SPACEHAB's Role in Space Exploration

SPACEHAB is in a prime position to provide products and support for manned and unmanned space habitation and travel. This includes satellite launch and tracking, as well as vital assistance for the International Space Station (ISS). Nurturing alliances around the world is one of SPACEHAB's assets because it pairs with state-of-the-art facilities and the brightest minds in space exploration and development.

The company is also proud of its forward-thinking philosophy. Technologies are in place to support the Mars mission and far beyond. With NASA's changing landscape, SPACEHAB is revising its model to incorporate four new subsidiaries:
  • SPACEHAB Engineering Services (SES): Evolving from the SPACEHAB Flight Services and SPACEHAB Government Services units, SES caters to both government and private sector operations. It manages program data and facilitates the fabrication of hardware and other systems.

    Its Astrotech Space Operations segment strives to meet the requirements of the newly configured Space Act agreement, funded by NASA's COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services).

  • SPACEHAB Microgravity Sciences Inc.: This unit will assist NASA in its microgravity research endeavors with modules shuttling from the ISS to Earth for evaluation. This is also a commercial effort that enlists a knowledge base comprised of both scientific and academic resources.

  • SPACEHAB Orbital Transportation Inc. (SOT): This unit is responsible for the ARCTUS transport craft. Under new guidelines with the coming shuttle retirement, SOT exists to become a high source of revenue from commercially funded cargo and research delivery.

  • SPACETECH Inc.: For SPACEHAB, this division uses technology and product knowledge to evaluate the need for additional commercial applications. The unit is open-ended for additional spin-offs and subsidiaries.

SPACEHAB Products and Services

Within its specific units, SPACEHAB caters to a range of customers, including:
  • commercial operations around the world
  • international space agencies
  • NASA
  • U.S. Department of Defense.

Products and services are varied and include leading support for the ISS. For example, in two separate deployments, SPACEHAB provided "external stowage platforms," known as ESP-2 and ESP-3, which are attached to the International Space Station as modules for spare parts.

Also on the ISS, SPACEHAB provides two-person modules with life support capabilities. Positioned at the orbiter middeck, they allow for research-driven experimentation. In a "micro" gravity environment, including space and on-ground chambers, scientists can observe the effects on "matter" as it relates to humans.

More "Earthly" pursuits involve partnering with NASA's Microgravity Research Program. Working globally, SPACEHAB has involved itself in studies of gravity on inert and human systems, noting any significant biological and/or chemical changes.

Through a recent agreement with NASA, SPACEHAB is instituting privately funded commercial operations that will aid and assist low Earth orbit transportation and logistics. It's an entrepreneurial challenge that will allow NASA to further its core mission of far-reaching explorations.

Currently, multi-purpose logistics modules are replacing those from SPACEHAB, which is driving the company to increase its engineering support for commercial application. SPACEHAB is also adapting to the challenges of a shuttle retirement by the year 2010.

The ARCTUS spacecraft is one of its latest ventures. This dedicated spacecraft transports cargo to and from ISS in conjunction with partners around the world. It also fulfills a NASA requirement of handling the cargo transport gap following shuttle retirement and until 2015 when the Constellation program becomes active.
 
Resources
 
Shuttlepresskit.com (n.d.) SPACEHAB Payload Bay. Retrieved February 7, 2008, from the Shuttle Online Press Kit Web site.
 
Spacehab.com (2008). Company History. Retrieved February 7, 2008, from the SPACEHAB Web site.
 
Spacehab.com (2008). SPACEHAB Realigns Corporation: Company Positioned to Capture NASA COTS Business. Retrieved February 7, 2008, from the SPACEHAB Web site.