Robert Bigelow, founder and chief of Budget Suites, seeks to boost human space flight by putting the first privately developed space stations into orbit. His Bigelow Aerospace company took technology for inflatable structures initially studied at NASA and developed the technology to a flight worthiness level. They successfully launched and operated two prototype habitats, Genesis I and Genesis II, in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

The structures, though inflated, are not balloon-like with thin walls but in fact have multiple layers of material including Vectran, which is tougher than bullet-proof Kevlar. They have done extensive testing with hyper-velocity projectiles to show that the walls will actually be more resistant to micrometeorites and orbital debris than the standard aluminum walls used, for example, for the ISS modules. The fabric walls also produce less secondary radiation.

The company is now developing two types of crew capable habitats: the 3-person Sundancer and the much larger 6-person BA-330 (the structure has 330 cubic metres or 12,000 cu ft of internal volume).

The BA website has recently been revamped and includes a lot more information about the company and their plans for the future. See, for example, this page with pictures of construction currently underway that will double the floor space of their already extensive plant in Las Vegas.

This sequence of pictures shows the assembly sequence of an orbital complex of two Sundancer and one BA-330 habitats. The first orbital complex would look like the following illustration showing three habitats (two Sundance and one BA-330 modules) connected together along with solar panels. It also shows transport capsules that will bring crew and cargo to the station.

The company website says,

We anticipate construction of our first space station to begin with a Sundancer launched in early 2014, and that by 2015 the station will be available for client use.. The seven-step assembly sequence begins with Sundancer-One launched first (unoccupied).

Here is leasing information for an orbital space station in case you are in the market:

Bigelow Aerospace’s clients will be able to lease the entire station, an entire BA 330 or Sundancer or share space within a module. We will provide a comprehensive turn-key experience including our clients’ transportation and on-orbit needs. Whether you are a sovereign nation developing an astronaut program, a corporation interested in microgravity research, or an individual with a desire to experience space, we can help you achieve your goals. For more information about business opportunities, please send us a message from our Contact Us page.