Spacehab and Russia's Energia plan to build the first privatised commercial module for the International Space Station (ISS).
Called Enterprise, the module will be used for commercial microgravity experiments and to host a studio for television and Internet broadcasts. The latter is expected to be in conjunction with an established Internet space news and information provider.
The Enterprise is the "first commercial real estate in orbit", says Spacehab president David Rossi. "It is the first big step off Earth for private enterprise in space."
The $100 million Enterprise module will be attached to the Russian segment of the ISS. Spacehab's $50 million share in the project will be raised through private investments and possibly further stock offering. Energia's source of funding for the module - and its launch aboard a Proton - is unknown and by no means certain.
The Enterprise is expected to replace the docking and stowage module that was to have been launched by Russia in 2003 to dock with the Zarya control module.
NASA will play no direct role in the project, but says it will be interested to "see how Spacehab will meet the requirements to be included on the ISS".
The US space agency is investigating ways to commercialise parts of the ISS to reduce its operating costs, including the launch of its own inflatable commercial Hab module.
Source: Flight International
