Spacehab, a provider of commercial space services, Monday announced that it has successfully delivered a thermal incubator to the International Space Station (ISS) for one of its international customers.
Spacehab is providing the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) with launch and on-orbit use of a protein crystal growth incubation system under a contract with Mitsubishi Corporation, Spacehab’s marketing representative in Japan.
In an unprecedented schedule of less than nine months, Spacehab and its subcontractors were able to finalize contracts and then design, build, test, certify, ship, and launch the experiment facility onboard a Russian Progress vehicle which lifted off last Wednesday, August 11, 2004 from the Baikonur cosmodrome.
“Even with the temporary grounding of the space shuttle, Spacehab is pleased that we are able to offer timely and affordable commercial access to space via our international alliance with RSC Energia, Russia’s largest space company,” said Michael E. Kearney, Spacehab President and Chief Executive Officer.
The cargo ship, an unmanned vehicle loaded with supplies and equipment, docked to the orbiting space station on Saturday where cosmonauts then successfully transferred and installed the experiment hardware in the Russian segment of the ISS.
Three sets of protein experiments will be conducted through October 2005 at which time JAXA has an option to acquire extended use of the hardware from Spacehab.
Kearney added, “We believe that this significant accomplishment, and others like it performed by Spacehab in the past, clearly demonstrate private industry’s ability to find commercial solutions for space access, and that we are equipped with the resources, expertise, and most importantly, the flexibility to achieve customer needs.”
