The ISS is getting a little renovation done, courtesy of its very first attachable space house, which is almost ready to inflate. Will it pop? Float away? Let’s watch to find out.
Image: Bigelow Aerospace
The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, arrived on the ISS back in early-April aboard the same Dragon launch that gave SpaceX its first ever drone ship landing.
BEAM hasn’t just been chilling in the cargo hold these last few months. It was attached by a robotic arm to the space station’s outer shell just days after it arrived, and tonight it will finally start to expand.
Even with BEAM fully expanded, however, space-crunched astronauts are going to need to wait a little longer yet for some much needed extra floating room. The first astronaut visit into the space cottage isn’t scheduled until June 2nd.
BEAM’s expansion starts at 7:30pm AEST (5:30am EDT). Watch it with us right here: