Daimler-Chrysler Takes Largest Stake in Spacehab
Targeting Passenger Accommodation in Orbit?
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Under the heading "Daimler-Chrysler becomes biggest shareholder in Spacehab Inc", _Space News_ reported (August 23, p 16) that the company has increased its shareholding in Spacehab Inc (which owns and operates habitable modules that fly on space shuttle flights) from 1% purchased in 1995 to 11.5%. This makes Daimler-Chrysler the largest shareholder in Spacehab Inc. and will give it more experience of crewed operations in space. This matches the company's role as prime contractor for the European Space Agency
's module on the International Space Station.
In recent years Daimler-Chrysler has sponsored the 1st and 2nd International Symposium on Space Tourism/Travel in Bremen in 1997 and 1999 and has signed a memorandum of understanding on joint research with
Shimizu Corporation, known in space circles for its pioneering conceptual design and business/economic analysis of a space hotel in 1989. In addition, staff at Daimler-Chrysler have published a scenario leading to a profitable space tourism industry, a design for a rotating hotel that would use scores of modules, and are continuing in-house studies, to be reported in a paper at the 1999 IAF Congress. Daimler-Chrysler's moves give a good foothold for winning a share of the huge market for accommodation in orbit that will arise in the future once low-cost passenger flights to orbit become available. This would set them targeting the same market in which Bigelow Aerospace and Virgin Galactic have expressed interest.
's module on the International Space Station. In recent years Daimler-Chrysler has sponsored the 1st and 2nd International Symposium on Space Tourism
/Travel in Bremen in 1997 and 1999 and has signed a memorandum of understanding on joint research with
Shimizu Corporation, known in space circles for its pioneering conceptual design and business/economic analysis of a space hotel in 1989. In addition, staff at Daimler-Chrysler have published a scenario leading to a profitable space tourism industry, a design for a rotating hotel that would use scores of modules, and are continuing in-house studies, to be reported in a paper at the 1999 IAF Congress. Daimler-Chrysler's moves give a good foothold for winning a share of the huge market for accommodation in orbit that will arise in the future once low-cost passenger flights to orbit become available. This would set them targeting the same market in which Bigelow Aerospace and Virgin Galactic have expressed interest. 