Space Station Getting Inflatable Room, a Cosmic 1st

Forget blowup air mattresses. Space station astronauts are getting their first inflatable room.

This image provided by Bigelow Aerospace on April 6, 2016 shows an illustration of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), center right, attached to the International Space Station. Bigelow Aerospace via AP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Forget blowup air mattresses. Space station astronauts are getting their first inflatable room.

It’s a technology demo meant to pave the way for moon bases and Mars expeditions, as well as orbiting outposts catering to scientists and tourists in just a few more years. Bigelow Aerospace is behind the experiment, which will get a ride to the International Space Station with another private space company.

An unmanned SpaceX Falcon rocket is set to launch late Friday afternoon, carrying a capsule full of supplies with the pioneering pod in its trunk. It will be SpaceX’s first station delivery since a launch accident halted shipments last June.

Robert Bigelow, founder and president of Bigelow Aerospace stands next to a model of an inflatable habitat that could be used for future space exploration during a news conference at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, April 7, 2016. AP Photo/John Raoux