Which company built the BEAM expandable module attached to the ISS?

Bigelow Aerospace built the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, attached to the International Space Station. NASA commissioned the experimental module from the private company to test whether expandable structures could serve as practical space habitats.

NASA awarded Bigelow Aerospace a $17.8 million construction contract in December 2012. BEAM launched inside the unpressurized trunk of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft on the CRS-8 mission in April 2016 and was berthed to the station’s Tranquility module. Astronauts expanded and pressurized it in May 2016.

Unlike conventional ISS modules, BEAM uses a folded shell made from multiple fabric layers rather than a large rigid metal pressure vessel. Its demonstration examined structural performance, micrometeoroid protection, radiation exposure, and long-term leakage. The module was initially planned as a two-year test, but its successful performance led to continued use, primarily as storage.