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NASA re-initiated analysis of expandable module technology for a variety of potential missions beginning in early 2010.<ref name="ns20100303"/><ref name="Sang2010"/> Various options were considered, including procurement from commercial provider Bigelow Aerospace, for providing what in 2010 was proposed to be a [[toroid|torus-shaped]] storage module for the [[International Space Station]]. One application of the toroidal BEAM design was as a [[centrifuge]] demo preceding further developments of the NASA [[Nautilus-X]] multi-mission exploration concept vehicle.<ref name="hobbyspace-nautilusX"/> In January 2011, Bigelow projected that the BEAM module could be built and made flight-ready 24 months after a build contract was secured.<ref name="sdc20110126"/>
On December 20, 2012, NASA awarded Bigelow Aerospace a {{USD|17.8 million|link=yes}} contract to construct the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module under NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Program.<ref name="spaceref20130111"/><ref name="NASAannouncement"/> [[Sierra Nevada Corporation]] built the $2 million [[Common Berthing Mechanism]] under a 16-month firm-fixed-price contract awarded in May 2013.<ref name="sn20130612"/> NASA plans made public in mid-2013 called for a 2015 delivery of the module to the ISS.<ref name=sn20130612/>
In 2013 it was planned that at the end of BEAM's mission, it would be removed from the ISS and burn up during reentry.<ref name="ns20130116"/> During a press event on March 12, 2015, at the Bigelow Aerospace facility in North Las Vegas, the completed ISS flight unit, compacted and with two [[Canadarm2]] grapple fixtures attached, was displayed for the media.<ref name="BEAMPress20150312"/> ==Deployment and status==
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In July 2019, an engineering assessment certified BEAM's ability to remain attached to the station until 2028, as it has exceeded performance expectations and become a core cargo storage module on the volume-constrained station. A contract extension will be required to allow BEAM to serve its extended operational lifetime.<ref name="sn20190812"/>
==Objectives==
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