Michael Gold. Credit: SSL

Bigelow Aerospace, which hopes to deploy an inflatable habitation module on orbit in the coming years, views the Canadian government as a potential customer, according to an article that appeared in the Winnepeg Free Press.

Mike Gold, a Bigelow director, delivered a keynote address at the recent annual summit of the Canadian Space Society as part of an effort to reach out to the Canadian government and its industry.

     “Gold says Canada is exactly the sort of customer Bigelow is looking for as the entire industry works to fill the void that will be created once the U.S. space shuttles stop flying in 2011. ‘With the retirement of the space shuttle it will become more difficult for countries like Canada to sustain an astronaut corps,’ he said.”

The Canadian Space Agency said it is not working with Bigelow, but Gold said his presence at the summit is an indication of interest north of the U.S. border.