SPACEHAB's beginnings were the basis for what is now the SPACEHAB Flight Services business unit. Founded in 1983 and later incorporated in 1984, SPACEHAB's genesis was to engage in long-range plans to exploit the space environment for commercial purposes. The Company desired to fill a market niche of crucial importance to future government and commercial space programs by developing a series of manned habitation modules for NASA's space shuttle; modules that could be used for tourism purposes. While the Space Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986 curbed our Nation's near-term ability to send the average passenger into space, it did not hinder SPACEHAB's forefathers from meeting their global commercialization goals.

In 1993, SPACEHAB saw its first module mission lift-off into space as part of STS-57. This pressurized aluminum orbiting laboratory, designed to more than double the workspace for the astronauts and a multitude of experiments, was the first of many spaceflight hardware resources to be developed by SPACEHAB. To support the growing asset base, the company raised significant financial and intellectual capital, going public in 1995. Since this time SPACEHAB has experienced considerable growth, supporting nearly 20 space shuttle missions, acquiring Astrotech Space Operations and Johnson Engineering, building new modules and cargo carriers, becoming a key member in the ISS Program, and now pursuing a vital role in the Vision for Space Exploration.

SPACEHAB Flight Services is focusing on the future of human space flight, leveraging its knowledge, services, and family of carriers to meet new challenges. Its ever-strengthening, continuously-expanding capabilities in space logistics and research, payload/cargo integration, ground support facilities, and international customer services position this business unit for leadership in the pioneering venture that is space commerce.