Robert Bigelow is a U.S. entrepreneur known for his dual-track interests in both commercial space infrastructure and anomalous phenomena. He founded Bigelow Aerospace, creator of expandable space modules, and established the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) to probe UFOs, cattle mutilations, and alleged paranormal events. He once acquired Skinwalker Ranch in Utah as a field site for his institute, intending to treat alleged anomalous phenomena as a scientific problem rather than folklore. He has publicly stated he is “absolutely convinced” extraterrestrial life exists, and that such entities have visited Earth.

These pronouncements, combined with his financial and organizational investments, make him a pivotal figure in the overlap between private aerospace and UFO disclosure.

Bigelow played a central role in securing the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP, originally AAWSAP) contract from the Defense Intelligence Agency, of about $22 million beginning in 2007. Through Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS), his company was tasked with collecting, evaluating, and housing reports of UAP and related anomalies, including videos, testimonies from military personnel, and physical samples allegedly recovered from UFO events. Under his oversight, facilities were modified in Las Vegas to process unidentified materials. While much of the data remains unverified or anecdotal, his funding and institutional infrastructure enabled greater visibility and credibility for UFO-related research.

A recent signal involving Bigelow arises in connection with President Trump’s directive in February 2026 ordering the release of government files on UFOs, alien life, and extraterrestrial phenomena. The signal—slow, phased disclosure—is attributed in online commentary to a December 2025 message Bigelow reportedly sent to author B.A. Crisp, outlining plans to influence the Trump administration toward ensuring such material becomes public. This claim, while circulating in digital fora, remains contested: no known official document confirms Bigelow sent the message, and agency disclosures tied to Trump’s directive have yet to attribute specific declassification actions to Bigelow.

Open questions include:

• What specific documents currently held by the Pentagon or intelligence agencies may have been generated or collected via Bigelow-funded programs like AAWSAP or BAASS.

• Whether any of those documents are among those now being reviewed for release under Trump’s order.

• What role, if any bureaucratically or legally, Bigelow has in the process of identifying and declassifying relevant files.

Bigelow’s influence in shaping the institutional landscape around UAP research remains substantial; how much of that legacy plays out in ongoing disclosure efforts is yet to be confirmed.