Satellite to test space hotel concept
Russia launched on Thursday a satellite designed to test the feasibility of the world's first space hotel, the brainchild of a Las Vegas hotel tycoon who hopes to begin construction in 2011, said officials.
The Genesis-2 satellite is a smaller version of the Nautilus orbital station, which US tycoon Robert Bigelow wants to offer as a dream holiday destination for tourists of the future.
Bigelow aims to build the hotel, which would consist of several inflatable modules, by 2015 at an estimated cost of 500 million dollars (370 million euros).
Before the launch of its full-scale BA330 prototype, Bigelow Aerospace is sending up a series of satellites, called Genesis and Guardian, to test the strength of inflatable structures and other processes.
One previous satellite was launched last year. The Genesis-2 satellite was shot into orbit by a Dnepr rocket designed on the basis of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
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