Robert Bigelow, the Las Vegas property magnate and space entrepreneur, moved a step closer to his dream of opening an orbiting space hotel on Thursday.
At around lunchtime he confirmed that a test vehicle launched on Wednesday from Yasny in Russia had reached its target orbit 547km up with a 64° inclination to the equator.
By 1.20pm the inflatable structure had been blown up to its final sausage shape and by late afternoon the craft began sending back images from 13 cameras on board.
”So far we are very pleased with the performance,” said Bigelow. ”It feels just like becoming a father. It’s our little baby that’s up there.” He said he lay awake on Wednesday night worrying about whether the mission would be a success.
The Genesis I spacecraft is a prototype to test whether the inflatable design which Bigelow Aerospace acquired from a defunct Nasa project can work successfully. Its only crew are cockroaches and Mexican jumping bean moths, which are there to test whether life support systems are working.
”Certainly he’s got grand ideas and I really want it to happen,” said John Loizou, an aerospace engineering consultant with Vega Group and an expert on space tourism.
”Building prototype hotels at the moment just strikes me a little bit as running before you can walk.” As yet, he said, there was no feasible way of transporting guests to an orbiting hotel.
The dream of commercial space travel was given a lift in 2004, when SpaceShipOne won the $10-million Ansari X-prize, which was awarded for flying a spacecraft capable of carrying three people to the edge of space twice in two weeks.
Getting to an orbiting hotel would require around 20 times more energy than reaching the edge of space — 100km.
”There’s a huge leap between the sub-orbital hops and getting people into orbit,” said Loizou. ”It is not just a small step, that once you are above 100km just add a bit more juice and you get into orbit.”
To solve the launch problem, Bigelow has set up a $50-million prize called America’s Space Prize for anyone who can build a rocket that would be able to reach his space station.
Genesis I is 2,5m in diameter and 4,5m long, around a third the size of the planned final space station. Mission controllers will be looking at how well the craft survives buffeting from orbital debris.
”There’s a lot of stuff floating around up there. Will something hit it and puncture it?” asked Loizou.
A second test flight, Genesis II, is due for launch later this year. The orbiter will carry mementoes and pictures from members of the public who fork out $295 for the privilege.
Bigelow hopes to show images of the items floating in zero gravity as well as launching galaxy bingo, a no-money game on the internet involving numbered balls that float around the craft.
The company plans to send up six to 10 inflatable test craft before launching a space station in 2012. – Guardian Unlimited Â