The Russian company will launch a space hotel

Russian company "Orbital Technologies» (Orbital Technologies), together with RSC "Energia" plans in 2016 to launch into orbit a space hotel. Currently, the idea is at the stage of design work. Director of the "Orbital Technologies" Sergei Kostenko said that the first module of the future at a volume of about 20 cubic meters will be built in 2012-2013, and its placing in orbit is scheduled for late 2015 - early 2016. Design and creation of the module will be carried out at the enterprises of RSC "Energia". "A number of partnership agreements with RSC" Energy "and the Russian Space Agency have already been signed," - said the head of the company. "RSC" Energy "is ready to become the general contractor for this large-scale project. The Corporation has more than 10 years of study is a commercial space station, "- said General Director of RSC" Energia "Vitaly Lopota. Head of the Russian Space Agency's manned space programs Alexei Krasnov said that the space hotel will be able to make the inhabitants of the ISS, for example, during repair work at the station. In orbit, the hotel will take a series of carrier rocket "Soyuz". Tourists will be able to get into the hotel at the orbital spacecraft "Soyuz" and the food and goods will haul freight "progress." The four-room hotel can simultaneously accommodate up to seven people. In addition to the reception of tourists aboard the space hotel is planned to carry out various experiments. According to Kostenko, the company "Orbital Technologies" has already entered into contracts with customers from different fields of science and industry. In particular, Kostenko listed medicine, protein crystallization, materials processing, remote sensing of the Earth. "Orbital Technologies" - not the only company involved in the creation of space hotels. The American company Bigelow Aerospace for NASA have acquired a license to the technology of manufacturing multilayer inflatable orbiting objects created and launched into orbit two inflatable module - Genesis I and Genesis II. But Bigelow Aerospace recently announced the recruitment of astronauts to work in future space stations inflatables.