Bigelow Aerospace Launches Private Space Station into Orbit from Orenburg Region
Friday, June 28, 2007 was apparently a big day for business news from Russia. The latest reports come from Russia's National Information Technology Development Center and Bigelow Aerospace, a U.S. company launching private space station modules into orbit from the Orenberg Region.
A new super computer aimed at solving Russian oil and gas industry tasks on the interior of the earth usage is to be constructed in Dubna special economic zone. The computing cluster delivery within the strategic partnership with the National IT Development Center in the oil and gas industry is to be carried out by the Dell company. Besides [taking delivery of the supercomputer], the scientists are going to turn to the company’s head Michael Dell with proposals to develop innovations in the Russian oil and gas industry.
While many industry analysts have criticized Russia for not doing more in research and oil and gas exploration, this report suggests that Russian energy producers are looking to the future. And while "Peak Oil" enthusiasts continue to insist that Russian oil production has topped out or will do so in the next few years, Russia has just begun applying the latest technologies to tapping its vast natural resources.
Read the rest of this story at CNews.ru.
Click on the extended post to read about private space launches in Russia.
The ultimate in adventure tourism - if Bigelow Aerospace succeeds, space tourists launched into orbit from Russia will soon get to watch the sunrise every ninety minutes
Yesterday the aviation trade publication Aero News reported that the North Las Vegas, Nevada based private space launch company Bigelow Aerospace successfully launched an experimental module from the ISC Kosmotras Yasny Cosmodrome in the Orenburg region of Russia.
The company reports the flight and stage separation of the Dnepr performed as planned, with Genesis II separating from its rocket about 14 minutes into orbit. The company's Mission Control in North Las Vegas, NV made first contact at 2:20 pm Thursday afternoon."Robert T. Bigelow, Bigelow Aerospace founder and owner of the Budget Suites of America hotel chain, has committed $500 million toward building a private commercial space station by 2015, according to the International Herald-Tribune.
Genesis II is the second space module designed to test and confirm systems for future manned commercial space modules to be manufactured by the Las Vegas-based company.
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Comments
Thank you for the nice post.
Posted by: Ann | July 1, 2007 5:50 AM
Well folks, can we safely assume that the Russian tiger has made it out of the bag at last? (Methinks so.)
The Bag Lady
Posted by: Lois DuPey | July 3, 2007 6:46 AM