Las Vegas based Bigelow Aerospace’s subscale inflatable habitable space complex technology demonstrator, Genesis I, has sent back its first image from an exterior camera. The demonstrator is orbiting at 550km altitude, at a 64 degree inclination, after its launch by an International Space Company Kosmotras Dnepr rocket at 1454GMT on 12 July.
Once in orbit the spacecraft, based on NASA developed technology, inflated itself, deployed its solar arrays and transmitted data to Bigelow Aerospace’s mission control in Houston.
"We have extracted from early quick look data a low-resolution thumbnail image of the Genesis I vehicle, which verifies the success of vehicle inflation and solar array deployment. At this point in time, the vehicle is happy and healthy," says Bigelow Aerospace founder Robert Bigelow.
Data received so far has also given the internal temperature of the spacecraft as 26 degrees Celsius and the spacecraft's global positioning system signal has been acquired, enabling mission control to track it in flight.
Genesis I is the first of 6-10 demonstrators planned to be flown by 2010. By 2012 Bigelow Aerospace wants to fly its first full-scale habitable structure.
The company’s full size habitable complex is called BA-330. Suggested uses for the BA-330, which the company also calls a Commercial Space Complex, include a space hotel.
The Moscow based International Space Company Kosmotras is a joint venture between Russia’s Federal Space Agency and the National Space Agency of the Ukraine. Created in 1997 its Dnepr Space Launch System uses converted SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Source: Flight International
