Roscosmos: We’ll Begin Work on Commercial Space Station Once Firm Contract Signed

ROSCOSMOS PRESS RELEASE

Commercial space station to be built jointly by RSC-Energia and Orbital Technologies will be used to conduct scientific experiments, Head of Roscosmos Human Spaceflight Directorate Alexey Krasnov told news media.

Krasnov explained that heritage of the space missions showed that any flight should have its scientific justification. According to him, many non-professional space men are eager to carry out their experiments in microgravity. So, the new station will be widely used.

On the other hand, commercial station can become space haven for the ISS crew in case of contingency.  According to Krasnov, space hotel has not been considered at all wrt the single-module commercial outpost.

However the implementation of the project will only start after a contract between Russian state-owned rocket and space corporation Energia and Moscow-based company Orbital Technologies is signed, the Energia head said.

Orbital Technologies on Wednesday announced sky-high plans to launch an orbiting hotel in space by 2015-2016.

“As of today, the company only has an agreement of intent. When we have a firm contract, there will be the terms and engineering design,” Vitaly Lopota said.

The project will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, Orbital Tehcnologies’ CEO Sergei Kostenko said in late September, adding that Russian and U.S. investors have already been found.