Posted on 04/18/2007 6:47:07 PM PDT by KevinDavis
The second test launch of a prototype space station for the private sector has been delayed by as much as four weeks because of upgrades being made to the Russian-Ukrainian launch vehicle, Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace announced Monday. The Genesis 2 launch from a Russian missile base is now scheduled to take place in late May.
The improvements and upgrades are being made to all Dnepr rockets, including the one slated to carry Bigelow's Genesis 2 module into orbit, to "enhance the system's efficacy and reliability" and to "increase the chances of achieving our primary goal of mission success," real-estate billionaire Robert Bigelow, founder of the aerospace company, said in a written statement.
The Genesis 2 launch has been delayed for months due to the failure of a Dnepr launch last July, just after Bigelow's successful Genesis 1 launch. Russian authorities investigated the accident, and as a result a number of upgrades were made in the Dnepr design. The upgraded Dnepr was launched for the first time Tuesday from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome, successfully putting a cluster of satellites into orbit.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Dnepr makes semi-cool scoots, as well.
Big plans, low prices
The Space Review | 04/16/07 | Jeff Foust
Posted on 04/18/2007 10:41:55 PM EDT by KevinDavis
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