By Tariq Malik
and Leonard David

updated 9:23 p.m. ET June 28, 2007

A privately built space station prototype was successfully launched into orbit Thursday from a Russian missile base, kicking off the second test flight for Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace.

Genesis 2, an inflatable module laden with cameras, personal items and a Space Bingo game, rocketed spaceward atop a Dnepr booster from a silo at Yasny Launch Base, an active strategic missile base in Russia's Orenburg region. Liftoff occurred at 11:02 a.m. ET, which was near evening at the Russian launch site.

"It was beautiful," Bigelow Aerospace corporate counsel Mike Gold, who attended the launch, told Space.com immediately after the Dnepr blastoff. "Genesis 1 is about to have company."

Genesis 2 is a near-twin of Bigelow Aerospace's Genesis 1 module, which launched in July 2006 and remains operational today, but carries a series of enhancements and additional cargo. Both spacecraft are prototypes for future commercial orbital complexes that Bigelow Aerospace and the company's founder and president, Robert Bigelow, hope to offer for use by private firms and national space agencies.

Gold added that the launch and orbiting of Genesis 2 was the first step, with ground operators anticipating to hear from the spacecraft via ground stations to verify its health and status. Initial signals received at 6:20 p.m. ET told controllers that Genesis 2's batteries were powering up and that the internal air pressure was rising. Later still, pictures sent back from orbit indicated that the vehicle's solar arrays were deployed.

"This is excellent news," Gold said on confirmation that Genesis 2 was operating well in Earth orbit. "I'm a little overwhelmed right now. We still have steps to go through. We're early in the mission ... but this is all good news."

Midafternoon rains at the Russian missile site brought some concern that the launch would be delayed, but the showers cleared in time for liftoff. A brief communications issue in Russia also delayed confirmation that Genesis 2 separated from its Dnepr booster, prompting a few tense moments.

"Any deviation from nominal magnifies the anxiety," Bigelow Aerospace program manager Eric Haakonstad said in a statement. "When it came in four minutes later, it was a big relief."

Thursday's launch came after a series of delays for Genesis 2, most recently due to return to flight efforts by Dnepr rocket launch provider ISC Kosmotras. The joint Russian-Ukrainian firm launched two successful flights on April 17 and June 15 this year to recover from a failed space shot in July of last year.

Familiar look, new spacecraft
The Genesis 2 module sports a look similar to its Genesis 1 predecessor, but carries a suite of new sensors and avionics to monitor and control the spacecraft in orbit. The sensors will watch over internal pressure, temperature, vehicle attitude control and radiation levels, Bigelow Aerospace officials said.

Once in space, the 15-foot (4.4-meter) module is designed to deploy eight solar arrays and expand from its launch width of 6.2 feet (1.9 meters) to a flight diameter of 8 feet (2.54 meters). Genesis 2 carries 22 cameras - significantly more than the 13 imagers aboard Genesis 1 - to record scenes within the spacecraft's 406-cubic-foot (11.5-cubic-meter) volume.

Unlike its predecessor, Genesis 2 also sports a multitank system to inflate the module with compressed air. That improvement, the firm has said, adds vital redundancy in the inflation process and allows better control of the craft's gas supplies.

If all goes well, Genesis 2 is expected to have a long orbital life akin to that of Genesis 1, which continues to operate nearly a full year after its launch last July 12. Bigelow Aerospace officials said the older module could continue to function through the next eight to 13 years.

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