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Energia, the lead Russian contractor in the construction of the International Space Station, has designs for the first hotel in space, . The proposed space station would house seven people and facilities for research, media projects, and entertainment.
The firm, which is partially owned by the Russian state, has secured private funds in the range of $1 billion through a partnership with Orbital Technologies and continues to court investors.
According to the deputy chief designer, the space station may be in operation as soon as 2015. Some customers have already signed contracts.
–Riley Blanton