Inflatable Spacecraft in Orbit

New Scientist is reporting the successful launch of an inflatable spacecraft called Genesis 1 by Bigelow Aerospace which is a test of technology they’re working on to build various structures in space.

Bigelow themselves now have the first image from the spacecraft, a low-res thumbnail of the vehicle, saying:

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.

Genesis 1 Spacecraft in orbit, image by Bigelow Aerospace

More news at their site here.