"All that has been signed is an agreement that opens the way for a feasibility study, one that will be conducted by Energiya and not MirCorp. Nothing has been decided yet," Reuters reported Gorbunov as saying.

"No one can say the station will be built. We won't make a decision about its feasibility before year end at least," he told Reuters.

Earlier would be space tourist operator MirCorp had claimed it had signed a deal with Russia for the design, development, launch and operation of the world's first private space station. Dubbed Mini Station 1, the "space hotel" would offer room and board for up to three visitors staying up to 20 days at a time. With commercial operations from 2004.

However, many are questioning MirCorp's track record, or more accurately lack of a track record, in light of many previous announcements of major deals with Russia such as leasing the Mir Station and launch tourists there. But unfortunetely, these deals have so far gone nowhere other than to the bottom of the Pacific.

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