If the module proves durable during two years at the space station, it could open the door to habitats on the moon and missions to Mars, NASA engineer Glen Miller said.

NPR: Space Station To Get $18 Million Balloon-Like Room

UrtheCast will supply video data and imagery of Earth collected by two HD cameras on the Russian module of the Space Station.

ENGADGET: UrtheCast to stream live HD footage of Earth from ISS, like Stickam for space

Concept drawings describe a core module weighing some 20-22 tonnes, flanked by two slightly smaller laboratory vessels.

BBC: Rocket launches Chinese space lab

Vasily Moroz from the Russian Space Research Centre said the two sides had considered using a US-built probe with a Russian booster rocket and descent module, but that the project was drawn to a halt by funding issues.

BBC: Mars rover (Nasa)

Roscosmos last June began a Mars flight simulation program, locking three Russians, two Europeans and a Chinese astronaut in an 18, 800-square-foot, five-module complex to live there in isolation for 17 months, Bloomberg reported on April 5.

FORBES: Will Russia Win the Next Space Race?