Chilean Astronaut to Visit Space Station

Russia is to organize the flight of the first Chilean astronaut to the International Space Station, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, after talks in Santiago on 20 November, ITAR-TASS reported on the same day.

"We plan to organize the flight of the first Chilean astronaut and cooperate in exploring Antarctica," Putin was quoted as saying.

According to TASS, Russia and Chile have also agreed to cooperate in designing new spaceships, systems and components under an intergovernmental agreement on the development of space programmes for peaceful purposes, signed in the course of Putin’s visit to Chile.

Under the document, the two countries are to conduct joint astrophysical research and remote sensing of the Earth from the space. They also intend to monitor the environment of the Earth with the use of space equipment, develop space communications and carry out manned space flights.