Russian Space Agency Looks Forward to Cooperation With European Counterpart
Posted on: Tuesday, 18 January 2005, 18:00 CST
Text of report by Russian news agency Interfax-AVN web site
Moscow, 18 January: Joint development, production and utilization of launch vehicles is one of the most promising fields of cooperation between Russia and Europe in space, says a press release by the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) on the occasion of a memorandum on long-term cooperation between Roskosmos and the European Space Agency [ESA], which will be signed on Wednesday [19 January].
According to the press release, the draft memorandum stipulates the principles and conditions of the sides' participation in the implementation of the ESA's options programme for the development of infrastructure for launching Russian Soyuz-ST carrier rockets from the Guiana Space Centre. The project started back in 1998 on the initiative of the Samara-based "Progress" state space rocket research and production centre and the Russian-French Starsem joint venture. The latter has been actively investing money in the development of plans for the spaceport and the adaptation of the Russian launch vehicle. It also helped lobby for the project at a high political level in France and Europe.
"The project will help Russia expand the field of use of its Soyuz vehicles in the international market of space services. The spaceport's position near the equator will improve the Soyuz vehicle's ability to put payloads in orbit," the press release says.
The press service says Russia and Europe will also cooperate in the development of future launch vehicles. For instance, they are going to join forces in projects for reusable rocket engines burning liquid oxygen and hydrocarbons, as well as reusable liquid- propellant rocket stages and experimental spacecraft for tests of jointly developed technologies and cargo transportation in space by reusable spacecraft.
"The cooperation in this field is very promising for the development of future generations of launch vehicles that will have higher effectiveness and lower price owing to their reusability," the press release says.
The parties have agreed that the memorandum will be signed by Anatoliy Perminov, Federal Space Agency head, and the director- general of the ESA, Jean-Jacques Dordain, in Moscow on Wednesday, the press service says.
Source: BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union
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