Russian space programme unable to finance laboratory
Posted on: Wednesday, 16 July 2003, 06:00 CDT
Excerpt from report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS
Moscow, 16 July: Russia will lose its scientific programme on board the International Space Station (ISS) if it does not launch a laboratory module, Aleksandr Kuznetsov, the deputy general director of Rosaviakosmos [the Russian aerospace agency] told ITAR-TASS today.
"After an American scientific module is launched into orbit and docks with the ISS, the Russian module will be technically unable to dock in the automatic mode," he said.
Kuznetsov said that "the Russian scientific module has reached a high level of readiness but it cannot be provided with extra scientific equipment and launched into orbit owing to underfinancing".
Russia plays an important role in the ISS project and can benefit significantly from operating it, but is having to make great efforts to maintain the station in a working condition.. This means no economic gain, he said. "Only research work in space can yield a profit," Kuznetsov added.
Since the crash of the US space shuttle Columbia which prompted the suspension of the launch of US shuttles, Russia has been in the difficult situation of having to carry crews and freight to the ISS on its own. [Passage omitted.]
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