Jordan to Launch Space Project: Report

Jordan to launch space project: report

AMMAN, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) — Jordan will launch a permanent space project, which includes a scientific entertainment complex and a space training center to train future astronauts for Jordan and the region, local English newspaper Jordan Times reported Wednesday.

The 150 million US dollars project, the first of its kind in the Middle East region, is funded entirely by Russian Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and other space-related establishments in a bid to promote the cooperation between Russia and Jordan.

According to the report, the first stage of the project, scheduled to be completed within 14 months, will feature a space museum displaying a model of the Soyuz station, the longest serving manned spacecraft in the world, as well as space equipment.

The second stage will take two years, overlapping with the first phase, which will include a space adventure park.

As part of the project, a Jordanian pilot will be chosen for astronaut training in Russia for six months. To date, only two Arab astronauts have been into space, Saudi Prince Bandar Ben Salman and Mohammad Fares of Syria.