Russia Capable of Sending Man to Moon By 2015 – Rocket and Space Company Chief

The president of Russia’s Energiya Rocket and Space Corporation, Nikolay Sevastyanov, has said that Russia is capable of sending cosmonauts to the moon by 2015, Interfax-AVN has reported.

Sevastyanov, who was speaking in Baykonur on 12 May, said that while under the federal space programme for the period to 2015 there are no plans to send a mission to the moon, Energia "is working on a feasibility study for a manned flight to the moon with cosmonauts setting foot on it".

"I believe that our country is best prepared to address this task because we have the technology, qualified personnel and expertise that would make it possible to not only considerably reduce technical risks but also carry out a flight to the moon at the lowest cost," Sevastyanov told the press.

On-going projects

Nikolay Sevastyanov also said that under a contract between Roskosmos and NASA Energiya would supply the US aeronautics and space administration with six manned Soyuz and three Progress cargo spacecraft between 2009 and 2011.

Interfax-AVN in Russian also quoted Sevastyanov as saying that in 2008 Gazkom company would get two Yamal-300 telecommunication satellites from Energiya.

"The plan is to launch the new satellites into orbit in 2008. They will double the capabilities of the Gazkom’s orbital grouping," he said, adding that the satellites would be launched aboard Khrunichev-made Protons and put into orbit by Energiya’s latest DM- 03 boosters.

(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.