Delayed Funding Could Torpedo Russia's ISS Contribution

STATION NEWS

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a meeting with cosmonauts and staff at Star City near Moscow, 12 April 2001. President Putin arrived at the cosmonauts' Star City to participate the celebration of the Cosmonauts' Day and the 40th anniversary of the first manned space flight. AFP/EPA photo by Sergei Chirikov

Moscow (Interfax) April 15, 2001
Delays with state funding may prevent Russia from meeting its obligations in building the Space Station, a senior official has said.

"Financing delays are torpedoing the ISS program and putting state commitments under this program under the threat of default," Yuri Grigoryev, deputy general designer of the Energia rocket corporation and director of piloted orbital complexes, told Interfax.

He said that to date Russia's Aviation and Space Agency had been provided money only for building the spaceship Soyuz TM-32, to go into space on April 28.

Grigoryev said Energia was to receive 3.5 billion rubles this year under the ISS program and that the amount included the manufacturing cost of piloted and supply ships and a docking module for the ISS.

The 2001 ISS program involves flights by four Progress-M and Progress-M1 supply ships. But practically no money, Grigoryev said, had come from the state so far for building the craft.

Meanwhile, during a visit to Star City for Cosmonauts' Day Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the workers of the rocket and space industry, cosmonauts and veterans of space exploration on the 40th anniversary of manned space flight.

Yuri Gagarin's flight "set the development of civilization on the road of important scientific discoveries and development of high technologies" that "made an impact on the evolution of countries and the thinking of nations," Putin said in his address, the presidential press service reported on Thursday.

"The eventful history of Russian space exploration, the tremendous potential of highly skilled experts engaged in this field and the implementation of national and international programs will enable this country to stay on the cutting edge of space exploration in the new century," the address says.

SPACE TRAVEL

The Future Of Russia's Manned Space Program

Moscow (Interfax) April 8, 2001
After the Mir space station was brought down into the Pacific Ocean on March 23 the International Space Station will become Russia's priority piloted space program. Russia must meet its obligations and occupy a worthy place in the International Space Station program.