Russia has already spent this year’s budget for the International Space Station but the cash crunch should not delay the first long-term flight to the orbiter later this month, officials said Wednesday.
In a statement, the RKK Energiya corporation which is part of the space project admitted that Russia had “practically exhausted its resources” for the ISS.
“We have enough money to carry out the bare minimum that we promised this year,” an Energiya official said, who asked not to be named. Next year’s budget would have to be revised upwards, he added.
Space industry constructors however agreed Tuesday that the Soyuz space craft would blast off as planned on October 30 with its three-man US-Russian crew, Energiya said.
US astronaut William Shepherd and Russian counterparts Sergei Krikalyov and Yury Gidzenko are due to remain aboard the ISS until February 2001, when a US space shuttle will bring them back to Earth.
Two Russian-built Progress resupply craft are due to blast off for the ISS in November this year and February 2001, said Energiya.
They will ferry water, food, technical equipment to the station, an ambitious project involving 16 countries including the United States and Russia.
The enormous structure, which will weigh 450 tonnes and measure 108 metres (yards) long and 74 metres wide when completed, is due to remain in space until 2013.
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