An international manned flight to Mars could be possible by 2030, Russian media reported Monday.
Anatoly Perminov, head of Roskosmos, the Russian space agency, was quoted by the ITAR-TASS news agency as saying several stages would precede a Mars mission.
“According to assessments of our experts, manned flights to the moon will resume by 2015-2020,” he said. “The construction of a permanent station on the moon or industrial development of it is possible.”
Perminov said next would come a stage of sending probes to Mars. “After several flights, approximately by 2030, a manned flight is possible,” Perminov said.
All major space projects could be implemented only through close international cooperation, he added.
The Institute of Medical and Biological Problems in Moscow is to conduct a Mars flight simulation beginning in 2006.
