Russia, Kazakhstan To Cooperate On Space Science

LAUNCH PAD

The road to space began in Kazakhstan.

Moscow, Russia (XNA) Jun 05, 2005
Russia will enhance mutually beneficial cooperation with Kazakhstan in the space industry, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Putin and his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbayev, marked the anniversary on Thursday of the Baikonur cosmodrome, once a crown jewel of the former Soviet Union's science and now a lifeline to the International Space Station.

After one-on-one talks on space cooperation with Nazarbayev, Putin said one of the most promising joint space programs between the two countries is the construction of the new joint Russian-Kazakh launch complex, Baiterek, and the more environment-friendly Angara vehicle.

Baikonur is still one of the leading cosmodromes in the world, and "makes a key contribution to the International Space Station,"Putin said. Its smooth operation has been considered a most important fruit of Russian-Kazakh partnership, he added.

Close Russian-Kazakh cooperation has brought new life to Baikonur, which was faced with a life-or-death test after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union, said Putin, who called a deal last year on the effective use of the cosmodrome "significant."

Baikonur, initially designed as a testing ground for a secret Soviet ballistic missile program, was the scene of the historic launches of the first satellite to orbit and of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

Kazakhstan inherited the cosmodrome after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union in 1991. Russia now pays 115 million US dollars annually for the use of Baikonur under a deal effective through 2050.

In the past two years, Baikonur has been the only gateway to the International Space Station following the grounding of all US space shuttles. Statistics show that the cosmodrome launched more rockets than any other cosmodromes in the world last year. Enditem

TERRORWARS

Eye On Eurasia: Lethal Force Plan

by Paul Goble
Tartu, Estonia (UPI) June 1, 2005
In October 2002, the Russian Interior Ministry issued an order, restricted "for official use only," to militia offices around the country permitting them in undefined special circumstances to use lethal force against protesters - even unarmed ones - and to confine suspects in "filtration points"

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.