Moscow, Aug 22: The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) head Anatoly Perminov today said it would develop a manned transport spaceship for flights to the International Space Station (ISS), the Moon and Mars with the European space agency .
''We agreed today with Jean-Jacques Dordain, the head of the European Space Agency, to form a working group to deal with developing a piloted transport system to fly to the International Space Station, the Moon and Mars,'' Mr Perminov said after talks with Dordain on the sidelines of the Moscow Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS-2007), currently being held at Zhukovsky, near Moscow.
Emphasising that a programme would be developed by the end of the year, he said ''In September, representatives of the Russian and European space industry will start their work.'' Mr Dordain told newspersons that the first launch of the Russian booster rocket Soyuz ST from the Kourou space centre in French Guiana had been scheduled for March or April, next year.
''It will be possible to implement this launch as soon as March-April 2008, and this is the most important stage in our cooperation with Russia,'' he added.
At the Paris Air Show in June, Russia's Federal Space Agency and French satellite launch firm Arianespace signed a contract for the first four launches of European satellites from Kourou.
The satellites are to be put into orbit from the equatorial space centre by a Soyuz ST rocket. Mr Dordain further said the European Mars study apparatus 'Exo-Mars' would be launched with the help of Russia's Proton booster.
UNI
''We agreed today with Jean-Jacques Dordain, the head of the European Space Agency, to form a working group to deal with developing a piloted transport system to fly to the International Space Station, the Moon and Mars,'' Mr Perminov said after talks with Dordain on the sidelines of the Moscow Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS-2007), currently being held at Zhukovsky, near Moscow.
Emphasising that a programme would be developed by the end of the year, he said ''In September, representatives of the Russian and European space industry will start their work.'' Mr Dordain told newspersons that the first launch of the Russian booster rocket Soyuz ST from the Kourou space centre in French Guiana had been scheduled for March or April, next year.
''It will be possible to implement this launch as soon as March-April 2008, and this is the most important stage in our cooperation with Russia,'' he added.
At the Paris Air Show in June, Russia's Federal Space Agency and French satellite launch firm Arianespace signed a contract for the first four launches of European satellites from Kourou.
The satellites are to be put into orbit from the equatorial space centre by a Soyuz ST rocket. Mr Dordain further said the European Mars study apparatus 'Exo-Mars' would be launched with the help of Russia's Proton booster.
UNI
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