Affordable Space Projects from Russia
Russia has prepared the ground to remain the leading space carrier for at least a decade to come. Russian spacecrafts are going to send into orbit foreign satellites, American astronauts and space tourists as the national space agency Roskosmos has shifted the focus in its activites onto commercial projects
Russia is embarking on the Soyuz-Kourou project which will be building a launching pad for Russian Soyuz rockets in the space center in Kourou, French Guiana. Member countries of the European Space Agency are to pay Russian companies €121 million to modernize the Soyuz-2 rocket into its tropical version, Soyuz-ST and build the launch pad in Kourou. Soyuz-Kourou’s worth totals €314 million. The first Soyuz is due to fly from French Guiana at the end of 2008. Roskosmos and Arianespace struck a deal this June for four launches of European satellites on Soyuz-STs from Kourou. Russian space officials expect that Soyuz-ST will be contracted for 50 launches worth €1.25 billion in the next 15 years, each launch costing €25 million.
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