MOSCOW. June 10 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Federal Space Agency head Anatoly Perminov and European Space Agency chief Jean Jacques Dordain met in Moscow Friday to discuss issues of bilateral cooperation.
"For instance, the sides discussed the European Space Agency's possible involvement into the Clipper project," the Russian agency's press service chief Vyacheslav Davidenko told Interfax-Military News Agency Friday.
Dordain noted that ESA is going to attract other countries' space agencies to take part in the project.
Daniel Sacotte, director of ESA Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration Programs, said during the talks that his agency is going to support the Russian project and will be ready to submit the draft plan of cooperation to the ESA ministerial council in December 2005.
Discussing the details of the Clipper program, Nikolai Moiseyev, deputy director of the Federal Space Agency, introduced Nikolai Sevastyanov, new President of the Energia corporation and a devoted supporter of the project, to European colleagues. According to Moiseyev, the Clipper system including the spacecraft and the launch and maintenance facilities will be developed for launches from Russia and the spaceport in French Guiana.
Perminov stressed that Clipper will be utilized in the ISS program and in other projects related to explorations of Moon and Mars. "Our joint Clipper would ensure long-term partnership in manned space-flight projects. If launched from Russian or European spaceports, the spacecraft will become the key asset to carry out research of planets in the Solar system," he said.
The sides agreed that if the program turns international, the first Clipper will be lifted off no later than 2011.
"Main approaches and principle issues of planned cooperation were also discussed during the talks. For instance, two spheres of cooperation were named: human space-flights where the Federal Space Agency and ESA have over than 15-year-long experience of partnership, and launch vehicles, including joint development of future space transportation systems," Davidenko said.
Navigation, telecommunications and Earth remote probing were called priorities of the future cooperation.
The next meeting of Perminov and Dordain is scheduled to take place in mere days during the forthcoming Le Bourget air show, Davidenko added.