KOROLYOV. July 27 (Interfax-AVN) - Industrial space exploration should be among the new priorities for space exploration, said Energia rocket corporation chief Nikolai Sevastyanov.
"We are talking about a transition to a new phase in manned space flight, in which we will set up industrial space facilities in near space, at near-earth orbits and on the Moon," Sevastyanov said at a meeting with the Soyuz-Apollo crew at Energia on Wednesday.
The plans to organize a flight around the Moon, which Energia announced on Tuesday, will be the first step in implementing this project, Sevastyanov said.
"We are talking about prospecting for new energy resources. The costs of this technology will recoup itself in the future," Sevastyanov said.
Helium-3, which is present on the Moon, is an absolutely environmentally friendly element that can be used with a high efficiency rate, he said.
Energia experts are working on this together with thermal nuclear energy specialists from the Kurchatov Institute, he said.