LONDON. July 24 (Interfax-AVN) - At the international air show Farnborough-2002 on Wednesday, Russia's federal state-run Rosoboronexport company, which specializes in the export of defense equipment, and British Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) signed a contract on the launch of eight mini-satellites from Russia's Plesetsk cosmodrome in 2002-2004.
The contract was signed by deputy head of Rosoboronexport's defense technologies and space department Vladimir Yarmolyuk and SSTL Chief Executive Officer Martin N. Sweeting.
Seven mini-satellites launched into the same orbit will form a Disaster Monitoring Constellation. The eighth satellite, which is a demonstration satellite, will be used in the British National Space Centre's earth observation program.
The satellites will be put in orbit by three Kosmos carrier rockets. The first rocket is to lift off in September 2002.
Seven nations of Europe, Asia and Africa are taking part in the DMC project.
The Kosmos carrier rocket is manufactured by the Polyot production enterprise in the Siberian city of Omsk. Experts say that Kosmos is distinguished for advance specifications and it ensures precise putting of satellites in solar-synchronized orbits. Kosmos has been used once in the interests of SSTL. It put in orbit the SNAP-1 navigation satellite of Great Britain and Tsinghua-1 mini-satellite of China in June 2000.
The signing of the contract confirms expansion of cooperation between the Russian aerospace industry and foreign companies, participants in the signing ceremony said. It also confirms high potential of Russian-British interaction, they stressed.