MOSCOW. Jan 13 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia will continue cooperation in manned space flight programs with foreign partners in 2003, says a report from Yuri Koptev, Director General of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, on the Russian government's website.
It is planned to launch two manned spaceships and three cargo spaceships under the International Space Station (ISS) program.
Forty-eight Russian space experiments in medicine, biology, technology and geo-physics, as well as no less than ten experiments on contract will be conducted.
The Express-AM telecom satellite and the Sich-1M oceanographic satellite will be launched with the assigned funds to develop the orbiting group. The launch of two Yamal-200 telecom and television satellites will be financed from off- budget sources.
This year's Earth distant probing program will concentrate on maximum intensity in implementing the Resurs-DK project so that it will be ready for flight tests in 2004. As soon as it is launched, national clients will obtain highly detailed information for commercial use inside and outside the country.
Modernization of the Soyuz and Proton rocket boosters will go on, and efforts will be taken to upgrade the new booster units, Frigat and Briz-M.