Twenty-two space vehicles will be launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, six from the space center at Plesetsk and one from the Svobodny space center in Russia's Far East. The total number of vehicles launched does not include those to be launched from the Sea Launch space center, the press service for the Strategic Missile Force noted.

The rocket design bureau Energiya, which launches satellites from the Sea Launch space center, has told Interfax that it will launch at least three space vehicles this year. The first launch is set for January 9, the second is expected in March and the third in June.

According to the Russian Aerospace Agency, last year 38 space vehicles were launched, and thirty of these were launched from Baikonur.

Deorbiting the aging space station Mir dumping it into the Pacific Ocean will certainly be one of the main events in Russia's activities in space this year, the press service for the Strategic Missile Forces said. For this purpose, a 'Progress MI' cargo ship carrying rocket fuel supplies will be sent up to Mir from Baikonur on or around January 19.

It is also possible that cosmonauts will be sent to Mir in the near future, because Mir experienced problems during the last week of 2000, as a result of which mission control had difficulties with receiving telemetric data from the station and Mir did not receive several commands from mission control. The issue of sending a crew to the Mir station will be discussed in January, a source has told Interfax.

The first launch of the new 'Proton-M' launch vehicle carrying a 'Briz-M' booster is scheduled for the beginning of March. Both space vehicles were developed and are manufactured at the Khrunichev space center.

In addition, it is planned that two manned 'Soyuz TM' space vehicles and six 'Progress M' cargo vehicles will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) with the help of a 'Soyuz-u' launch vehicle. Twelve Soyuz-u launches are planned for this year. Nine 'Proton-K' launch vehicle lift-offs are also planned, and the Proton-K will carry commercial communication satellites three of these times.

In February, it is planned to launch the Swedish astronomic vehicle 'Odin' from the Far Eastern space center with the help of the Russian rocket 'Start-1'.

Russian Aerospace Industries Growing Strongly
Production in Russia's space and aviation industries will grow by respectively 18-20% and 24-25% in 2000, the head of the Russian Aerospace Agency said on December 27.

Russia's 2001 budget, taking into account "all supplements," allocates about 5.9 billion rubles for space programs, up from 3.4 billion rubles in 2000, Yuri Koptev said. The 2001 budget allocates about 1 billion rubles for the aviation industry, a little more than in 2000, Koptev said.

Speaking about civil aviation, Koptev said Russia produced 46 airplanes in 2000, most of which were sold, compared to 14 in 1999. The country also made 53 helicopters, up from 44 in 1999.

Koptev said this is very little for an aviation industry such as Russia's, but at least "there is some kind of trend," and it must be developed.

He said the issue of government support for aircraft leasing, a key problem for the aviation industry, was not resolved in 2000. The issue will again be considered by the government on January 25, he said.

Koptev reckons that the government will provide support for at least two leasing pilot projects involving the deliveries of Il-96-300 planes to Aeroflot and Tu-204 planes to Transaero.

Koptev also said that a ten-year development program for the aviation industry and civil aviation would be approved in the first quarter. Russia, he stressed, "is one of the few powers that can make all types of airplanes."

Copyright 2000 Interfax. All rights reserved. The material on this page is provided by Interfax and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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