News - Russia, China May Sign Pact on Joint Moon Exploration - Official

Russia, China May Sign Pact on Joint Moon Exploration - Official

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/09/11/russiachina.shtml

Created: 11.09.2006 15:19 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:19 MSK, 16 hours 8
minutes ago

MosNews

Russia and China may conclude a Moon exploration agreement by the end
of the year, the RIA-Novosti quoted Anatoly Perminov, the head of the
Russian Space Agency, as saying on Monday.

China has already successfully launched into orbit two manned space
vehicles. Its first manned flight three years ago made it the third
country to launch a human being into space on its own, after Russia and
the U.S.

"I can say that as a result of the Russian-Chinese space
sub-commission's work, our priority is a joint program on Moon
exploration," Anatoly Perminov said. "A number of contracts have
been signed involving both Russian and Chinese enterprises."

"We are currently working on the Moon as partners, and we have
concluded that Russia and China have moved beyond their previous
relationship, when China was a buyer and we [Russia] were a seller,"
Perminov said.

He also said he received an invitation to visit leading air and space
enterprises in Shanghai.

"China is now a leading space power - right now, only three
countries explore space intensively, namely Russia, the United States
and China," he said.

Perminov said the Russian-Chinese Space Exploration Commission will
hold a concluding session in Beijing by the end of 2006, and that the
Russian delegation will be led by Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov.

"The work of our sub-commission should create a favorable context for
the visit of our [Russian] prime minister to China," he said. "We
have already adopted a cooperation program with China for 2007-2009."

Perminov also said China may sign a contract to participate in a
Russian project to bring soil back from one of Mars' moons -
Phobos.

"One of the directions we are working in is a flight to Phobos, with
Chinese participation, which will bring back some of its soil to
Earth," Perminov said. "We plan to reach the final stage [of our
talks] by the end of 2006, possibly even by the start of the
sub-commission's work under Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov.

.

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