[FPSPACE] joint European-Russian vehicle abandoned?

[Bart Hendrickx]

Speaking in an interview with RIA Novosti on the occasion of his 50th
birthday a couple of days ago, cosmonaut Sergei Krikalyov said the following
:

 

"As for the new space transportation system, not so long ago the leaders of
the Russian Space Agency were thinking that it had to be developed jointly
with Europe. Now it has turned out that the Europeans don't want to develop
the ship together with Russia. While earlier we had been told that the
European Space Agency wanted to jointly develop a new type of ship, although
we ourselves weren't too sure what exactly we wanted,  now it has become
clear that each will have to do something on their own.  We just have to
clearly understand that and move on."

 

This would seem to contradict  other, more optimistic reports in recent
weeks and months on the joint European-Russian Crew Space Transportation
System (CSTS).  What's going on? Is he just expressing a personal opinion or
has ESA decided to abandon CSTS?


By the way, Krikalyov, a veteran of six space missions with a record 803
days in orbit under his belt, is hoping to make yet another mission,
preferably on the improved Soyuz-TMA that should make its debut next year.

 

Bart Hendrickx 

 

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