Posted: Wed, Mar 19, 2003, 1:51 PM ET (1851 GMT)
A spokesman for the Russian space agency Rosaviakosmos said Wednesday that without additional money from the United States, Russia will not be able to build the spacecraft required to service the station. In an ITAR-TASS account relayed by AFP, Sergei Gorbunov said that the ISS crew would likely have to be evacuated "in the second half of the year" if the US and other ISS partners do not come up with the additional funding needed for Russia to build extra Progress supply spacecraft. Gorbunov insisted that Russia does not have enough money to build the spacecraft on its own, and claimed that the Russian government even advanced Rosaviakosmos the funds intended for the second half of 2003 to allow work to continue. The additional Progress spacecraft are needed to supply two-person caretaker crews that will inhabit the station while the shuttle is grounded. NASA is barred by legislation from directly funding Russian space efforts, although that provision can be waived if there is a safety threat to the station. NASA and other US officials have said they see no need to seek a waiver and don’t believe additional funding is needed from the US for Russia to build the Progress spacecraft.

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•  AFP article