Posted: Thu, Apr 3, 2003, 2:52 PM ET (1952 GMT)
The Russian government announced Thursday that it will pay for the additional Progress flights planned to supply the International Space Station after efforts to get other international partners to fund them. The RIA Novosti news agency reported that the Russian finance ministry agreed to transfer 1.3 billion rubles (US$42 million) that had been allocated to the third and fourth quarters of Rosaviakosmos' 2003 budget to the second quarter. An additional 2.8 billion rubles (US$89 million) will be added to the Rosaviakosmos budget in August and September, as well as an unspecified increase for 2004. Rosaviakosmos director Yuri Koptev said the agency would need 16.5 billion rubes (US$527 million) to fund all its programs planned for 2004; only 9.6 billion rubles (US$307 million) were allocated for 2003. The funds will be used to pay for the construction and launch of additional Progress spacecraft to resupply the station while the space shuttle is grounded. Russia had sought to get the US or other nations involved in the ISS to fund the additional flights, but failed to win support from any partner nation.

Related Links:

•  RIA Novosti article
•  AFP article