Korolyov (Moscow): Kazakhstan will not send an astronaut on space mission within the next few years, an official has said.
"We do not plan to send a Kazakh astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) in the near future," State Secretary, Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Vitaly Davydov said after successful landing of the Soyuz TMA 14 spaceship yesterday, adding that such a possibility existed in the future.
The first Kazakh astronaut trained at the Gagarin Center in Zvezdny Gorodok was due to fly to the ISS this September onboard the Soyuz TMA 16 spaceship.
Federal Space Agency head Anatoly Perminov announced this spring that the Kazakh government was unable to fund the mission of its astronaut and the vacant seat was sold to Canadian space tourist Guy Laliberte.
The tourist had just completed his eleven-day trip to the ISS.
Bureau Report
