Egyptian, Saudi Arabian spacecraft to be launched from Russia's Baikonur

MOSCOW, June 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov signed a resolution on the launch of spacecraft belonging to Russia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia from the Russian space center Baikonur, the Russian government said.

The vehicles to take off from Baikonur are AKS-1 and AKS-2 (Russia), EgyptSat-1 (Egypt), SaudiSat-3, Saudi-Comsat-3, SaudiComsat-4, SaudiComsat-5, SaudiComsat-6 and SaudiComsat-7 (Saudi Arabia). Besides, this resolution provides for the launch of five containers with 14 space vehicles CubSat (the U.S., Norway, South Korea and Japan) with the use of the RS-20 rocket. This project too pursues the aim of verifying the technological reliance of the similar rocket group and the utilization of the rockets.

The Russian Defense Ministry was authorized to sign contracts on the use of space systems and complexes of military designation and the mobilization of military units' personnel for making arrangements for the launch of spacecraft.

The same resolution makes it binding on the Russian space agency and the Defense Ministry to ensure the guarding of Russian technology and information classified as state secrets when providing access for foreign experts to corresponding facilities while arrangements for space launches are underway.