In support of his position, he remarked, "the International Space Station (ISS) is a fine example of a good space project. The Americans fulfill their obligations and we fulfill ours." The deputy prime minister stressed that space programs could not be undertaken unilaterally.
"Such projects require cooperation, with all the project participants complementing each other in instrumentation, research equipment, and navigation," said the vice premier. "The thing is whether we will be able to do it unilaterally. Don't forget that Russia's financial resources are limited." At the same time, Alyoshin said that in 2003 Russia had carried out 21 launches of spacecraft, including 11 international launches.
"We have the ambition to cooperate in the space sector, i.e. in the development of the Kourou spaceport in concert with France, and to interact with Italy and Brazil," said the vice premier.
"As for Brazil, we are not only interested in meat supplies but also in the potential of the Brazil spaceport where conditions are similar to Kourou's," he added.
