The decision to delay the first launches to assemble the International Space Station (ISS), because of Russian problems over funding, is putting NASA under renewed pressure from the US Congress to remove Moscow from the programme.
Following the eight-month launch delay, to June 1998, NASA is being told to ditch its Russian partners soon if the country does not provide firm evidence of being able to provide secure funding.
Congress - and NASA - is fast losing patience with Russia. "The time for procrastination is over," says James Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House of Representatives Science Committee, adding that Russia should be dropped from the ISS. Even NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin says: "We can't have thousands of people all over the USA waiting from week to week to learn what the Russians are going to do".
Yuri Koptev, director of the Russian Space Agency has told the Government that he needs "real money, not promissory notes". The Government had promised only "state guarantees", he says.
The lack of cash has delayed the production of the Russian ISS service module, and there are doubts that Russia will be able to continue substantial support of the ISS.
Russia's involvement was influential in saving the ISS from the Congressional budget axe, but it was always regarded as a risky partner in the project because of doubts of realistic financing.
Dropping Russia from the ISS, however, would open NASA to pressure to cancel the project. Tim Roemer, Indiana's Republican Congressman, a long-term ISS opponent, has already said that he will again offer legislation to cancel the programme this year.
Source: Flight International
