Tim Furniss/LONDON
THE RUSSIAN SPACE Agency (RSA) says that it plans to continue to operate the Mir 1 space station for at least five years, while still participating in the US NASA-led international Alpha Space Station, assembly of which begins in November 1997 (Flight International, 13-19 December, 1995). The two stations would be operated in parallel.
Yuri Koptev, director of the RSA, says that it "...would be too wasteful to stop using" the Mir 1, given the "great financial strain" under which the Russian space programme is operating, although "...there cannot be an alternative" to the Alpha. Launch of the final Mir 1 module, the Priroda, has been delayed by one month to April.
NASA rejected a Russian proposal to use the Mir 1 as part of the Alpha Station, but has accommodated the RSA's situation by drawing up a new assembly plan for the Alpha which reduces Russia's later launch responsibilities.
The launch of the Russian functional energy-block module, however, is still scheduled for the first Alpha element launch in November 1997, as is the flight of the service module in April 1998 (Flight International, 22-28 November, 1995). NASA may extend use of the Mir 1, for research missions beyond 1998, when the Shuttle Mir Missions are scheduled to be completed.
Source: Flight International