The Russian Government wants to end operations of Mir, despite maintenance efforts by MirCorp, the company set up to commercialise the space station.
During a visit to India, Russian deputy prime minister Ilya Klebanov said the station "must end its operation" and that the Russian Space and Aviation Agency endorses the decision.
MirCorp says it is aware of the statement and plans to "fully brief" Klebanov on his return. The company says that commercial interest in Mir is increasing, with plans continuing for the flight of the first Citizen Explorer, Dennis Tito, next February. Also the NBC "Destination Mir" television programme will result in the flight of a competition winner to Mir.
MirCorp says its primary investors, Walt Anderson and Chirinjeev Kathuria, remain committed to the station. It adds that the long term business prospects for Mir are "extremely positive".
It is clear, however, that commercial projects cannot pay for further missions to Mir without state support. Yuri Semenov, the president of Energia, a shareholder in MirCorp, says that the planned Tito and NBC missions are "clearly not enough" to fund the station. The Russian Government needs to provide R600 million ($12.6 million) for Mir to continue in orbit.
· US television companies ABC and CBS are talking to Dreamtime, NASA's promotional company, about launching a "tourist" to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Source: Flight International
