Khrunichevof Russia is showcasing its star product at Le Bourget - a full-size mock-up of the 20tonne module that will be the first element of the international space station (ISS).
Called the Functional Energy Block (FGB), it will be launched aboard a Russian Proton booster in June next year to begin a new era in space exploration.
The US Space Shuttle Endeavour will be launched shortly afterwards to add a node conector and other systems to the FGB and 32 Shuttle flights later, by the year 2003, the ISS will be completed.
The FGB will provide power to the ISS in its initial stages and will control the attitude of the station as well as maintain its orbit.
Russian financial problems have caused production delays in other ISS hardware, but the FGB was completed on time - mainly because it was the only Russian ISS element to be built with US money. Khrunichev was working with a $200million contract.
Source: Flight Daily News
