Russia space chief regrets focus on manned missions

Technology

Russia space chief regrets focus on manned missions

Close

Roskosmos said the agency was spending almost half its budget on manned flights.

11 August,2011 10:28 pm

The new chief of Russia’s space agency said it had put too much emphasis on manned space flight and needed to increase financing on projects that brought a tangible return.Russia this year celebrated 50 years since the first manned space flight by Yuri Gagarin and proudly assumed the role of the only nation able to transport humans to the International Space Station (ISS) after the US shuttle withdrawal.Popovkin did not comment on the lifespan of the ISS but indicated he believed scientists had fully explored the influence of orbital flight on humans.Roskosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin said the agency was spending almost half its budget on manned flight.