Nothing But Politics

[Amaunet]

COSMODROME

Spread dozens of miles across barren steppes of Kazakhstan, lays Baikonur, world's biggest space launch center. There is another Russian site in Plesetsk, Russia. In additiion Russia will now have access to France's Kourou space centre in Guyana in 2006.

If you haven't seen this lately check it out.
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/baikonur.html

Condoleezza Rice when on the bod of Chevron was the resident Kazakhstan expert.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=2004854


Starsem program director Francois Barreau noted that Franco-Russian cooperation in space launches was "developing fruitfully," with future ventures including the Venus Express launch set for November 2005 and the first of a series of Metop (European Meteorological) satellites the same year.

Soyuz rockets are due to start launching from France's Kourou space centre in Guyana in 2006.

Baikonur, leased from Kazakhstan under a 1994 agreement, is Russia's principal space centre, used mainly for commercial and satellite launches and for sending manned rockets and supply vessels to the International Space Station.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1016987.htm