28 July 2006
New satellite for Belarus may be made within 18 months

A second space satellite can be made for Belarus within 18 months, Irina Gomenyuk, spokeswoman for Russia's Korolyov Rocket and Space Corporation (RKK Energiya), told reporters in Moscow on July 27.

According to her, the Belarusian government has already confirmed that it would like to have a new satellite instead of the one that was lost during a failed launch at the Baikonur spaceport on Wednesday. "The potential of RKK Energiya allows us to fulfill this task so that a new sat will be launched in a year and a half," Ms. Gomenyuk said. //BelaPAN