Lengthy flight for Belarusian cosmonaut under consideration
18:42, 9 April
photo: BELTA
Belarus would like to send a cosmonaut on a long flight in the future. Ivan Bucha, Deputy Head of the Aerospace Activities Department of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB), made the statement at the first Russian Space Forum held in Moscow on 9 April on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s flight, BelTA has learned.
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“We are ready and are thinking about how to continue cooperation in the field of manned space exploration. But we believe a short flight would most likely no longer be quite appropriate. A more proper approach would be a professional cosmonaut, long training periods, and a completely different level of participation in manned programs. But this is a future prospect that we believe in and will make efforts to realize,” said Ivan Bucha.
He recalled that back in Soviet times Belarusian specialists actively participated in all space programs of the USSR. Today Belarus also has certain competencies in the space sector. “These include equipment for sensing Earth remotely from space, electronic optics, new materials, and space electronics,” the NASB representative listed. Belarus is also proud that Belarusian-made photo and video spectral equipment works at the International Space Station.
“Manned space exploration was inaccessible to us for a long time. Belarus is a small country with a fairly high scientific and technical potential, but nevertheless, we do not have the ability to realize it alone in the space sector. Strategic partnership with the Russian Federation has allowed us to realize the ambitious desire to have a project in the field of manned space exploration,” noted Ivan Bucha.
Two years ago in cooperation with Roscosmos a space flight of the first Belarusian cosmonaut Marina Vasilevskaya took place. “It was a grand event. The country was enthusiastic about that flight and followed all its twists and turns. It awakened a very high interest in space exploration,” added the NASB representative.
“The flight showed that everything can be done through cooperation. The spaceship crew consisted of representatives from three countries: Belarus, Russia, and the USA. The flight demonstrated the unifying role of space exploration and showed that manned space exploration is most effective within the framework of international cooperation. In our view, the future of manned space exploration lies in international cooperation and joint actions and activities in this direction,” Ivan Bucha emphasized.
