RUSSIA, EUROPE PLAN JOINT MISSION TO JUPITER

RUSSIA, EUROPE PLAN JOINT MISSION

TO JUPITER

Top officials of Russia's federal space agency Roscosmos and the European Space Agency (ESA) met in Moscow to discuss a Moon research mission and a flight to Jupiter,.Roscosmos head Vladimir Popovkin and ESA director-general Jean-Jacques Dordain met in the Russian capital.Russia and Europe are considering five research projects -- a flight to Jupiter with a stopover at one of its icy satellites, delivery of soil samples from the polar region of the Moon, study of Venus' atmosphere and landing on the planet, flying to near-Earth asteroids and delivery of soil samples to Earth, and the establishment of an astronomical observatory on the basis of a space telescope.

The Moon research mission is planned for 2016-2020, and the Jupiter mission -- that will land on its moon Ganymede -- after 2020.Popovkin said after the meeting that he has no doubt in the possibility of the technical realisation of these projects.But there should be closer cooperation between Russian and European enterprises to transform them into life.

                                                                 Prof. John Kurakar