OREANDA-NEWS. December 28, 2010. Chairman of the Kazakhstan National Space Agency Talgat Mussabayev reported to the President on the current status of investments projects in space exploration.

Mr. Mussabayev briefed that at the moment Kazakhstan is implementing a total of 4 large-scaled projects in partnership with aerospace enterprises of Russia and France.

Two of the projects – construction of a facility to assemble and test space vehicles in Astana and creation of an earth remote sensing system – are being implemented in partnership with EADS Astrium within the frameworks of strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and France.

Mr. Mussabayev said that in October 2010 in Paris the two sides had signed a respective agreement to construct the assembly facility. To this end, a special JV Galam was established. The foundation for the facility will be laid in February 2011.

Reporting on the second project, Mr. Mussabayev informed that the contract envisages creation and launch of two earth remote sensing satellites and on-ground infrastructure, transfer of respective technology and training of local force. The first stage of drafting the earth remote sensing system is already complete. The first group of Kazakhstan’s personnel will be sent to France for trainings in January 2011.

The third investment project is creation of KazSat-2 and KazSat-3 communications and broadcasting satellites. KazSat-2 has already been assembled at the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, and the satellite’s systems are being tested. The satellite is expected to be launched in the Q1 2011.

As for KazSat-3, international competition among companies of the USA, France, Russia, China and Japan is entering its final stage and the ultimate supplier will be defined in January 2011.

The fourth project is building a new launch pad, named Baiterek (designed to launch environmentally-friendly rockets), at the Baikonur space center. A feasibility study on the rocket-space complex is already completed. The master schedule has been approved. The project is to be accomplished by 2015.