Soyuz TM Launch from the Kuru Space Center is Planned for 29 December 2009

13.07.2009 — News

Regardless of the world economic crisis the first launch of the Russian spaceship Soyuz TM from the Kuru Space Center in French Guiana will go ahead as planned. The launch date is set for 29 December 2009.

Roscosmos and the European Space Agency have scheduled the launch of Soyuz-TM and Progress cargo ships from the specially equipped launch pads Kuru within the framework of the Russia - European Union programmes. The ship's and the ground control navigation systems are developed by the Ekaterinburg based Academician N. A. Semikhatov Federal State Unitary Enterprise Scientific and Production Association for Automation. More than a half of the company's employees are engaged in the project.

The company informed RusBusinessNews that about 50 launches are scheduled from the Kuru Space Center. 6 launches are scheduled for 2010-2011. Using the Guiana Space Center situated 500 kilometres north of the equator will let the Russian carrier rockets get satellites 2.5 to 3 times heavier into the orbit than was possible when launching from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.