Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 11 September (BelTA) – The planetary congress of the Association of Space Explorers will allow Belarus to expand cooperation with space agencies of various countries, BelTA learned from Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov on the sidelines of the congress on 11 September.

The official said: “It is the first time cosmonauts from all over the world have come to Belarus. It is a significant event. During the congress we will discuss Belarus’ possible participation in international space programs. We will expand our cooperation with the Association of Space Explorers and space agencies of a number of countries.”

Vladimir Gusakov stressed that Belarus had created a space system of its own: a satellite for the remote sensing of Earth, a communications satellite, a number of enterprises to make complicated equipment for the space industry. Belarus and Russia work together to carry out Union State R&D programs in the area of space exploration and are designing a new satellite. “Space exploration efforts will become more vigorous across the globe in the future. Deep space flights and the exploration of new areas in outer space are under consideration. We will join these projects,” noted the head of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

The 31^st planetary congress of the Association of Space Explorers is taking place in Minsk on 9-15 September. Over 80 cosmonauts and astronauts from 17 countries are taking part in it. “We create space future” is the theme of the congress. This morning space explorers laid flowers at the Victory Monument in Minsk. The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus will host two panel sessions today to discuss “Our future in outer space”.

The Association of Space Explorers is an international not-for-profit organization established in 1985 to share the best practices in the area of manned space flights. The ASE planetary congress gathers cosmonauts and representatives of scientific research institutions and national space agencies every year.