Russia to orbit world's most powerful telescope by 2008

Interfax.ru ^ | October 3, 2006

[HAL9000]

MOSCOW. Oct 3 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia will orbit its Radioastron telescope by the end of 2008, said Nikolai Kardashev, head of the Russian Physics Institute's Astro-Space Center.

"It is expected that the astrophysical observatory Radioastron will be orbited in late 2007. A slight delay is possible. I think that in any case this will not happen later than 2008," Kardashev told a news conference on Tuesday.

The total cost in creating the telescope is about 3 billion rubles, he said.

[james500]

Does it point down as well?

[Andy from Beaverton]

[ConservativeMind]

3 billion rubles sounds like a lot but is about $112 million.

[ASOC]

LOL

Recycle an old Arkon SovBlock spysat? Why not launch it on a recycled SS-18 - it's all the rage don't 'cha know....

[burzum]

Good for them. Russian robotic space probes and satellites haven't been truly impressive IMHO since the 1970s. It is a pity the rest of the world puts up so few research spacecraft.

[Publius6961]

Ummmmmmmm.

OK.

[GAB-1955]

Of course, we're developing the James Webb Telescope, which will be so big we can't put it in Earth orbit... it will be orbiting at the Lagrange point and have several hexagonic mirrors several meters across.

[bmwcyle]

Headline:

Russian's Copy and Surpass Americans Again