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Space in new race for funding
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- The first manned space trip since the Columbia disaster has put Russia in the driving seat of space exploration -- at a cost to the economy. Since the Columbia shuttle burned up on re-entry on February 1, killing all seven crew, NASA has suspended all missions to the international space station (ISS). Now Russia's spacecraft are now the only means of transporting crew and supplies to the space station. But the burden of keeping the aging station operational is jeopardized by funding. Last month, the government increased funding and given a greater priority to the payment of funds in order to cover the extra costs. The Russian space agency's budget for this year stands at $130 million. This money is for the Russian segment of the ISS. Yuri Koptev, chief of the Russian space agency, said that these funds barely meet the liabilities to launch three cargo spacecraft a year to take supplies to the ISS. Koptev believes a radical overhaul is needed in the way that the Russian 2004 budget for ISS is decided. Russian President Vladimir Putin has always officially placed great importance on the space program to keep Russia in contention in the space race. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and American astronaut Edward Lu are scheduled to lift off from Baikonur in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan on Saturday following two unmanned Proton rockets launched this week. Born in the depths of the Cold War, the Proton was originally designed to attack the United States. Its use now is commercial and has become a bridge between the old space race and today's new geopolitical competition for space tourism and "star wars" weapons technology. Russia took the lead, in 1961 putting the first man in space and later completing the first space walk in 1965. The exploration of space has been a symbol of the wide political and ideological differences between the U.S. and Russia. Following World War II, the Soviets continued to develop rockets and missiles. The U.S. lagged behind Soviet technology from the onset. Both sides knew that a rocket that could carry a bomb across the world could also launch men into space. Russia has repeatedly said that they cannot shoulder the burden for the $95 billion ISS alone. Their American partner's funding is much higher at $15 billion a year. Washington is avoiding the requests for the funds. Putin, in an informal talk with the ISS crew on Cosmonauts' Day, confirmed that Russia would continue to support the venture. "I understand the responsibility that lies on Russia's shoulders in this situation," Putin was quoted as saying to the Itar-Tass news agency. "The Russian government has already taken the decision to concentrate necessary resources to build additional craft to be sent into orbit. If it comes to it, we will look at the question of Russia taking on further work on the ISS," he told the two U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonaut currently aboard the station. Rosaviakosmos, the Russian Space Agency, has been struggling financially since the Soviet Union collapsed. Russia has been raising money by launching foreign satellites and putting tourists in space. The two astronauts will lift of in a Soyuz TMA-2 Saturday. The cost of each Russian launch is an estimated $20 million. This is far lower than their American counterparts -- roughly $400 million to $500 million per manned shuttle launch. Now Russia, dogged by financial restraints, has reluctantly taken over the burden of the ISS. The money is gone. The Russian Mir space station designed to last for six years doubled its expected life span and the future looks bleak for government funding for space exploration. -- CNN's Nastya Anashkina, Richard Stenger and Jane Chattoe contributed to this report
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