 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Mexico City, Mexico (RIA Novosti) Apr 23, 2010 Mexico will create its own space center on the Yucatan Peninsula, deputy economy minister Francisco Pimentel said. "In the next few days, US astronaut Jose Hernandez and engineer Fernando de la Pena will travel there to carry out an inspection, in order to study concrete etails of the future construction," he said. Pimentel said the space center will be built near the city of Chetumal, on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The space center, to be located some 15-20 kilometers (9-12 miles) away from residential locations, will built on about 30 hectares of land. In 2008, the Mexican parliament approved the creation of a Mexican space agency (Agencia Espacial Mexicana - AEXA). The initiative was put forward in 2007 by NASA's Hernandez, whose father emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. The structure of Mexico's space agency will be similar to that of NASA. The initial cost of the project is estimated at $80 million. Hernandez has said the Mexican space agency was ready to cooperate with all countries in peaceful space exploration. According to the astronaut, Mexico is technically unable to carry out rocket launches by itself at the moment, but will probably be able to in ten years or so. For now, he said, the country should obtain the necessary technology. Russia and Mexico signed an agreement on cooperation in space research and exploration for peaceful purposes in 1996. In March 2009, a delegation of experts from Russian space agency Roscosmos visited the Latin American state to discuss the creation of the Mexican space agency with local lawmakers. After the talks, Roscosmos deputy head Sergei Savelyev said Russia was ready to help Mexico develop its national space program on a commercial basis.
Source: RIA Novosti
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links - Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com
Russia Confirms Plans Of Rocket Launch From French Guiana In 2010Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Apr 21, 2010 Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov on Tuesday confirmed plans to launch a Soyuz carrier rocket from the Kourou space center in French Guiana later this year. The launches have repeatedly been postponed, with the latest deadline set for April 2010. "This year, I hope, a milestone rocket and space industry event will take place: a modernized Soyuz carrier rocket will blast off ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook