MOSCOW, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Russia's space focus this year and beyond will be development of its segment of the International Space Station, news reports said.
Anatoly Perminov, head of Russia's space agency -- also known as Roskosmos -- was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying development of the Russian segment of the ISS and providing work on it for the Russian crew will be a priority.
Roskosmos deputy chief, Nikolay Moiseyev, said the Russian ISS segment would be complete by 2011. Plans call for launching into orbit a multi-purpose laboratory module in 2007, a science and power platform in 2009, and another laboratory module in 2011.
"The Russian side has been shouldering the entire burden of the delivery of crews and cargos to the ISS for nearly two years," Perminov said.
Following the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its its seven astronauts on Feb. 1, 2003, all U.S. space shuttle launches were suspended.
"From 2006, we shall bring American astronauts to the ISS on a commercial basis," Perminov told Itar-Tass.
