BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

26/07/2006

President of Belarus commences working visit to Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan today

President of Belarus commences working visit to Kazakhstan ASTANA. Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, will arrive in Kazakhstan on a two-day working visit this afternoon, Kazakhstan Today reports citing the Belarusian presidential press service.

Mr. Lukashenko will visit Baikonur, where he will watch the launch of the first Belarusian artificial satellite "BelKA."

The Federal Space Centre says that before the launch the President of Belarus will get acquainted with the town and then visit launching pads, see the process of preparations for launches in the assembly and testing facilities of Baikonur.

A big group of Belarusian journalists has arrived to cover the event.

The launch of "Dnepr" carrier rocket, which will take several spacecrafts to the orbit, "BelKA" included, had to take place on June 28, but because of malfunction of the carrier rocket and its consequent replacement, it was postponed for one month. The launch of "Dnepr" is planned for July 27, 1.43 AM of the Astana time (11.43 PM of July 26 of the Moscow time.)

The carrier rocket will deliver also other spacecrafts to the orbit - a Russian University satellite "Baumanetz," an Italian satellite "UniSat-4," and seven spacecrafts "CubSat" in P-Pod containers.

The spacecraft "BelKA" was created by the Russian space rocket corporation "Energia" on the basis of a universal space platform "Victoria" on order from the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. The satellite will carry out geodesic, cartographical, and meteorological work.

Source:

http://eng.gazeta.kz/art.asp?aid=78344

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