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Russia’s first private space rocket to be ready by fall

"The project is in the stage of the final working design documents," SR Space CEO Oleg Mansurov said

ST. PETERSBURG, June 16. /TASS/. A private Russian space company plans to build its Nebo carrier rocket this fall, SR Space CEO Oleg Mansurov has told TASS in an interview on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"The project is in the stage of the final working design documents. We launched this project, in fact, in the beginning of the year. Preliminary design and conceptual design have been completed. We are now approaching the stage of production and assembling. I hope that our partners will not let us down, and we will be able complete it all this fall. Then we will be ready for the launch," Mansurov said.

In his words, the launch could be carried out either from the Kapustin Yar testing range in southern Russia’s Astrakhan Region, from the Yasny launch base in southern Urals or from the Vostochny space center in Russia’s Far East.

On Thursday, Russian private firm SR Space and the T1 IT Holding Company signed an agreement on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on developing a sub-orbital carrier rocket and launching it beyond the Karman line. The new sub-orbital rocket is set for its launch at the end of the year. This will be the first launch of a private sub-orbital rocket in Russia to an altitude of over 100 km (the altitude where outer space begins).

According to earlier reports, the carrier rocket will measure 5.17 meters in length and 0.45 meters in diameter and weigh 253 kg.

The 26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) — Russia’s showcase annual economic and business event — is being held on June 14-17. The theme of this year’s forum is: "Sovereign Development as the Basis of a Just World: Joining Forces for Future Generations." TASS is the official information partner of the event.

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