MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos is holding talks with Hungary on a flight by an astronaut of that country to the International Space Station and on other space projects, Roscosmos Chief Dmitry Rogozin told TASS on Tuesday.
"We are now talking with them not only about a flight but also about other areas of cooperation in outer space, that is, this will be a comprehensive agreement," the Roscosmos chief said, replying to the corresponding question.
Hungary wants to send its astronaut to the orbital outpost for a scientific mission rather than on a tourist flight, Rogozin pointed out. "We are talking about a professional space flight under a scientific research program," he stressed.
Roscosmos earlier said that it was looking through a proposal by Hungary to send the country’s second cosmonaut into outer space. Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto earlier said that a Hungarian cosmonaut might travel to the International Space Station by 2024.
Hungary sent its first cosmonaut Bertalan Farkas into outer space in 1980 under the Intercosmos program aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. Upon his return, he was awarded the title of the Hero of the Hungarian People’s Republic. He spent about seven days in orbit.