ST. PETERSBURG, June 16. /TASS/. Russia’s space corporation Roscosmos is in talks about the possibility of using the Kourou launch facility in French Guiana for manned missions, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin told reporters during the Global Space Exploration Conference-2021 (GLEX-2021).
"We are discussing with our French colleagues the possibility of transforming the Soyuz-2 launch pad in Guiana as part of the big lunar project, so that it can be used for manned missions, including for launching spacecraft towards the Chinese station," Rogozin said.
In his words, Roscosmos is discussing the possibility of sending Russian cosmonauts to China’s space station.
"We are discussing this with the Chinese colleagues, and it will be one of elements of the joint effort to create an international scientific lunar station. This option is being considered, and there is nothing to be surprised at," he said.
The Global Space Exploration Conference was initially scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg on June 9-11, 2020 but was postponed to 2021 over the coronavirus pandemic. This forum is held annually in various countries. This year, St. Petersburg will host the Global Space Exploration Conference on June 14-18.