31 Dec 2019 20:12

Turkey, Indonesia, Hungary negotiating with Russia on sending people into space (Part 2)

MOSCOW. Dec 31 (Interfax) - Turkey, Hungary, and Indonesia are planning to send people into space with Russia's assistance, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin said.

"We have begun negotiations with such countries as Turkey, Indonesia, and Hungary. They want to launch their cosmonauts and want to cooperate with Roscosmos," Rogozin said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 (VGTRK) television channel.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the MAKS 2019 international airshow this past summer, Rogozin proposed to the Turkish leader that a Turkish astronaut be sent into space to mark the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey. After that, specialists from both countries began negotiations.

Rogozin said in September that a Turkish astronaut was likely to go into space in 2023.

It was reported later that Roscosmos was in negotiations with Hungary and Egypt on sending citizens of these two countries into space. Rogozin has never said before that Indonesia is interested in piloted space missions.