Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov told a cabinet meeting the extra cash would have to be funneled from both budgetary funds and other reserves since the United States and other ISS partners had refused to budge in recent rounds of negotiations for funding of the additional flights.

"No matter what agreements we might be able to reach with our international partners, there is no doubt that the main burden rests with us," Kasyanov said in televised remarks.

Two US astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut arrived on the ISS for a four-month mission in early December and are eagerly watching the financial negotiations in Moscow as their supplies gradually run down.

Kasyanov seemed determined Thursday to get Moscow moving on the financial front.

"We have to guarantee -- although we hope this is only temporary -- the launches and future flights to the stations. This requires additional funding," he said.

Following Kasyanov's speech, the government decided to earmark an additional 1.2 billion rubles (38 million dollars, 35 million euros) in budgetary funds to the space program over the next six months.

Rossiya state television said that Russia may spend an additional 2.8 billion rubles (89 million dollars, 83 million euros) on its space program next year.

Forty astronauts were to have visited the ISS in 2003 onboard two Russian Soyuz rockets and five US shuttles while three Russian Progress cargo craft were to deliver supplies and nudge the station into a higher orbit.

But after the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated on February 1, NASA halted the flights. Russia's manned Soyuz and cargo Progress craft are now the only way for transporting crew and supplying the ISS.

Kasyanov's decision to get Moscow involved came one day after Russian space agency chief Yury Koptev warned the ISS would have to be mothballed next year unless Russia receives additional foreign financing.

Russia had said it needs at least another 50 million dollars (46.7 million euros) for space flights.

But Washington says it cannot provide the funds as the Iran Nonproliferation Act (INA) prohibits US funding for the Russian space program because of Moscow's nuclear and other military cooperation with Tehran.

And no European partner has agreed to provide funds either.

The Russian space chief Koptev seemed frustrated with the West's chilly response to his call for additional funding, forcing Moscow to rely purely on its own resources.

"Nobody cares whether there will or will not be new Russian modules built" for the ISS, Koptev fumed in televised remarks.

"The only thing the Americans, the Europeans and the Japanese care about is that Russia is able to make sure that the station stays afloat," said Koptev.

"They do not care whether we keep up with the program" of building new modules for the ISS as the original plan had envisioned.

Moscow had taken on an obligation to fly two manned Soyuz flights and five unmanned Progress cargo craft to the ISS this year. Water and food supplies were mainly delivered by US shuttles.

Such a plan all but precludes any Russian spending on additional ISS modules.

A US-Russian crew is tentatively scheduled to blast off for the ISS on board a Soyuz craft on April 26.

All rights reserved. © 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express