Kazakh Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov has instructed state agencies to study the option of forming a national aviation-space complex for launching small civilian spacecraft to low earth orbit, the news agency said.

The project to build the Ishim launch complex was discussed at a meeting between the prime minister and Yury Solomonov, the director and general designer of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, the prime minister's press service said.

Akhmetov instructed the Kazakhstan Aviation and Space Committee and its Information and Communications Agency to form a working group to conduct a feasibility study of the project.

The Ishim complex will use Russian-built MiG-31 supersonic interceptor fighters to lift small rockets with satellites to the required altitude, the press service said.

The rockets will be fired from the fighters and propel small satellites weighing up to 360 pounds into orbit, the press service said.

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