Malaysia plans to send second astronaut to space by 2015

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KUALA LUMPUR (BNS): Malaysia plans to send its second astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) in collaboration with either Russia or the US most likely by the end of 2015.

The country, which sent its first astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor to the ISS in 2007 on board a Russian spacecraft for a 10-day sojourn, wants to send the next astronaut on a long-term stay in space.

The longer stay, for a few weeks to months at the orbital station, will help conduct more experiments, especially on micro gravity, the country’s space agency chief has said.

“Malaysia plans to have its second astronaut stay in the ISS for weeks or months instead of days,” the country's National Space Agency chief Mustafa Subari was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

He, however, added that the second space mission was unlikely to take place soon – at least not in the next couple of years.

“It is ongoing but it won’t happen in the next few years, may be at the end of the 10th Malaysia Plan,” the space official said, while welcoming the government’s commitment to the space project as a “good start”.

The Asian nation is in talks with both the Russian space agency Roscomos and US’s NASA regarding the space mission.

“To date, the negotiations are still not finalised. We haven't got any concrete proposals from them as yet,” Subari said.

The Malaysian government, while agreeing to continue the astronaut programme under the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015), is yet to allocate funds required for the mission. According to Subari, the mission could cost around $20 million.

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