MOSCOW, October 4. /TASS/. Independent appraisers estimate the value of the International Space Station at $150 billion, the general designer of the space rocket corporation Energia, associate member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Solovyov told the conference entitled Scientific Space of the 21st Century: Challenges, Solutions, Breakthroughs at the RAS Space Research Institute in Moscow on Monday.
“The ISS is a grandiose structure. Independent appraisers estimate the station’s value at $150 billion. Of the $150 billion of real money, a tiny 10% has been spent. As far as the opportunities for using it, Russia is entitled to a 30%-stake. This is a good ratio. Ten percent was spent, but it is possible to get a 30%-return,” he said.
Solovyov said that regrettably the opportunities for conducting research in the Russian segment of the ISS were rather limited for a number of reasons, to a certain extent, by the amount of research equipment available.
“The mass of the Russian segment’s research equipment is about seven tonnes. The Americans, if I am not mistaken, have nearly ten times as much – about 60 tonnes of research instruments,” Solovyov said.
