A meeting of the General Designers Review on the Russian Segment of the International Space Station (RS ISS) took place at S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Yu.P. Semenov, chairman of the General Designers Review, Technical manager of manned programs of Russia, Designer General and academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

General Designers Review. Photo: Energia

During the meeting reports were made by Y.I. Grigoriev, deputy - Designer General of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia; P.I. Klimuk, Director of Russian State Scientific Research Institute (RGNII) - Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center; V.V. Bogomolov, deputy Director of the Institute of medical and biological problems. Managers of enterprises and allied institutions, participating in the ISS project, presented their conclusions on the development of the project.

The Review addressed the issues of the Station's technical state, the preparation of the manned transport spacecraft Soyuz TM-33 and the Soyuz launcher for its launch. The Review took into account the reports on the technical state of onboard systems of the ISS Russian Segment and of the Station in general, as well as on the fulfillment of the ISS-3 main crew manned mission program, including the program of scientific and applied experiments and researches. The Review also considered the mission program of the joint Russian-French visiting crew (VC-2). The directors of centers, organizations and services reported on the course of preparation of the VC-2 crew, personnel and technical facilities needed to support the launch and flight control of the Soyuz TM-33 spacecraft.

The General Designers Review, taking into account the state of readiness of the Soyuz TM-33 and its Soyuz launcher, the readiness of Russian and American ground facilities and their personnel, as well as the readiness of the ISS-3 and VC-2 crews to start the mission program onboard the station and the spacecraft, has decided to approve:

• Preparation and October 21, 2001, launch of the Soyuz TM-33 spacecraft manned by Russian-French visiting crew-2 for planned replacement of the Soyuz TM-32 spacecraft on the ISS and fulfillment of the Andromeda project research program;
  
  
• Proposals pertaining to the program of the second visiting mission, envisaging the execution of space experiments and research works, including those within the French Andromeda project.

Present at the meeting of the General Designers Review were representatives of Russian Air and Space Agency, companies and institutions participating in the ISS project.