The Mir space station in March 1996. (File photo – AP/NASA TV)

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From the AP

Follow recent news on the space station from the Associated Press.

By Leslie Shepherd
Associated Press Writer
Monday, June 15, 1998; 5:19 p.m. EDT

MOSCOW (AP) -- The cash-strapped Russian space program pleaded poverty again Monday, saying it cannot afford to start the controlled descent of the Mir space station -- the first step in its destruction -- as planned.

Viktor Blagov of the Mission Control Center told the ITAR-Tass news agency that a cargo ship attached to Mir would fire its engines Thursday to push Mir's orbit about four miles closer to Earth.

Several hours later, Blagov reversed course, saying the cargo ship must remain linked to the 12-year-old Mir longer than planned because the space agency doesn't have the money to send up a replacement ship.

However, Mir is already slowly descending on its own and will probably cover the four miles by early next month, Blagov said.

Space officials want to use a cargo ship to control the fall -- otherwise, they say, Mir would fall back to Earth within two years on its own and some big chunks could hit populated areas.

The cargo ship currently on Mir arrived in May and had been expected to start the station's controlled descent, though Russian space officials hadn't set a specific date.

But staying attached to Mir longer than planned will use up all the ship's fuel, leaving none to control the descent maneuver.

A new cargo ship is scheduled to be launched in September to start the process.

Taking Mir out of orbit is expected to take 18 months, by which time the first stages of an international space station are to be in orbit.

Five cargo ships, docked to Mir one at a time, will lower it from 250 miles above Earth to 75 miles before it burns up in the atmosphere in December 1999. A few large fragments that don't burn up are likely to fall into the Pacific Ocean.

Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin confirmed that the maneuver scheduled for Thursday was canceled, but would not comment on reasons for the decision.

Russian space officials have long complained about lack of funds. The government owes Energiya, the company that built Mir and has operated it since it went into orbit in 1986, $70 million from last year and hasn't paid any bills so far this year.

Space officials have warned in recent weeks they may have to delay the arrival of the next crew and to cancel a money-making program to bring foreign astronauts on board.

Money problems have also jeopardized Russia's contributions to the international space station and caused several delays already.

The government recently ordered space officials to help pay this year's $240 million bill for the international space station by renting out communications satellites, selling more space photographs and other commercial ventures.

The $21 billion space station is a joint project of Russia, the United States, the European Space Agency, Canada and Japan.