A working trip of the delegation of the National Space Agency of Kazakhstan led by Kazkosmos chief Talgat Mussabayev to China completed on Thursday.

“It is my first official visit to China as the head of Kaskosmos. We may say it is a global acquaintance with each other, we have come to see the China’s space industry,” Mussabayev told having talks with head of China National Space Administration Chen Qiufa.

The parties stressed the need to prepare an intergovernmental agreement on research and peaceful use of space. The given agreement will specify the legal framework of cooperation between the two countries’ space agencies. it provides a way to sign contracts and agreements between the space industry companies of Kazakhstan and China.

Mussabayev told that Kazakhstan proceeded to foundation of its space industry. “We have the only space centre, Baikonur, it is the property of Kazakhstan but we have never worked there. In the Soviet times the entire infrastructure and enterprises were located in Russia and still there. Correspondingly, Kazakhstan has never had its own specialists. As a matter of fact we start from square one our accession to the own cosmodrome. We face a serious task for Russia has already started construction of a new space centre “Vostochny” and quite possible it may move its federal program from Baikonur to Vostochny when it is completed and perform only commercial space launches in Kazakhstan. By that time we have to be ready to exploit autonomously at least the part of Baikonur cosmodrome,” he said.

As earlier reported, Mussabayev held talks with executives of China National Space Administration, China Industrial Corporation, China Communications Satellite Corporation.

BEIJING. May 6. KAZINFORM