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Mr Putin and Mr Koptev discussed measures to maintain the International Space Station after the loss of space shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003.

Mr Koptev told President Putin that the disaster had completely altered the launch schedule and that Russian involvement was the only way to maintain the ISS.

Mr Koptev said Russia and the United States had agreed to jointly maintain the ISS. President Putin expressed hope that the United States would promptly investigate the causes of the Columbia disaster.

The President also inquired about the future of Russian-French space programmes and the details of bilateral projects that had been discussed during the President’s recent visit to France.

Mr Koptev said Russia had been cooperating with France, one if its main aerospace partners, for the last 35 years. Right now, both sides were discussing Soyuz launches from the Kourou space centre in French Guyana. Mr Koptev said the European Union still lacked a similar medium-class launch vehicle. Soyuz rockets lifting off from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan normally orbit 1.5-tonne payloads and their launch weight can be increased to 4 tonnes in Kourou.