Over 20 Russians to Be Evacuated From Kourou Space Center by April 30 - Official
Twenty-one Russian specialists remaining at the space center in French Guiana's Kourou will be repatriated by the end of the month, Andrey Okhlopkov, the director-general of the Center for Operation of Space Ground-Based Infrastructure (TsENKI), which is a subsidiary of Russian state corporation Roscosmos, said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th April, 2020) Twenty-one Russian specialists remaining at the space center in French Guiana's Kourou will be repatriated by the end of the month, Andrey Okhlopkov, the director-general of the Center for Operation of Space Ground-Based Infrastructure (TsENKI), which is a subsidiary of Russian state corporation Roscosmos, said on Friday.
"There is now a small group of 21 people left together with [employees of Russian aerospace company] NPO Lavochkin. [They are engaged in] ensuring safety of equipment. We are planning to evacuate them to our homeland for undergoing quarantine from [April] 27 to 30," Okhlopkov said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The official noted that the majority of Russian personnel had already left the Kourou space center due the coronavirus pandemic, adding that their presence there was not required since there were no planned launches from the space port.
Earlier in the day, Putin also spoke via a video conference with the crew of the International Space Station. The Russian president congratulated the crew with the Cosmonautics Day, which will be celebrated on Sunday.