Simultaneously, he said that no flat refusal is contained in the message arriving to the FSA agency, as some mass media have reported.
To Gorbunov, the message only tells that the American side is not ready to take the decision now. "They are not ready now, which does not mean they have rejected the idea", he stressed.
In the beginning of March, the management of the Russian Space Agency sent to NASA an official proposal extending the term of stay of the main crews aboard the ISS. Since the American shuttles, putting into orbit crews and cargoes, have suspended service, the service load now rests with Russia.
As a result, the Federal Space Agency has become rid of much of the extrabudgetary funds arriving from the flights of European astronauts and space tourists.
