European Soyuz Must Pass Final Exam Before October Debut

摘要

European governments' $800 million investment in importing Russia's Soyuz rocket to Europe's Guiana Space Center spaceport faces several weeks of grilling by outside experts starting in mid-July to determine whether the system is ready for flight. A Qualification Committee composed of experts from the French and European space agencies and from Russian industry — none of them with direct involvement in the project — will judge the project's fitness in a series of reviews to begin July 19 and to last until mid-September.