Kazakhstan, France begin to build spacecraft assembly complex.

ASTANA, November 3 (Itar-Tass) - Kazakhstan and France begin the
construction of a spacecraft assembly and test complex estimated at 110
million euros, the head of the Kazakh space agency (Kazcosmos), Talgat
Musabayev, told an online conference on Wednesday.
France owns a 27.5 percent stake in the project and Kazakhstan - a
72.5 percent stake, "which is a big victory for Kazakhstan," he said.
EADS Astrium will build the complex outside Astana.
The relevant agreement was reached during French President Nicolas
Sarkozy's visit to Kazakhstan last October.
According to Kazcosmos, the complex will be a science intensive
production facility that in the future will build spacecraft not only for
the Central Asian republic, but also for other countries. At the initial
stage Kazakhstan plans to build satellites in cooperation with French
partners, but in the future it plans to launch its own production.

-0-isk/gor