Randy Brinkley , the International Space Station manager, made the statement at a briefing on the current state of the project, which has been described as the largest scientific cooperative program in history. The space station program is far advanced in its developmental phase and already has moved into the operational phase.
Cooperation also involves working on the U.S. space shuttle.
Placing in orbit a core space station with a U.S. laboratory module. Assembling the space station, scheduled for completion in mid-2002. During Tuesday's news conference, Brinkley and representatives of the participating nations gave an overview of their contributions to the space station, the first element of which will likely be launched in June 1998. The United States is the initiator and leader of the ISS and provides about 50 percent of the capability of the station, Brinkley said. Over 70 percent of U.S. hardware development has been completed, and half of that is already being prepared for launch.