Investor to Extend Mir’s Life

Russia has found a private investor to keep the aging Mir space station in orbit for three more years, officials said Wednesday.

Russia has been under intense criticism for continuing to spend money on Mir even as the country’s economic woes have caused repeated delays in the construction of the International Space Station.

Russian officials have responded with a promise to keep Mir in orbit after mid-1999 only if they can find new funding.

Officials didn’t identify the investor or say how much money they hoped to secure.

However, Yuri Semyonov, the chief of Russia’s Energia space company, said the government is drafting a document that would provide guarantees for the Mir investment and that a funding agreement would be signed once the document is completed.