Russia's Energia to build Soyuz, Progress spacecraft for NASA:

Moscow, May 13 (UNI) Russia's Energia Rocket and Space Corporation will build six manned Soyuz spacecraft and three Progress supply ships on order from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Energia President Nikolai Sevastyanov told Interfax news agency today.

Energia (Korolyov near Moscow) from 2009 to 2011, is expected to build nine spacecraft for NASA, including six Soyuz and three Progress spacecraft, under a contract between Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) and NASA, Sevastyanov said.

He added it will build an additional two Soyuz spacecraft and one Progress supply ship each year between 2009 and 2011.

Currently, the corporation makes two Soyuz spacecraft and four Progress supply ships annually.

The contract provides for building a docking-cargo module to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2010, Sevastyanov said.

UNI