1.   And having just heard the report of the Russian launch, they immediately assumed they had seen one of its rocket stages.

2.   A fire in a Russian launch detection center earlier this year further damaged critical links in the Russian strategic warning complex.

3.   Despite the delay and the two failed Russian launches that destroyed two military satellites earlier this year, the cosmonauts preparing to travel to the Mir had no complaints.

4.   Launch costs led the company to the commercial Russian launch company Polynot, Ahan said.

5.   Other areas of cooperation include Russian launches of U.S. satellites.

6.   That includes space shuttle visits as well as Russian launches of crews and supplies.

7.   The Ariane has proven a strong competitor to U.S. and Russian commercial launches, with a backlog of more than three-dozen missions.

8.   The Ariane has proven a strong competitor to U.S. and Russian commercial launches and has a backlog of more than three dozen missions.

9.   Washington also had concerns about the reliability of Russian launch technology.

10.   The two leaders also discussed agreements allowing for Russian launches of eight foreign satellites with its Proton rocket.