From The Advertiser, Tuesday, 23 May 1995, p.6:

Russians Check Launch Sites

by Rick Holden
at Woomera

  Missiles built by the former Soviet Union, which once were aimed at the
Western world, could be launched for peaceful purposes from South Australia's
Woomera rocket range.
  A four-member Russian delegation is due in Woomera this afternoon to examine
the launching facilities at the rocket range.
  The three men and one woman represent two Russian projects - the START Launch
Vehicle program and the Cosmos program - either or both of which may use the
South Australian range for launching purposes.
  The START program would use former SS-25 intercontinental ballistic missiles
to put payloads into orbit. Under the Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty, the 
major nuclear weapons powers are bound to either destroy or redeploy a 
proportion of their intercontinental missiles.
  Two members of the delegation are from the Science Technology Centre in 
Russia, which is responsible for the Russian START program.
  The Cosmos program is a separate rocket design-and-development program. Two
members of the Russian delegation represent Energomash, a major Russian liquid-
fuel engine manufacturer.
  All four are examining areas in SA, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
  They are also checking other locations around the globe as possible launching
sites.
  The area administrator at Woomera, Mr Joe van Homelen, said Woomera's (sic) 
was certainly at the forefront for use in the Russian programs.
  Mr van Homelen said the arrival of the Russians came hard on the heels of the
departure of a Japanese delegation on Friday.
  The Japanese were finalising plans to modify a hanger within the rocket range
for Japan's Alflex program.
  He said the Federal Government had approved use of Woomera's main runway for
the Alflex program, which would involve testing a scale model of an unmanned 
space shuttle.
  Mr van Homelen said the Russian delegation would be given a verbal briefing
tonight and would be given a short tour of the rocket range tomorrow, provided
the present launch of the Ausroc II-2 went according to plan.
  He said present activities on the site made the timing of the visit
unfortunate.
  The Ausroc II-2, a semi-professional rocket program, will be fired from the
Woomera range tomorrow morning.
  The commercially backed program is intended to develop Australian technology
capable of launching low-orbiting satellites into space.
  This afternoon the Australian Space Research Institute, the organisation
behind Ausroc II-2, will launch two Sighter Rockets under military supervision.
  The Sighters have been allocated to the ASRI for experimentation.