Space driver

Russia will build a new cosmodrome

First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov yesterday visited the TsSKB-Progress State Research and Production Rocket and Space Center in Samara. This is one of the world leaders and the leading Russian enterprise in the development, production and operation of rocket and space technology and information systems for remote sensing of the planet. In total, 26 types of spacecraft have been developed here. With their help, research and experiments are carried out in the field of astrophysics, microgravity, space materials science, biotechnology, space biology and medicine. Ground-based launch and technical complexes, medium-class launch vehicles of the Soyuz type are also manufactured here, with the help of which about 1,700 spacecraft are launched into working orbits, of which almost 1,000 are of our own design. The center actively cooperates with the European Space Agency.

It was this very successful enterprise that the First Deputy Prime Minister chose to hold a visiting meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission under the Russian government, dedicated to the problem of creating new space complexes . True, the meeting did not talk about successes, but rather about failures.

Mr. Ivanov said that Russia has exhausted the reserve created in the space sector during Soviet times, domestic industry has lost the ability to develop and manufacture a significant part of instruments and components. Because of this, the existing orbital constellation cannot fully ensure the receipt of the necessary space information, including reconnaissance, navigation and meteorological information. Developers of space complexes are forced to purchase part of the equipment abroad. Some orbital constellations are only a quarter equipped with spacecraft; the active life of spacecraft in orbit is on average two to three times less than that of their foreign counterparts.

“Russia should not turn into a country that provides only launch services, a kind of space cab,” said Sergei Ivanov. To prevent this from happening, a new federal target program for the development of an electronic component base for the creation of new IT technologies in the space sector has been adopted. The Ministry of Defense will enter into only long-term contracts with space industry enterprises. They will spell out strict obligations to fulfill orders. A government decree is being prepared, according to which funding for industry enterprises will now be provided quarterly, rather than based on the results of the year. Mr. Ivanov promised that he would personally oversee “the increase in personal responsibility of directors of industry enterprises.”

Sergei Ivanov said that the new Russian cosmodrome will be built in the area of ​​Uglegorsk, where the Svobodny military cosmodrome is located today, and before that a division of the Strategic Missile Forces was stationed. There were many disputes about the fate of the cosmodrome at the highest level. On November 6, 2007, the President signed a decree on the creation of the Vostochny Cosmodrome. And so Sergei Ivanov promised: two years will be spent on development work, the first spacecraft launches are planned for 2015, and manned launches from the new cosmodrome will begin in 2018. In the future, the Vostochny Cosmodrome may replace the main launch site for Soviet and Russian cosmonautics, Baikonur.

Nikolay POROSKOV