MOSCOW, August 25 (Itar-Tass) — The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) on Thursday announced the formation of a permanent operational group to test the full cycle of spacecraft manufacturing.
“In the coming days a permanent task force of experts from the Federal Space Agency, Federal State Unitary Enterprise TsNIIMash and Federal State Unitary Enterprise Keldysh Research Centre will be formed that is planned to be vested with the function to check test the full cycle of manufacturing of spacecraft,” Roskosmos said in a release posted on its website.
The experts of the group are expected to focus the main attention on checking the quality conformance and completeness of manufacturing at the space industry enterprises of launch vehicles, upper stages and spacecraft under the design documentation requirements, and on deviations from it occurring in the manufacturing process.
The Federal Space Agency is an authorised federal executive agency. The functions of the Agency include pursuance of the state policy and legal regulation, providing state services and administration of the state space assets, as well as management of the international cooperation in joint space projects and programs, the activities of rocket and space industry entities relating to military space technologies, strategic missiles. The Federal Space Agency is also responsible for overall coordination of the activities at the Baikonur spaceport. The Government of the Russian Federation provides leadership regarding the activities of the Federal Space Agency. Headquarters of Roskosmos are located in Moscow. Main Mission Control space flight operations centre is located in a nearby city of Korolev. Cosmonauts Training Centre (GCTC) is in Star City. Launch facilities used are Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (with most launches taking place there, both manned and unmanned) and Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia used primarily for unmanned flights of military designations. The current General Director, since 29 April 2011, is Vladimir Popovkin.
TsNIIMash is an initialism for the Central Research Institute of Machine Building, which is the institute of the Russian aeronautics and space agency and specialises in the development of long range ballistic missiles, air defence missiles, and propulsion units for defence sectors. It was formed in 1946. TsNIIMash is administrated by the Russian Federal Space Agency. It performs the following activities: fundamental scientific and system research to prepare the basic strategy for spacecraft and rocket technology development; theoretical calculations and experimental research on aeronautical and gas dynamic loads in the atmosphere of the Earth and other planets, and in outer space; analysis of the thermal resistance of thermal shields in high-temperature gas flows; theoretical calculations and experimental qualification of designs under the influence of static, dynamic, shock, and thermal loads; ground control of spacecraft, as well as research and development of new methods and algorithms for guidance, ballistics and navigation; development of methods and instruments for mission control during orbital insertion, attitude re-orientation, stabilization, orbital manoeuvring, re-entry and landing; reliability aspects of spacecraft and rocket engineering; standardisation and harmonisation of spacecraft and rocket engineering products, as well as certification and quality control; introduction of space technology in the national economy.