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Medvedev to hold conf on development of space rocket sector Mon

It is planned to discuss matters aimed at refining the system of management of space rocket industry organizations

MOSCOW, November 26 (Itar-Tass) — Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will convene a regular conference here on Monday to discuss the development of the space rocket sector.

A government press service official told Itar-Tass, "It is planned to discuss matters aimed at refining the system of management of space rocket industry organizations".

The sector, which was the national pride for years, has been living through no easy times of late: a series of unsuccessful launchings, on the one hand, and corruption-related scandals, on the other. Earlier this month, Yuri Urlichich was relieved of his duties as designer general of the GLONASS navigation system. He has also tendered his resignation as director-general of the RKS (OAO "Russian Space Systems" open joint-stock company). Investigators have established that 6,500 million roubles were embezzled during the development of GLONASS. This accounts for one-third of the cost of the GLONASS's currently operating orbital cluster of satellites.

Vice-Premier Dmitry Rogozin, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov, Minister of Labour and Social Protection Maxim Topilin, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Roscosmos (Federal Space Agency) chief Vladimir Popovkin, and representatives of relevant agencies and organizations will participate in Monday's conference.