MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) does not rule out that the space industry budget may be further cut in the coming years, Head of the Roscosmos Scientific and Technical Council Yuri Koptev said on Monday.
"We do not rule out that the process of further cuts in budget allocations will continue and we’ll have to part with some financing," Koptev said, referring to Russia’s projects for the Moon’s exploration.
The landing of Russian cosmonauts on the Moon is scheduled after 2025. Before that, a flight around the Moon with the landing of an automated system on the Moon’s surface is planned, he said.
Russia’s draft federal space program for 2016-2025 seeks 2.4 trillion rubles ($34 billion), which is already 800 billion rubles ($11.2 billion) less than was originally planned, he said.
"There is already nothing to reduce," the Roscosmos official said.
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