NOVO-OGAREVO, October 9 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the plan to set up a united aerospace corporation on the premises of the Russian Scientific Research Institute of Space Instrument Making. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has submitted the plan to the president.
Russian Space Agency
Meanwhile, the Russian space agency Roscosmos will continue to manage specific institutes and organizations of the ground-based space infrastructure. “We propose to speed up the process, set up a united aerospace corporation on the premises of the Russian Scientific Research Institute of Space Instrument Making,” Rogozin said, presenting the plan of a reform of the aerospace industry to the president. “Meanwhile, on the top of this scheme you see specific institutes and organizations of the ground-based space infrastructure, which we propose to leave within the direct authority of Roscosmos. So, everything is transferred, expect for science and infrastructure,” he added. According to Rogozin, science and infrastructure of the space industry will still be controlled by Roscosmos – everything else should be transferred to a unified rocket and space corporation.
Consolidation of the space industry
Rogozin continued: “As far the industry is concerned, our offer is consolidation of developers and producers of main types of rocket and space hardware within a unified corporation, which may be created as an open joint stock company.” He explained that this would allow establishing a single technical policy across the industry and provide demand for its enterprises. These facilities currently operate at around 40% of their capacity, the deputy prime minister noted – hence the issues with salaries and orders. “Consolidation of the industry, mobilization of the industrial resources along with development of competition of design and engineering ideas can give us the required effect,” the official said.
Managing and component issues
“Today any satellite is an element base by 95 percent. Not to depend from the foreign imports of the element base this system will help us to concentrate the resources and scientific potential to launch our own production of element base in space and military spheres that is used as radio-resistant equipment, as we and you understand it quite well, the competition in this sphere is very tough and some countries actually do not permit us to import all required components in conditions of export control,” Rogozin believes.
Putin noted that this step would allow creating a structure, which would operate successfully on the market and would perform the tasks in the state defence order.
The deputy prime minister replied that many developments in the aerospace industry have dual purpose, “We witness this in U.S., European programmes and etc. In fact, this is open secret that our several apparatuses and devices can also operate in different spheres and with different purposes.” He set as an example the global satellite navigation system GLONASS, “which certainly has an enormous civilian market, but is also of serious defensive importance.”
“The scheme that we proposed and which we supported then is aimed at the fulfilment of these tasks - the combination of civilian and defensive potentials,” Dmitry Rogozin added.