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Spending on Russia’s lunar program and fundamental space research won't be cut

The program has included key satellites for fundamental space research, such as the Spektr-RG and Spektr-UF

© Igor Ageyenko/TASS

MOSCOW, November 16. /TASS/. Spending on Russia’s lunar program and fundamental space research will not be cut in the new federal space program, Mikhail Khailov, a deputy chief of Russia’s Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), said on Monday.

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Russia to spend around $50 billion on space program in 2016-2025

"The program’s section on Earth remote sensing spacecraft has not been changed. The program has incorporated key satellites for fundamental space research, such as the Spektr-RG and Spektr-UF. Apart from that, cooperation with Europe on the ExoMars project will stay in place. Our lunar program - building automated lunar probes - will be financed in full," he said.

According to earlier reports, a Spektr-RG satellite is planned to be launched in 2017. The launch of a Spektr-UF spacecraft is scheduled after 2020.

Khailov also said communications satellites would not be included into the federal space program, since Roscosmos was not their contractor. "The future federal program includes supply of a booster and services for launching one spacecraft to take the place of the lost Express-AM4 satellite," he said.

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