All news

BFU, Fakel Design Bureau to create technopark at university campus in Kaliningrad

The university plans to open educational and scientific laboratories for experimental ground testing of Cubsat spacecrafts and electric rocket engines

KALININGRAD, April 22. /TASS/. Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (IKBFU) and the Fakel Design Bureau signed an agreement on the establishment of a technopark on the IKBFU campus at the International Kant Congress in Kaliningrad. The signing ceremony was held with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Kaliningrad Region Governor Anton Alikhanov, the press service of the regional government reported.

“As part of the agreement, the university and the Fakel Design Bureau agreed to cooperate in the creation of a technology park on the territory of the Kantian Campus which is currently under construction. It is planned to open educational and scientific laboratories for experimental ground testing of Cubsat spacecrafts and electric rocket engines. Fakel will take part in designing the technopark and will sponsor its equipment,” the statement said.

According to the university, with the support of the Fakel Design Bureau and the Moscow Aviation Institute, the university will launch a network program in physics to train personnel in the space industry in 2024. Master's students will study technologies for the production of propulsion systems for launching modern spacecraft into orbit. In 2026, a branded propulsion laboratory will open. This science center will be part of the technology park planned for the new Kantian Campus.

The construction of the BFU campus began in February 2023. The campus will include six academic buildings and two dormitories for almost 2,500 students, as well as coworking centers and an area for sports. According to the plan, the facilities should be put into operation in the fourth quarter of 2025. According to the press service of the university, two buildings have been completed so far. One of them will house a multifunctional university center for employees and students. The other, BFU Expo, will be a space for open lectures, presentations and meetings. The library will be one of the key buildings of the campus, holding up to 500 thousand printed books and up to ten million electronic resources.

JSC Fakel Design Bureau (part of the integrated structure of Roscosmos State Corporation's JSC NPO Energomash) is one of the world leaders in the development and manufacture of stationary plasma, thermocatalytic engines, propulsion systems and orientation mechanisms for spacecraft. 60% of Russia's orbital satellite constellation is equipped with OKB Fakel engines.