Russian Space Troops review work in 2003, outline future plans
Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax-AVN web site
Moscow, 24 October: Seven satellites have been added to the Russian Space Troops’ orbital grouping this year, Lt-Col Vyacheslav Davidenko, chief of the Space Troops press service, said today.
“Lt-Gen Vladimir Popovkin, deputy commander of the Space Troops, told today’s session of the troops’ military council that combat crews of cosmodromes have performed six launches and orbited seven spacecraft in the Russian Defence Ministry’s interests in 2003,” Davidenko told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The military council session also addressed priorities in research and development, arms and military hardware procurement for 2004, he said. “The session discussed the main parameters of the state defence order for 2004 as far as research and development, arms and military hardware procurement are concerned. Lt-Gen Oleg Gromov, chief of armaments and deputy commander of the Space Troops, made a report on these issues,” Davidenko said.
According to the command, upgrade and maintenance of arms and military hardware in combat-ready condition have been successful this year thanks to changes made in technical policy. In particular, the Volga radar was put on combat duty, the Okno optics and electronic system is nearly ready for combat duty, and the Don-2N multimode radar was upgraded.
Some measures are planned for 2004 to be taken at the Plesetsk cosmodrome with the goal to complete the upgrade of the Soyuz-2 space rocket launch system.
Davidenko quoted cosmodrome commander Maj-Gen Anatoliy Bashlakov as saying that the system may be put into operation already in the fourth quarter of 2004. “According to the cosmodrome commander, first flight tests of the Angara rocket-launch system will start already in the fourth quarter of 2005 if the work continues progressing at its current pace,” he said.
Space Troops Commander Anatoliy Perminov summed up the results of the military council session.