Russia to Set Up Manned Space Base for Moon, Mars Exploration By 2020

Moscow — A new generation space platform is going to be deployed in orbit by 2020, the director of the Russian Space Agency [Roskosmos], Anatoliy Perminov said.

"By 2020 the International Space Station is expected to stop operating, so we need to set up new space infrastructure, its core to be a new-generation manned space platform," reads his article available at the agency’s [Roskosmos] official web-site.

According to Perminov, the new station will be a base where assembly, tests, preparations and launches of manned space vehicles to the Moon and later to the Mars will be effected.

He said that the Russian segment of the ISS would be finally deployed by 2014 to include eight modules, which would allow for the completion of the course of experiments and applied research in space.

He added that in terms of space project funding Russia is lagging behind the USA, Europe, Japan and China, and is only sharing fifth place with India.

For the five years from 2001 to 2005, the economic effect resulted from the space breakthroughs in science, technology and economy reached 89.4 billion roubles (3.4bn dollars), while foreign currency injections into the space industry from interstate and commercial programmes reached 2.3bn dollars.

According to the Russian space agency’s head, as many as 950 spacecraft are now in orbit, including over 450 US satellites, while Russia has merely 100 space vehicles in orbit.

Perminov added that by 2015 the flight tests of the modernized medium Soyuz-2 launch vehicle are likely to be over for it to be adopted for service. Moreover, the new generation heavy Rus-M vehicle is going to start the first phase of its flight tests, while the heavy Angara vehicle is expected to pass its test sequence.

The Global Navigation Space System is going to reach the strength of 24 satellites by late 2009. The tests of the next generation Glonass-K satellites will start in 2009. Under the plans, ground subsystems of differential adjustment will be deployed in 50 seaports and at least 100 airports, as well as at some other installations.