Transcript:
Question: Did you adopt any decisions after the meeting? What should we expect in the near future?
Dmitry Rogozin: Participants in the meeting chaired by the Prime Minister were extremely pragmatic. In effect, specific decisions were linked with the Government’s stance regarding various incentives to ensure the development of the space rocket industry. Today, we have examined issues regarding the location of launch facilities for orbiting various payloads, as well as space rocket types. Payloads remain the only important issue.
So, there are three important aspects. Expanded construction of space centres is the first aspect, and the Prime Minister has supported the idea of drafting a new federal targeted programme for the development of space ports over a ten-year period, staring in 2016. This can be explained by the fact that the current ten-year programme is set to expire in 2015. There are plans to complete the second launch pad at the Vostochny (Eastern) Space Port in the future and, of course, to build additional facilities here, at the Plesetsk Space Port. In effect, this will provide Russia with its required space launch potential.
Today, we have also discussed the second aspect, and we have made specific decisions in this area. Unfortunately, space-system and spacecraft manufacture deadlines have often been delayed over the past few years. In fact, this has already become a common occurrence. We also fail to implement specific programmes needed to provide the entire range of space-launch market services. Currently, Russia accounts for only 3% of the global space-launch market services. What does this mean? This means that we continue to act as an outstanding space “taxicab.” In effect, we have a system of launch vehicles, including the Proton, Soyuz and Rokot space rockets, and Russia will receive the Angara launch vehicle soon. And we have many other launch vehicles, too. But Russia has far fewer orbital spacecraft. In fact, it has several times less spacecraft in orbit than the United States does. Therefore, we are losing the race in such areas as mapping, cartography, remote sensing satellites, navigation, communications, etc. And these are the most profitable civilian space sectors. Today, the Prime Minister has therefore supported the idea of drafting a special Government decision that would stipulate rigid deadlines and penal sanctions for spacecraft manufacturers. This will allow us to meet specific timeframes and deadlines.
As for the Angara launch vehicle, you can see that various deadlines have been violated several times. In effect, work on the Angara rocket was started only 10 years ago. We are now working on schedule, and we know that a light-weight Angara launch vehicle will lift off at the end of the second quarter, and that a heavy-duty Angara rocket will be launched in late 2014. The same concerns other major projects, including defence projects that were examined behind closed doors today.
But, speaking of spacecraft, we, of course, need an entirely different type of discipline and responsibility here. Of course, we link some hopes and our serious expectations with current efforts to establish the United Rocket and Space Corporation because our Soviet-era space rocket industry seems to be rather bloated and technologically backward. Therefore, the United Rocket and Space Corporation has already been virtually established, and its CEO should be appointed soon. This corporation is expected to consolidate our space assets.
Here is one example: the United States has four spacecraft manufacturers, while nine Russian companies work in the same field. No one needs this redundancy. On the contrary, it would be better to consolidate these assets, primarily the creative, research and development potential, to re-equip these enterprises and to enable them to manufacture spacecraft for the Russian Federation, and to sell them on a competitive basis. This is a highly profitable business. Therefore, the Government decision will aim to create a rigid timeframe for monitoring the manufacture of civilian and dual-purpose spacecraft and their launches. So, this is a brief summary of the results of our work.
Question: I would like to ask a question that is closely related to this subject. Will the state purchase the shares of the Sea Launch project, and when?
Dmitry Rogozin: The Government has instructed the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Korolyov Rocket and Space Corporation Energia to submit a joint financial and economic feasibility study of the Sea Launch project. As you know, the Sea Launch project is, of course, unique in itself. Unlike our northern testing sites and space centres, this project makes it possible to launch Russian-Ukrainian Zenit rockets with heavier payloads from southern latitudes. But this project is based in the United States. This means that Russia is unable to launch its own space satellites in line with its national interests through the Korolyov Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, where it has a 38% stake. In effect, we will have to notify US authorities of our military or dual-purpose satellite launches. We consider this situation to be impossible. So this issue is rather complicated.
If the Government receives all the required information – first of all, I am talking about the entire volume of financial problems linked with the Sea Launch project – then we will be able to decide whether it is appropriate to retain control over this space launch facility or not. But something is telling me that, if we decide to go ahead with this project, then this platform should not be based in the United States.
Question: Does this mean that the Sea Launch facility will relocate elsewhere, if you have a choice, to put it bluntly?
Dmitry Rogozin: In this case this facility will likely relocate to the Russian Far East.
Question: I have a question about the Amur-2 express. The Russian company believes that some tenders are unfair. Will their results be annulled?
Dmitry Rogozin: I have advised Minister of Communications and Mass Media Nikolai Nikiforov to reassess the procedure for conducting this tender. Mr Nikiforov has told me that we will, most likely, have to re-examine this issue. On the whole, I believe that, if we are able to manufacture competitive products – specifically, Russian-made communications satellites – then it would be inappropriate to rush about and purchase them abroad because this prompts too many questions to the organisers. The rather biased tender was organised precisely in favour of foreign producers. But this is once again linked with the above-mentioned issue – that of improved product quality – as well as more stable and sustained manufacture of multi-purpose Russian spacecraft. Therefore, I believe that we will completely answer this question in the near future. We have our own research and development agency, specifically, the Information Satellite Systems – Reshetnyov Company based in Krasnoyarsk. They are ready to make and present a satellite with similar parameters that would be no worse than European-made satellites.
Thank you.
