Roscosmos Head Extols His Agency

April 17, 2006

Russia's unique rocket and space industry makes it possible to create a wide range of equipment serving national defense, security, socio-economic development, science and international cooperation goals, Anatoly Perminov, head of Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper on Wednesday, Itar-Tass reported.

Perminov said all of the tasks attempted by Roscosmos are intended to fulfill the Federal Space Program of Russia for 2006-2015 (FKP-2015), the main document for the agency, which has been approved by the government. He said the document "determines the priority directions of the country's space activities."

Among those priorities, he said, are monitoring the environment and near-Earth space, management of emergencies and ecological disasters, assessing Earth's natural resources, ensuring satellite communications and broadcasting, and providing geophysical and hydrometeorology information to the agencies concerned.

Perminov said implementation of Russia's space program also must ensure the country's equal participation in international space efforts and its development of technology for production of advanced materials and high-purity substances in space.

"The FKP-2015 program envisages the implementation of many projects in the interests of the national science, industry and defense," he said. "FKP-2015 envisages the expansion of international space exploration activities, active participation in the fulfilment of global space projects and strengthening of Russia's positions on the international space market."

Perminov also said Roscosmos continues to develop competitive space boosters, and rocket and space equipment. The agency also is actively introducing Russian products and services for telecommunications, broadcasting, navigation and remote sensing.

"International cooperation in space exploration has a bright future," he said, "because one state cannot handle alone space exploration, as the practice of the International Space Station creation has shown."

Copyright 2006 by Space Daily, Distributed United Press International