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Further reform of Russia’s space sector to require tougher solutions — deputy PM

Russian Deputy PM Dmitry Rogozin also said Russia should expand cooperation with foreign partners in the space sector, despite the current unfavorable political situation
Russian Deputy PM Dmitry Rogozin  ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Metzel
Russian Deputy PM Dmitry Rogozin
© ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Metzel

MOSCOW, January 22. /TASS/. Tougher solutions will be needed in the second stage of reforms of Russia’s space sector due to the current economic situation, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday.

“We planned it (the second stage of reforms) long ago, proceeding from the fact that it is to begin after the first stage is over, but the current situation in the economy and in the country in general requires much tougher and bolder solutions,” he said, adding that the second stage of reform would involve the entire system of management of the rocket and space sector, not only industrial production.

He said a state corporation that was to emerge through the merger of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and the United Rocket and Space Corporation was the best format to implement the reform in the current economic situation. Moreover, the corporation “will serve the task of maintaining our country’s position as a leading space power,” he stressed.

For these ends, in his words, it was necessary to set up a single reform management center, to combine target setting in reforms of the research sector and production reorganization, to proceed to a higher level of integration and develop relations between clients and contractors. He said the state corporation format would promote the development of the space science and international cooperation.

Touching on issues of international cooperation, Rogozin said Russia should expand cooperation with foreign partners in the space sector, despite the current unfavorable political situation.

“Despite the current political situation, we should continue cooperation with leading technological powers in space exploration,” he said. “If not in space, where else?”

Rogozin noted that Russia still maintained global leadership in terms of space launches but it should expand its presence in space to achieve bigger political and economic results. “From space launches, we must proceed to creating state-of-the-art spacecraft that would be tasked to fulfill all necessary functions in outer space and ensure defence and security of the country and implementation of economic tasks,” he said.