Russia to allocate 200 billion roubles for space exploration over 2009-11
22 Oct 2008
Zheleznogorsk: Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, has promised that the federal budget for the period 2009-11 would allocate 200 billion rubles for space exploration, reports Interfax.
The prime minister was speaking at the Roscosmos budget meeting in Zheleznogorsk on the implementation of priority space projects. He indicated that necessary legislation was already in place.
Putin also stated that Russia will continue meeting its obligations for the construction of the Russian segment of the International Space Station. According to the original schedule the Russian segment of the station was to have been completed by 2010. A funding shortfall of 120-billion rubles has now pushed the completion date back five years, to 2015.
Putin also noted the need for special programmes which would use space technology for the benefit of the country.
Putin noted that the development model of the sector needed to be changed. He said the industry's lack of integration "is the path to the extinction of investment and new technology, the loss of a promising market, including the one in our own country."
Putin added that such a programme was needed immediately and should be in force by 2010.
