The head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, predicted the timing of the emergence of the Internet from space in Russia. He noted that the Sphere program will allow receiving it in 2024, TASS reports.
According to the general director of the state corporation, the first funds have already been received under the program for the formation of scientific and technical reserve. In 2022, another seven billion rubles will be allocated for the "Sphere".
"These funds will be used to create two flight prototypes of the spacecraft "Skif" (Internet) and "Marathon" (Internet of Things). One of them will be launched in 2022, the other in 2023," Rogozin said.
The second part of the financing, according to him, will be directed to the purchase of launch vehicles for the launch of Express-RV communication satellites in 2024, which are paid for by the Ministry of Finance.
In September, it became known that the production of the first satellite of the Skif system began in Russia, which, like its competitors Starlink and OneWeb, is designed for broadband Internet access. It is noted that "Skif" will be part of the multifunctional satellite system "Sphere". According to the plans, the Skif system will include 12 spacecraft located in an orbit with a height of 8070 kilometers.
Marina Sovina
