Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Yuri Borisov Director General of Roscosmos on July 15, 2022. In four months of work, the new head of the state corporation became convinced that the industry needs a radical restructuring, the result of which should be the transition to mass production of satellites, a multiple increase in the domestic grouping and commercialization of space services.
In the first big interview with TASS, the Director General of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, told about how long it will take, at what stage the project of the national orbital station is and why cooperation with NASA continues, despite the geopolitical situation.
— Almost in the first days after your appointment to Roscosmos, you outlined ambitious plans, among which is the doubling of the Russian satellite constellation. How long will it take? — At some point, the industry was held hostage by several factors in satellite construction.
Firstly, it is the presence of a huge number of heterogeneous technical solutions for the payload, service systems and platforms of spacecraft. Each individual satellite, we can say, was invented from scratch. Secondly, enterprises regularly disrupted the timing of their construction - during this time, the electronic component base became obsolete and was discontinued, previously issued documentation had to be redone.
It was decided to switch to an industrial model for the creation of space technology and, as a result, to mass production of a multi—satellite constellation. To do this, it is necessary to unify technical solutions and satellite service systems, apply the best of them and standardize protocols and interfaces for information exchange.
At the moment we are producing 15 satellites a year, technically it is possible to increase production to 40. But this is not enough. With the transition to mass production, we plan to assemble the satellite per day. This will require a radical restructuring of the entire industry. It is necessary to ensure the scientific, technological and production readiness of the main enterprises, to build new logistics with related companies, to train personnel. We expect that starting in 2026, when these works are carried out and the necessary production facilities are prepared, it will be possible to gradually reach the declared indicators of serial production of Russian satellites.
The main tool for solving this problem will be the federal project "Integrated Development of Space Information Technologies" ("Sphere") approved by the Russian government. It is based on five orbital communication groupings and five new groupings of remote sensing of the Earth based on small spacecraft, which will multiply the orbital grouping and dramatically increase its value for consumers.
The first demonstrator satellite of this program, Skif-D, flew into orbit on October 22. We have opened advanced work on the creation of new multi-satellite groupings of the Internet of Things Marathon and broadband Internet access Skif. The first demonstrator of the Marathon low-orbit system will fly in 2023, and from 2026 the first stage of the system of 137 vehicles will be deployed. A new multi—satellite remote sensing grouping (remote sensing of the Earth - approx. Berkut will consist of space systems for survey and high-detail optical imaging, as well as radar surveillance.
— Does Russia have the necessary capacities and competencies for this?— To create communication satellites from JSC "ISS" named after
Academician M.F. Reshetnev will need the introduction of serial streaming production and the transition to other quality management standards. As for the remote sensing satellites that will be assembled at the Lavochkin NGO, the development of a unified satellite platform, on the basis of which the grouping will be created, is already being completed. To satisfy the interests of Russia, there should be at least 100 such satellites.
In order to provide manufacturers with the necessary component base, we are developing an industry integrated structure of space instrumentation. JSC "RKS" has created a catalog of elements, integrated onboard information systems, their serial production will be placed at the Yaroslavl radio Plant, which recently entered the contour of JSC "RKS".
Thus, we will have the whole set of unified solutions for the serial production of devices, and the necessary components will be in warehouses. The country has all the necessary capacities, and we are already creating modern domestic technical solutions within the framework of promising research projects of the federal project "Sphere".
— Besides, you said that the industry needs to be commercialized. What specific services does Roscosmos plan to bring to the market? — The space industry is the largest sector of the world economy with a turnover of about $469 billion.
Good rates of commercialization of services are demonstrated by those countries that have managed to balance the economic interests of governments and private investors at the level of public policy. The mechanisms of the state should be set up so that science has an incentive to develop space technologies, and business has an incentive to introduce them into a wide range of civilian products and order new satellites. The leaders are the United States, where the volume of private investment in the space industry in 2021 amounted to about $ 9 billion (for comparison, in Europe this figure is $ 2 billion). I can't say that this is a fast process. It took almost 40 years in the States, but now the country controls 50% of the space services market.
We have the same path ahead of us, only in a shorter time. Work is underway on a regulatory framework that will make the space services market attractive to private investors. A business model is being formed. At the head of the corner should be the consumer who will form the requirements for space services. Funds for space systems should be attracted from the market — banks, investment companies, etc. And we see the role of the state, represented by the state corporation Roscosmos, in stimulating the development of the industry through subsidizing interest on loans and risk insurance (guaranteed loans), as well as in monitoring and additional financing of projects not related to the economic interests of society — science and state security. Remote sensing data for the Ministry of Defense, FSB, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rosgvardiya, Ministry of Emergency Situations should be provided free of charge, efficiently and on time.
But this is an ideal scheme, in reality everything is more complicated: space systems have a lot of consumers, it is not so easy to bring their requirements to a common denominator, risk and operational cost management systems are needed, etc.
One of the most promising areas is the sector of remote sensing of the Earth. In 2020, the volume of the global commercial remote sensing data market amounted to $1.6 billion, by 2030 it is expected to grow to $5 billion. So far, governments and defense departments remain the main customers for many private companies.
According to Euroconsult, this segment accounted for up to 45% of the total data market in 2020. And this is understandable, because for decades remote sensing technologies have been used mainly for military and defense purposes, including monitoring land and sea borders, obtaining up-to-date information on infrastructure, logistics and military facilities. But with the development of new technologies, the structure of the market will change. With the growth of the volume of data received from satellites, sensors and the Internet of Things, there are opportunities for solving business problems and how to make a person's daily life more comfortable. According to forecasts, by 2025, the share of B2G operations in the market will decrease to 25%, B2B will grow to 65%, and B2C to 10%. The main clients will be large commercial enterprises of the oil and gas, metallurgical, mining, agriculture, construction and shipping. In fact, we must offer the country a new quality of monitoring of the environment, especially dangerous objects, subsoil use, construction, land use, etc.
The funds that we will receive in the process of monetizing the use of remote sensing data will allow us to increase the satellite grouping.
There is already a positive experience of commercialization of the services market of state—owned companies in Russia - this is Rosatom State Corporation, where very effective management forms new high-tech markets based on the use of modern technological solutions.
— When you held the position of deputy Prime Minister, you reacted without enthusiasm to the filming of the film "Challenge". Has your opinion changed? — If you remember exactly my words and position, I was against the fact that the shooting was financed from the budget of the state corporation "Roscosmos", which is not in the best financial situation.
Especially considering the number of important tasks that the industry has faced and is facing in the field of ensuring the national and economic security of the country. We have to build satellites, launch rockets… This is a huge cost. And billions for the filming of films is still a luxury and non—core activity of the state corporation. My position has not changed today.
But let's talk about fait accompli — the film has been shot. An amazing team of actors and directors took part in its creation, who put their talent and soul into it.
The educational effect of the film and the whole project will undoubtedly be. I'm sure of that.
In addition to the film, the project also includes a cycle of popular science programs, which reflects all the stages of selection and special training of flight participants at the Cosmonaut Training Center. This is the work of a wide range of industry specialists: doctors, instructors, engineers of enterprises, employees of the Mission Control Center, cosmonaut rescue services and many others. In addition, Channel One continues to shoot a special series of documentaries about the work and promising tasks of Russian cosmonautics. In April of this year, the first film dedicated to the Cosmonautics Day (d/f "Baikonur. The first on planet Earth").
The popular science component is one of the most important for the industry. During the filming, for the first time, the technology of operational training of non-professional participants in a space flight and the control system of the spacecraft, its docking with the ISS by one professional cosmonaut were worked out. This experience was useful in preparing a tourist space mission in December 2021 (Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and his assistant Yozo Hirano became the first space tourists from Japan — they made their flight to the ISS from Baikonur together with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin. The Soyuz MS-20 manned spacecraft launched on December 8 and returned to Earth 12 days later).
At all stages of the filming of the Roscosmos enterprise, our specialized specialists supported the team — expertly and informatively. The final stage of ground surveys took place during the Soyuz MS-22 launch campaign in September 2022 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. According to Channel One, the release of the feature film is scheduled for the spring of 2023.
— Why did Russia decide to withdraw from the ISS project? What is the status of the Russian Orbital Station (ROS) project?— The decision to extend Russia's participation in the ISS program or to withdraw from it is made at the level of the Russian government and must be formalized by a special decision of the Russian government.
Now we have a decision of the Government of the Russian Federation (dated July 2, 2015, No. DM-P7-4368) to extend the flight of the PC (Russian segment — approx. TASS) ISS until 2024. There is no other official document regulating the continuation of participation or withdrawal from the ISS program after 2024. Therefore, it is premature to talk about Russia's withdrawal from the ISS program. Our main task is to ensure the continuity of manned space flights.
The decision on the timing of participation in the ISS program will depend on the technical condition of the ISS RS, which should ensure the guaranteed safety of the station crew members, the timing of the deployment of the ROS and the start of flights to it by Russian cosmonauts, as well as a number of other factors.
Roscosmos State Corporation is carrying out experimental design work on the development of a draft design of the space complex of the Russian Orbital Station, within which options for creating a Russian orbital station, the concept of construction, composition and tasks to be solved are considered. Based on the results of the development of this draft project, it will be approximately clear how much it can cost. We will build the Russian orbital station on domestic solutions.
— What tasks are supposed to be solved at the ROS? — The tasks that are supposed to be solved at the ROS will be determined after the adoption of the draft design of the ROS space complex.
In general, the main directions of development of the domestic space industry are the development of the orbital space grouping, the development of space instrumentation, the implementation of manned programs, the implementation of scientific programs, the commercialization of the industry.
— Most recently, during the launch of the American Crew Dragon spacecraft with Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina on board, the head of the manned programs of Roscosmos Sergey Krikalev told reporters that you are in contact with the head of NASA and even plan to meet with him before the end of this year. Is it so? And does such cooperation contradict Russia's position with regard to Western countries and especially the United States? Are other joint projects planned and how long can space stay out of politics?— Russia has a number of international obligations, and cross-flights are included in this list.
Being a reliable partner and observing agreements is normal and it is right. Especially if NASA maintains the same model of behavior.
But there is another important point: as surprising as it may seem at first glance, the more tense and difficult the situation between the countries, the more important it becomes to maintain contact. Remember, the United States and the USSR continued to communicate and cooperate even during the Cold War, albeit through the Iron Curtain. Negotiations were also held in the space sphere, thanks to which, for example, the Soyuz —Apollo project took place.
So it is now: communication at the level of heads of space agencies is a guarantee of fundamental security in outer space. Not only the Russian space, but also Russia as a whole. We cannot allow the creation of an information vacuum, it is important for Russia to know and understand what NASA is doing, what their intentions are.
Roscosmos faces many very important tasks: to build and launch satellites, and serially, in order to provide all the necessary services to the national economy of our vast country, to strengthen the nuclear shield — the key to Russia's security, as well as to explore deep space. And this task (deep space exploration — approx. TASS) requires not only huge investments, which are often very costly for one state, but also technological and scientific cooperation. Different countries have different competencies, and only by combining them, it is possible to achieve the goals set.
For example, the European Space Agency (ESA) has completely refused to cooperate with Russia, jeopardizing the Mars exploration program. Who will benefit from this — us or the Europeans? Everyone will lose. Therefore, I consider it a great success that on the other side of the ocean, at NASA, there are people who find the strength and reason not to let politics interfere with scientific cooperation. The Roscosmos and NASA cross-flight program is aimed at continuous operation of the Russian and American segments of the ISS in manned mode. There must always be a crew at the station: at least one Russian cosmonaut on the Russian segment, one astronaut on the American one. In simple terms, this is mutual insurance in case of emergency situations with the ships of Roscosmos and NASA.
I am convinced that true patriotism is not in slogans and appeals to cut off your fingers in spite of everyone. We must do everything to ensure that Russia does not lose its scientific potential and opportunities to ensure technological security and sovereignty, despite sanctions and attempts by Western politicians to cut us off from access to technology, from communication with colleagues in the scientific community.
As for the meeting with Mr. Nelson (NASA Head Bill Nelson — approx. TASS). Until the political situation changes, neither his arrival in Russia nor mine in the USA is possible. Unfortunately, my participation in the World Space Congress in Paris also did not take place — our delegation was not given a visa. Here is another example of stupidity and short-sightedness on the part of the European Union. The congress was supposed to discuss plans for deep space exploration, not a position on Ukraine. And so far there are no signs that anything will change for the better in the coming days.
In conclusion, I can only add: Our President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that Russia is open to cooperation with everyone who is interested in it. We did not start this campaign to isolate Russia. This is an erroneous and criminal path — not only in relation to our country, but also in relation to the peoples of those countries that today have to endure the consequences of such a policy. Roscosmos adheres to exactly the same position — we are open to cooperation with those who are interested in it.
Ekaterina Moskvich was talking