"We need a cheap, cost-effective carrier to replace the Seven (R-7), so we started creating a promising carrier Amur-LNG. In addition, we are working on ultralight carriers. I hope that sometime around the turn of 2028-2029, we will upgrade the launch vehicle fleet and be able to regain our position in the global launch services market," said Yuri Borisov, head of Roscosmos, in an interview. He also spoke about Russian reusable rockets and a new spacecraft, artificial gravity at the future orbital station and conveyor production of satellites, as well as the secret of Elon Musk's success.
— Yuri Ivanovich, Sergei Korolev's birthday was celebrated in January. Are his ideas and the vector of development of Russian cosmonautics, which he set, still relevant, or has the Soviet experience been archived because technology has changed dramatically?
— Sergey Pavlovich Korolev is a classic of the space industry, he defined the development of world cosmonautics for many years to come. But, of course, certain transformations have taken place over the past decades and priorities have changed. First of all, this is due to the demand for space services by the market. Space has become more commercially oriented. Today, the demand for space services is dynamically developing all over the world, this demand exceeds the average annual growth of global GDP.
Of course, this affects the transformation of the main activities of space agencies and accelerates the process of creating multi-satellite groupings. The latter is the main priority all over the world, including in Russia, in order to provide the necessary list of communication services, navigation, remote sensing of the Earth, weather forecasts, etc. Nevertheless, the task of space exploration formulated by Korolev, the scientific aspect of space research, will always be on the agenda of all space agencies.
— Korolev dreamed of a manned flight to the moon. Is this direction still relevant in Russian cosmonautics?
— Interest in the Moon is still very great all over the world. Many countries in Europe, the USA and China have lunar programs. We are forming the same programs for the development and practical use of lunar resources. To do this, work is underway on superheavy carriers, which will be able to deliver the appropriate cargo and in the future form a lunar station, as well as move on to the practical use of Earth satellite resources. Roscosmos, together with the Academy of Sciences, is also working on the formation of research programs for Venus and Mars.
— Elon Musk does not hide that the Starship ship being developed by SpaceX is largely inspired by the royal lunar superheavy rocket H-1. Has the Russian space industry abandoned this particular technical solution with multiple engines, or is it also planning to create something similar?
— I think that in the superheavy carrier H-1, Sergey Pavlovich to some extent overstepped the technological capabilities of that time. That is, the ideas embedded in the design of this rocket were not supported by the appropriate control systems, without which it was impossible to ensure the synchronous operation of all engines. And that's why this project failed.
Nevertheless, the technical solutions of that time remain relevant today. And in the development of the royal Seven, we have started work at the Progress RCC on a promising Amur-LNG carrier, where a new type of fuel will be used – liquefied natural gas, more economical, more efficient, and the idea of a multi-engine power plant will also be implemented. If this work turns out to be successful, we hope that we will be able to replicate it and use the design solutions embedded in this rocket for a superheavy carrier. So we are moving exactly along the path that Sergei Pavlovich outlined at the time.
— What are the most ambitious tasks outlined by the head of state at the meeting on the development of the Russian rocket and space industry, held last autumn?
— The most ambitious task is related to the transfer of the industry to new industrial tracks. This is due to the demand for space data and the dynamic development of multi-satellite groupings, for the large-scale deployment of which, objectively speaking, we are not ready today.
And we are currently focused on this area — to transfer the main satellite-building assets to mass production in order to be able to produce at least 250 satellites per year by at least 2026. Today, theoretically, we can produce about 40 satellites annually, but in reality we produce even less.
The main trend now is small satellites, somewhere up to 500 kilograms or less, which will form the basis of the most popular low—orbit groupings today. The requirements for these satellites are significantly lower than for those flying in medium and geostationary orbits.
We have selected enterprises where we will develop satellite engineering competencies. In terms of telecommunications and navigation, Reshetnev is our main asset, which today produces all satellites for the national economy and for the defense of the country. And the second asset is the Lavochkin NGO together with the VNIIEM Corporation, which will specialize in the production of Earth remote sensing satellites. And, of course, scientific space has always been assigned to this asset. This is the main task. It is quite complicated, because the cooperation chain involved in the manufacture of the satellite is very large, it is three, four, five, and sometimes more levels of cooperation. It is necessary to organize the work in such a way as to embroider all the bottlenecks so that all components, all space instruments, aggregates arrive rhythmically for the final, for the assembly of satellites, and there was no downtime. The requirements for suppliers should change, because it is necessary to exclude the possibility of defects and return of products for this reason. This slows down the entire production process.
There is a serious transformation ahead not only of our industry, but also of all related industries. A system project has been developed for this purpose, it has been discussed, and an estimate has been drawn up. It is clear which technological equipment and which technological processes need to be implemented. And this is the main task for 2024 and the near future. Of course, we will also continue the development of manned space exploration. To do this, at the same meeting with the president, it was decided to approve the program for the creation of the Russian Orbital Station (ROS). In practice, this will require everything new — a transport ship, the station itself and launch vehicles.
Of course, we would like to make the research conducted by manned space exploration more effective, as our colleagues from the financial and economic bloc constantly point out to us. We have actively involved the institutes of the Academy of Sciences, higher education, the so-called Roscosmos Constellation, which includes 16 leading Russian universities, and they are actively involved in this work. Since this year, full-scale work on the creation of ROS has been underway.
The development of multi-satellite groupings will require a reduction in the cost of launch services. We must be competitive in the global market. Today we are working on old carriers, this family of Soyuz rockets, Proton is practically out of service, because it no longer suits us for environmental reasons. Angara is also not a young development. Basically, this carrier is used for the output of military satellites. We need a cheap, cost-effective carrier to replace the Seven, and, as I said, Amur LNG is planned to develop it. In addition, we are working on ultralight carriers. The start was given by the Foundation for Advanced Research, the work is carried out by TsNIIMash. I hope that sometime around the turn of 2028-2029, we will upgrade the launch vehicle fleet and be able to regain our position in the global launch services market.
— Can I tell you more about the ultralight carrier, is there already a name of the project and its understanding?
— For about two or three years, work on it was commissioned by the Foundation for Advanced Research, it was, in fact, of a startup nature. The work was not advertised, since this carrier is quite innovative in its design and technological solutions, new alloys and composite materials are used there. The tests of the experimental stages of the future carrier were, in principle, successful, which proves the correctness of the design decisions. Today we are interested in manufacturing engines and confirming the characteristics that they contain. If everything goes well, we will speed up this work.
By the way, it is carried out not only in the interests of the national economy, our main customer, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, is also looking forward to this work. It is also interested in a lightweight carrier of this class in order to ensure the profitability of launch services. Therefore, quite serious hopes are pinned on this carrier.
— Is the reusability of an ultralight carrier envisaged?
— Just like in the Amur LNG project, the ultralight carrier provides for reusability. The type of fuel that is supposed to be used there — liquefied natural gas — has the best characteristics for flights of the return stage, and the preparation cycle is much lower than, say, rockets that use classic rocket fuel components.
— What is the situation in Russia with the involvement of private business and capital in the rocket and space industry?
— At the initiative of the first deputy chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Andrey Ramovich Belousov, work was organized on a profile roadmap, it was formed almost the entire last year. Serious consultations were held with possible participants in this work, and eight companies were selected to participate in this work.
It is a fact that almost 70% of multi-satellite groupings worldwide are formed at the expense of private capital. But in order to attract a private trader, it is necessary to create market conditions in the rocket and space industry. The fact is that until recently, all space services in our country were free. This is enshrined in the Law on Space Activities of 1993. Until private companies see their interest and see that the large costs they will incur when creating projects will pay off, the process will not move forward.
We are working on the introduction of market mechanisms in the industry. The law on the commercialization of space services was introduced and passed the first reading in the State Duma. I think that from January 1, 2025, the mechanism laid down in the bill will work. And it is very important that all departments, the government of the Russian Federation, consistently work on the implementation of this law. I'm afraid that the law can be passed, but there will be some exceptions immediately, that for such and such an agency space services are free, for another they are also free. In this case, we will emasculate the whole essence of the law and will not create a much-needed market climate, which should stimulate the attraction of private capital. The format of working with private traders is defined in principle. He uses the experience of foreign countries. But both domestic experience and specifics are taken into account. Of course, the coordinating role in the creation of the Russian orbital group will remain with Roscosmos. This eliminates duplication and clearly positions all players in the market.
Roscosmos will also have the function of launching all spacecraft. We do not yet have private companies capable of creating rocket technology and carrying out space launches. We didn't have companies like SpaceX. Although such business projects, as I know, begin to be born on an initiative basis at the startup stage. God grant them success in this field.
But the fact is that the creation of rocket technology, a launch vehicle, is a special path, it requires an appropriate material and technical base and a school. Therefore, for the time being, we will probably work with private companies in terms of creating satellites, and their launches will continue to be taken over by the state. This is also provided for in the roadmap for attracting private business to the industry. As for the participation of private traders in the creation of low-orbit multi-satellite groupings, the mechanism here is as follows: forward contracts are concluded with these companies, which guarantee them that their work will not be in vain, that if they produce devices with the characteristics that were stated, then Roscosmos begins to buy them out through the mechanism of forward contracts.
We held a meeting with private companies at the end of last year, listened to all their needs. It should be borne in mind that in the current real financial and economic situation in the country, at the startup stage, government assistance will be required for these private companies. Because they will have to attract either their own or borrowed funds to implement their projects. They cannot do without subsidizing interest rates, perhaps without additional benefits and tax relief. We have plans for this year to launch spacecraft created by non-governmental companies or universities. I hope they will be implemented.
— What is the situation with "human capital"? What is the average age of specialists in the rocket and space industry? Is there a targeted policy to rejuvenate the workforce?
— Personnel is the most important issue, which, in fact, determines the development of the industry now and in the long term. By the way, this issue was also raised at the meeting with the president. Indeed, the industry is "aging", although this process has slowed down, and we are actively working with young people, starting with training at school. Space classes and specialized institutions are dynamically developing and being created in almost all regions of the country, where we attract young people with additional education so that they can work in our industry. We are actively working with leading universities. As an example: the creation of the Gryphon satellite constellation is currently underway. This is a survey group of 132 cubesat-type satellites with a resolution of about 2.5 meters. We are actively involving Novosibirsk State University in the creation of this grouping.
The rocket and comic industry is attractive to young professionals, primarily from the point of view of the opportunity to realize themselves in the development of innovations. But, in addition to interesting work, of course, it is necessary to provide decent wages and take care of social issues. Young people are interested in solving housing issues, mortgages, medical insurance, and generally working and living conditions.
A comprehensive development plan for Zheleznogorsk is currently being prepared. We are working on it in close contact with colleagues from Rosatom. Zheleznogorsk is such a space and nuclear Mecca. Housing construction is planned there. Thank you that Promsvyazbank responded to this idea and is actively involved in the construction of an apartment building. Perhaps a railway line from Krasnoyarsk will be implemented there to improve transport accessibility. At the time, I took the initiative to the president and asked him to increase the number of grants and scholarships to attract young people to the space industry.
— Could you name the average salary in the industry?
— You know, the average salary in the industry is not a serious indicator. It's like the average temperature in a hospital. It is necessary to say how much it corresponds to the average salary level in the regions. For example, in Moscow it is already above 100 thousand rubles per month. This means that it corresponds to the level of the average salary. The main influx of young people to us comes from the regions, so young professionals should feel that the wages at Roscosmos enterprises are at least not lower, but preferably higher than what has developed in the leading industries in this region.
— How many space launches are planned for this year?
— Over 40. But plans are always plans. We planned more launches last year as well. But, unfortunately, due to a number of objective circumstances, we were unable to complete the launch program completely. We've been working hard on fixing bottlenecks. The main bottleneck was in the Scientific Research Institute of Technical Equipment (Scientific Research Institute of Precision Instruments - ed.). If until 2023 they produced an average of two or three sets of devices per year to support space launches, then last year they produced more than ten. The efforts that we made last year and will continue in 2024 should lead to the rhythmic work of cooperation in order to eliminate the postponement of satellite launches. The main task for this year is to complete the entire launch program. In fact, it determines the financial and economic situation of the industry.
By the way, according to the results of 2022 and 2023, it began to level off. We planned a loss of 54 billion rubles for two years due to the imposition of sanctions and the loss of a serious volume of the foreign market, with the abandonment of launch services and the supply of engines. According to the results of 2022, the loss was reduced to 18 billion, and according to the results of 2023 - to 15 billion, that is, there was a tendency to reduce the unprofitability of the industry. This year, I will set the task for the entire industry team to break even. We need resources for future development, to attract extra-budgetary funds, and their source is either our own funds, that is, the profits of enterprises, or borrowed ones, which are also given only to those who are able to return these funds. This is the basis for future development. So the task in 2024 is to reduce losses to zero, and possibly make a profit, I mean in the industry as a whole, in a consolidated manner.
According to the results of last year, the cash execution of the budget in the industry amounted to 98.3%. We will strive for 100% as much as possible. This is an indicator that just gives reason to colleagues from the Ministry of Finance to believe that the industry is beginning to develop, it is beginning to dynamically fulfill its obligations. But money is given to those who are able to turn it into goods and services. This ability of the Russian space industry still needs to be proved.
I hope that after the transition to a new industrial model starts and the new law on the commercialization of space services begins to work, a noticeable increase in production and service provision in our industry will begin sometime in late 2025 - early 2026.
— Returning to our unloved Elon Musk… Does Roscosmos and the industry have plans to follow its example to create new space enterprises literally in an open field, or does the Soviet industrial reserve fully meet the needs?
— Well, why does it have to be unloved?.. Let's try to analyze the phenomenon of Elon Musk in economic terms. Why did he do it all? Well, to begin with, the issue of creating a space services market in the United States was not as acute as it is in our country. The first commercial launch took place there much earlier than ours. Musk, starting his rocket and space project, already assumed the payment of launch services.
The rapid development of multi–satellite groupings in the world is the result of technology development. It's just that technology has reached the level where it is possible to create light satellites weighing up to 500 kilograms quickly and with sufficient quality, and thus use low orbits. And low orbits are more attractive in terms of signal transmission, its delay, and they do not require the use of a special element base. This led to a sharp reduction in the cost of satellite construction.
Then, I think that both the Pentagon and NASA had some difficulties working with their traditional partners, the same Boeing. Because the connections that have been forming for decades are already overgrown with bad nuances. The performers begin to dictate the will to the customer. An alternative is needed. And Musk was born as an entrepreneur and a serious player in the space market, based on these circumstances. A revolutionary situation has been created, and customers need an alternative to traditional performers. Musk had a choice: either to implement his plans at those enterprises that actually existed, or to build it all in an open field. Real experience has shown that sometimes building in an open field is much cheaper than modernizing and changing the structure of an enterprise, where certain connections, established processes have traditionally developed and dominated, and teams of people are not burdened with anything new. Sometimes such revolutionary steps give positive results.
We would probably love to follow this path, it is very attractive. But the fact is that today we do not have the financial and economic opportunities that Elon Musk had in the early 2000s. It all comes down to creating market conditions. This is the main requirement for attracting private capital. And, of course, a competent policy on the part of the state, in terms of supporting the innovations of private companies.
Do not forget that Elon Musk's main customer is the Pentagon, 70% of all space services are purchased by the Pentagon through guaranteed long-term contracts. Which gives stability to his business.
— Reshetnev has already taken certain steps towards the transition to conveyor production of satellites. How do you rate this project?
— We started this work a year ago, and it is being implemented thanks to the efforts of a young team. This is one of the ways to break through — the transfer to the conveyor production of telecommunications satellites or remote sensing satellites. We try to involve young specialists in such projects who are not burdened with the mistakes of the past and have not yet filled the bumps. Under the guidance of competent, experienced specialists, such a young team can achieve results much faster. Reshetnev took up this work with enthusiasm. We sent their specialists to study, to see what a conveyor at KAMAZ is. They went and looked, and apparently a corresponding model was formed in their brains there.
They quickly implemented the satellite assembly line section you are talking about from improvised means, without serious capital investments. Let's call it a prototype of the transition to an industrial model. He gave a certain result, he let the guys believe that it was possible. The cost, labor intensity, and timing of satellite creation on this mini-conveyor have been confirmed, they are significantly lower than on the slipway production. Moreover, this experience made me think that it is possible to move on to creating more serious satellites, heavy ones, using conveyor assembly technologies. More precisely, you can use a combination between a slipway and a conveyor assembly, assembling the main panels on a conveyor, and the entire satellite is already on the slipways. There's nothing you can do about it, it has such dimensions. Satellites that fly in geostationary orbit weigh several tons each.
This is a serious experience, it needs to be replicated. This conveyor is designed to assemble satellites weighing up to 100 kilograms, and we need to create a conveyor for vehicles up to 500 kilograms, this is another technological equipment and requires real costs. Actually, we have planned about 50 billion rubles for this.
— Is there a desire to gradually move the production of rockets towards the Far East in order, using water transport, to overcome the limitations of the railway size when transporting launch vehicles and spacecraft to the Vostochny cosmodrome, especially when we are talking about a superheavy rocket?
— The assembly plant at the Vostochny cosmodrome already exists. The rocket arrives there as a semi-finished product, and the final assembly and testing take place there. But transport problems must, of course, be solved. In addition to the Soyuz, this year we also have the Angara to launch from the East. The plans provide that the Amur LNG and the ultralight rocket should also be based at the Vostochny cosmodrome. Although the ultralight rocket has other capabilities, it can not only take off from the cosmodrome.
As for the use of water resources, let's look at the possibilities of transportation by rivers. But do not forget that we have already commissioned the airfield at Vostochny, and the first landings on it have already been carried out. There is a beautiful strip there, over 3,000 meters, which allows you to receive all types of air equipment, including heavy transport aircraft, which can deliver all the necessary components for launching. Therefore, we do not see any special difficulties in the logistics of the cosmodrome.
— Will the Amur-LNG rocket need a launch pad on Vostochny?
— Yes, an engineering note has already been prepared by colleagues from the Progress RCC and CENKI, and they are tasked with dramatically reducing the cost and speeding up the construction of the launch pad. Here we did not hesitate and used the experience of the same Elon Musk. Because today there is no need to build such bulky structures, you can do it all in a fairly optimized way. I think that in the near future the construction process will become practical. This year we will definitely go to the Progress RCC, conduct an inspection on the spot, analyze, and talk with the guys about how successful the work on the launch complex project is.
— As for Earth remote sensing data, the Russian market is saturated with them mainly due to imports. How to solve the problem of import substitution?
— Yes, our dependence on telecommunications services and on the services of satellite groups for remote sensing of the Earth is quite high. It should be borne in mind that the channel for obtaining this information is regulated by unfriendly states and may simply be blocked at some point. Which, in fact, we were given to understand. What was available a few years ago is no longer available today, and we have no other alternative but to create our own domestic services.
I believe that a national optical center should be built in the country, without which the creation of a full-fledged remote sensing satellite constellation is impossible. For high-detail reconnaissance, optical systems with a resolution level of 0.3 -0.5 meters are needed, and commercially available lenses in the required quantity. There is no such production in the country today. We are working on this task with colleagues, for example, from Rostatom, and with a number of private companies in Russia, and with Belarusian enterprises.
We also need to have a developed electronics industry, because the competitiveness of the satellite and its consumer characteristics are mainly determined by the stuffing that is used there. These are both calculators and space instrumentation, which must be done in specified weights and dimensions with appropriate characteristics for processing, storing, and transmitting information. For this, an appropriate element base is needed. Efforts are being made to raise and create microelectronic industries, microwave industries, and a passive element base, so it's only a matter of time before the situation recovers. Unfortunately, our lag and the loss of access to the element base that we had until recently were quite sensitive for us. But today we are already finding alternative solutions. There is an opportunity to receive an element base — production in Russia is being established and the logistics of supplying those elements that are not produced here from abroad is changing. The main reason for our lag in design deadlines is the scale of production, the transition to a new industrial model, and product quality issues. We need to work in all these areas.
— Is it possible to say that Russia today focuses on space exploration and development, primarily on cooperation with China, and perhaps practical work is already underway to coordinate the space programs of the two countries?
— China is probably our main partner in long-term space projects today. We have a joint program on the moon. So far, we are conducting research autonomously, but starting from some period of time, the interaction will be closer. I think that the competencies that Russia really has, primarily in the field of nuclear space energy, will be in demand in this project. And our Chinese colleagues are interested in this cooperation.
But I would raise the issue a little more broadly. Recent meetings with colleagues from the space agencies of the BRICS countries, which we held in South Africa, indicate that all BRICS countries are very interested in coordinating activities and combining all efforts in the field of space services. There are pilot projects to organize a satellite survey of a particular territory of the BRICS member states. It would be good to move on to creating common satellite groupings in the future, but this is a long way, these are issues of standardization, acceptance and information processing.
Previously, almost 70% of our external contracts were built with European countries, with the United States, which is now practically reduced to zero. The only remaining joint project is the work of the International Space Station (ISS). We are negotiating with colleagues from NASA that even if we disagree in the field of manned space exploration, cooperation in terms of ensuring the safety of space activities will continue. We will work on the unification of the docking modules so that, if necessary, we can help each other.
— Is the extension of the ISS operation after 2028-2030 being considered?
— Everything will depend on the actual condition of the station. All those abnormal situations that plagued us last year — meteorite hits and damage to the cooling system — these are real things. In the future, the threat will only increase — the amount of space debris is growing. A grain of sand of several millimeters can cause such damage that it will not seem enough, up to the threat to the life of the crew. We will extend the work of the ISS as much as possible. So far, by the decision of the government, the work of the Russian segment has been extended until 2028.
— It is assumed that by 2028 the main core of the future growth should appear...
— This is done in order not to interrupt the work on the Russian manned program in any case. Because a break in this program is a very expensive pleasure. So we interrupted our efforts to explore the Moon for 50 years and got an emergency situation with Luna-25. Such things should not be allowed, it is necessary to constantly educate new teams of engineers, transfer experience. We've lost several generations of developers – here are the results.
— If we compare the ROS with the ISS in terms of scale, technical complexity, scientific efficiency, and so on, in whose favor will the score be?
— In general, the stations will be similar. But there are significant differences. Firstly, the ROS will have a different orbit. This is an orbit with an inclination of 96 degrees, there is a different radiation situation, which will help to obtain new data for future long-term flights to the station and interplanetary expeditions. Secondly, the ROS project includes more powerful energy. Of course, there will be new functionality that cannot be used on the ISS from the point of view of its orbit, which allows you to see only 10-12% of the territory of the Russian Federation from the station. At ROS, we will be able to conduct new interesting experiments related to monitoring the situation on the territory of the Russian Federation, because 16 times a day the new station will look, in particular, at the Northern Sea Route. Today we have practically no opportunity to monitor and predict the ice situation. The National station will provide such an opportunity.
I think that some innovative solutions, in particular, separately flying modules, target modules that will be used to organize specific experiments, will also distinguish the ROS from the ISS for the better simply because the current station is technically outdated in many ways.
And, of course, we would like not to be confined within the national framework. We want to involve our partners, primarily from the BRICS countries, in the development of this station. Such negotiations are underway.
— Do representatives of the BRICS member countries have an interest in ROS?
— There is a real interest, especially our proposal, that we are ready not only to train astronauts and carry out space tourism, we are ready to go as far in cooperation as partners can, up to the creation of separate modules in their interests, the organization of national experiments.
— Is there any provision for a module with artificial gravity at least in the long term?
— Such a prospect is being considered, there are relevant ideas both at RSC Energia and at the Cosmonaut Training Center. The issue of adaptation of the cosmonaut's body to microgravity conditions and its recovery after long flights is quite acute. The ROS module with artificial gravity will allow the use of full-fledged simulators that will significantly improve adaptation to staying in space and prepare astronauts for returning to Earth so that they can painlessly leave the environment in which, for example, they have been for more than a year.
— Are we developing spaceplanes, of which the United States and China have working models, while their purpose is clearly military?
— Having the experience of creating the Buran shuttle, it would be foolish to give it up. We are conducting such developments.
— What is a promising new generation transport ship (PTK NP), what are its fundamental differences from the existing Soyuz, Progress and foreign ships?
— There is a certain kind of problem here, because the PTK NP was laid down and created as a manned ship for a lunar expedition. The lunar mission requires different approaches than organizing regular flights to the ISS or the future ROS. In the case of a lunar spacecraft, it is necessary to have additional fuel and additional protection from radiation.
We are adapting the project to meet existing and future needs. The new ship will have a better payload, better maneuverability, and better life support for the crew than the existing ones. A lunar ship is not needed for the transport service of the ROS. Therefore, work is currently underway to weaken the technical requirements and reduce the cost of this ship. It should also be cost-effective. I think that we will familiarize the public with this topic in more detail in the near future, because work on the new ship is in full swing. Perhaps we will provide a report from RSC Energia on the progress of the work, we do not make a special secret of this.
— And the last question: you have been in the position of CEO of Roscosmos for 1.5 years, what has become the greatest reason for optimism for you during this time, and what, on the contrary, has become the biggest disappointment?
— I'll start, perhaps, with the biggest disappointment. They realized that the industry does not have a coherent technical policy, long—term in all areas - in satellite engineering, rocket engineering, scientific space, and manned program. There were some interesting developments that did not give the overall picture. Without a strategy for the development of the industry and a sane technical policy, it is impossible to organize long-term normal work both in the industry as a whole and at individual enterprises. When people do not understand what long-term goals are set for them and what they are working for, they are at a loss.
Therefore, we spent the first six months, or maybe even a year, analyzing all available research areas and trying to build a technical policy and strategy in all these areas. As a result, the idea of transforming the industry and moving to an industrial model, to the mass creation of multi-satellite groupings, and the provision of market services appeared. When these goals crystallized into quantitative and qualitative indicators, it became possible to build specific work at specific enterprises – what to focus people on, not only those who assemble the final product, but also the entire cooperative chain.
The same work was carried out on the analysis of projects for new launch vehicles. We have revised the initial requirements that were laid down in the same Amur LNG, dramatically increased the requirements, in particular, in terms of reusability, efficiency, and cost. We set new standards for developers, and we negotiated with them for a long time regarding their feasibility. In the end, we came to a consensus and are already moving in this direction.
There was a huge debate during the formation of the final appearance of the ROS. And I think we haven't completed them yet. Today we are working closely with future consumers of these products, I mean with astronauts who will fly on the ROS. They provide comments and suggestions, and we look at all these things very carefully and take them into account together with the station developers. Because RSC Energia is not making a station for itself, it is making it for the future cosmonaut squad who will work and live at this station so that they feel comfortable, so that they spend their time in space as efficiently as possible in terms of gaining new knowledge.
The main reason for optimism was given to me by the fact that everything planned can be done, because it was Russia that opened the way to space to the whole world. On the one hand, this is a matter for pride, and on the other hand, it is a serious responsibility to present and future generations, which must be justified. And this is a serious incentive for all employees of the industry, and for those who will come to work again: we must not lower this bar, we must always be at the forefront of all innovations in the global space industry. In this regard, the industry is super innovative, high-tech, and interesting. It is only necessary to organize the work correctly.