MOSCOW, April 12 (RIA Novosti) – Russia must catch up with other space powers in deep space exploration and higher priority should be given to applied projects in space research, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
Until now priority has been given to manned space flight, which consumes around half the space program’s total budget, often at the expense of other fields, Putin said an a conference on the development of the space industry on Cosmonautics Day.
“We are behind in a number of areas. For example, in remote earth-sensing systems, personal satellite communication systems, and detection and rescue of objects in distress,” Putin said.
“Of course we should preserve everything that has been achieved in piloted programs, but there is a pressing need to bring other areas up to scratch,” he added.
Putin also called for an increase in Russia’s satellite grouping in orbit, development of new carrier rockets and manufacturing of more powerful rocket engines.
The future of the Russian space program