Vnesheconombank Supports Innovations in the Space Sector

State Corporation ‘Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank)’ and JSC Gazprom Space Systems signed a Memorandum on Cooperation in Implementing the Innovation Project to Build Arctica R Space Radiolocation Monitoring System.

On behalf of Vnesheconombank the Memorandum was signed by Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev, on behalf of JSC Gazprom Space Systems – by its General Designer Nikolai Sevastjanov.

The Memorandum was signed to establish partner relations and promote long-term, effective and mutually beneficial cooperation between the parties aimed at encouraging the development of domestic satellite construction and land space infrastructure, introducing innovations and using results of space activity in the national interests.

Under the Memorandum the parties intend to explore the possibility to implement the said innovation project jointly.

The project is designed to create a global space radio location monitoring system in order to explore minerals, maintain geological survey control over deposits development, upgrade and draw topographic and theme maps, take inventory of property, exercise control over the state of infrastructure as well as monitor construction work progress, monitor ice situation and navigation, monitor emergency situations, estimate accident consequences, appraise farmland conditions and forest areas etc.

Space vehicles are scheduled to be launched no later than in 2015. And Arctica-R system is also to be put in routine operation no later than in 2015.

In accordance with Fundamentals of the Russian Government Policy in the Arctic for a period of up to 2020 and further on, approved by the Russian President in 2008, a key line of developing northern and polar territories is to secure information support for economic activity among other things in natural resources management, environment monitoring, life safety and northern navigation. The Arctica R project implementation would make it possible to create an innovation, non-raw materials competitive economic sector associated with manufacturing high technology products and services based on the use of earth remote sensing radio location data.

Arctica-R space system comprised of two radio location satellites and land data reception-transmission stations is designed to provide information support for economic activity in the arctic region including deposits development in the shelf area, monitoring ice and emergency situations, exercising control over navigation and economic infrastructure, upgrading and drawing topographic and theme maps, etc.

JSC Gazprom Space Systems established in 1992 and incorporated in Gazprom Group of Companies is now the second national operator accounting for 20 % of the Russian satellite telecommunications market. In order to create Russia’s orbital group of radio location earth remote sensing satellites the company started to implement Arctica-R project jointly with Roscosmos.