A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of State Space Corporation Roscosmos, took place today in Moscow.
The parties discussed cooperation issues of current importance, for instance, the construction of the spacecraft assembly facility (SPKA) in Shchelkovo, Moscow Region. The project is being implemented by Gazprom with support from Roscosmos.
It was noted that, apart from Yamal communication satellites, the facility will produce SMOTR optical remote sensing satellites. The latter will enhance the possibilities of geotechnical monitoring and control over protected areas so as to ensure a high level of industrial and environmental safety at Gazprom’s facilities.
SMOTR-B, the first satellite out of six, is planned to be launched in 2024. The satellite will be provided with, inter alia, equipment for greenhouse gas emissions monitoring.
During the meeting, the parties also discussed the progress of acquisition by Roscosmos of a stake in the authorized capital of the project operator Gazprom SPKA.
Background
SPKA is the first fully integrated enterprise in the history of modern Russia for spacecraft assembly and testing. Construction was launched in November 2019. It is planned to bring the facility into operation in 2022.
The satellite production facility will be situated near the Telecommunications Center of Gazprom Space Systems. The facility will use cutting-edge technologies to produce civil spacecraft for the Gazprom Group and other customers, including the Roscosmos State Space Corporation. This will help, inter alia, expand the Yamal orbital satellite constellation and the SMOTR remote sensing satellites. In addition, it is planned to engage the enterprise in implementing Sphere (Sfera), a forward-looking program aimed at creating a multi-satellite orbital constellation to ensure data transmission on a public-private partnership basis.
Gazprom Space Systems and Roscosmos signed the Agreement on the basic principles of participation in the SPKA project. The document reflects the intention of Roscosmos to acquire a stake in the authorized capital of Gazprom SPKA.
