Maintaining proud legacies and breaking new ground: Key points of Putin's speech on Russian space industry development
Speaking at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University on Wednesday, Putin announced a long-term strategy for space development, including full-scale support for nuclear-powered systems, satellite industries, and scientific missions beyond Earth's orbit.
Here are the main takeaways from his speech:
Legacy of space pioneers
Putin opened his speech by congratulating the audience on national Cosmonautics Day, celebrated on April 12. He recalled that people such as Yuri Gagarin – the first man in space – and other Soviet pioneers of the space industry set a high bar for the country, and that Russia must live up to its historic status.
'There are serious, fundamental traditions here,'
Putin said.
'Our plans must match our historic role as a leading spacefaring nation.'
National space project across all sectors
Read more
Putin compares Musk to Russian space pioneer Korolev
Putin called for a significant increase in the potential of domestic cosmonautics so that it becomes a
'flagship, one of the key driving forces of our national development, technological renewal of the economy, and improvement of the quality of life of citizens.'
He stressed the importance of developing a unified national space project, the idea of which was brought up in October 2023. The plan is expected to cover the most important areas for Russia, such as creating its own multi-satellite constellations, a national orbital station, and programs for the exploration of deep space.
The president noted that the project will be approved in the near future and that its financing will be included in the federal budget for 2026 and subsequent years.
Industry of space services
Putin stated that clear investment guidelines must be set out for technology companies and that an entire industry of space services must be established by 2030, which would include communication, navigation, and receiving and analyzing satellite data.
In order to achieve this, the president stressed the importance of providing support to domestic universities, research organizations, design bureaus, and private companies which are already working on solutions for multi-satellite constellations and creating new methods of mathematical modeling, data processing, optical equipment, and technologies aimed at reducing the cost of space launches.
Nuclear space power capability
Read more
Russia key space-partner for South Africa – official
Putin called for further progress on electric propulsion and space nuclear energy systems, which he said are essential for long-range missions and autonomous operations.
The president noted Russia's
'undisputed leadership'
in this area and insisted that it must continue to grow through the use of modern material and technologies to build upon past achievements.
He recalled historical Soviet systems that have already been operated in orbit, and proposed to modernize them in order to develop
'a space system equipped with a specialized power station, along with the so-called space tug, a transport and energy module based on a nuclear-powered propulsion system'
.
'These are not distant-future tasks. Leading space powers are already working on this,'
Putin noted.
Deep space missions and planetary research
Putin stated that fundamental research in deep space must be another crucial component of the national space project. He noted that one of the brightest examples of Russia's progress in this domain has been deployment of the Spektr-RG orbital observatory – a space laboratory that has been producing a detailed map of the universe.
The president also recalled that Russia has
'unique research schools'
studying the Moon, Mars, and other planets, as well as unmatched technologies, such as those that were used for the Soviet spacecraft landings on Venus.
'[This] has not been recreated or copied anywhere in the world to this day,'
Putin said, noting Venus's extreme 500-degree surface temperature.
Linking space to national goals
Read more
Roscosmos and NASA discuss partner projects at Baikonur (VIDEO)
The president stated that the national space project is intended to become a cross-cutting, integral part of all national projects and to accelerate the practical implementation of new technologies.
These include the transmission of information using quantum and photonic technologies, development of robotics, advanced materials, microelectronics, bio- and medical technologies, and the creation and deployment of unmanned systems.
'Space projects are always complex and require significant financial investments, but they are vitally necessary for Russia as a large and sovereign country, if we want to remain such and continue to develop in this capacity,'
the president said.
Openness to international partnerships
Putin reiterated that Russia is ready to cooperate with other nations in the sphere of space and stated that national technological achievements, particularly in the field of deep space exploration, can become
'our very significant contribution to international programs.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
an hour ago
- Russia Today
Chinese refiners boost Russian oil imports
Chinese oil refineries have ramped up imports of Russian crude after India scaled back purchases under US tariff pressure, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing analysts. China and India became the top buyers of Russian oil after Western sanctions hit Moscow following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. US President Donald Trump recently imposed a 25% tariff on Indian imports, effective August 27, citing New Delhi's continued oil trade with Russia, on top of an earlier 25% duty issued after India and the US failed to reach a trade deal. The new measure has reportedly led India's state refiners to temporarily halt Russian crude imports, which previously made up 36% of national supply. Muyu Xu, senior crude analyst at Kpler, told CNN that China's state-owned and major private refiners have purchased about 13 cargoes of Russian crude for October and at least two for November, to be shipped from Russia's Arctic and Black Sea ports, routes that usually serve India. Xu called the move 'opportunistic,' citing Russian crude's $3-per-barrel discount over Middle Eastern alternatives, and predicted China will likely continue to step up imports as Trump is 'still pressing hard' on India. While Trump has said he may impose tariffs on China for buying Russian oil as well, he told Fox News last week he wasn't considering it immediately. Indian refiners have not commented publicly, although Bloomberg and Reuters reported on Wednesday that India has resumed Russian oil purchases after a brief pause, and that Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum this week secured shipments for September and October. India has denounced Trump's tariffs as 'unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable,' repeatedly pledging to prioritize energy security over politics. At an intergovernmental meeting on Wednesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov confirmed Moscow continues to supply crude and petroleum products to India. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, who co-chaired the talks during his three-day visit to Moscow, praised bilateral ties and urged Russian firms to deepen cooperation with Indian businesses. Both sides agreed to diversify economic engagement and reaffirmed a goal to reach $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.
Russia Today
14 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump envoy tells Alaska summit critics to shut up
The Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was a historic step toward ending the Ukraine conflict, Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg has said, telling critics to just 'shut up.' The two presidents met in Anchorage last week and expressed hope that progress had been made toward a peace deal. 'We're living in a really historic time,' Kellogg told Fox Business on Wednesday, adding: 'To the critics, I'd probably like to just say, oh, shut up and go sit in the corner.' He stressed that Trump had done more to address the conflict than his predecessor Joe Biden, who 'never even talked to Putin.' Unlike the previous administration, which outright rejected dialogue with Moscow and vowed to support Ukraine militarily 'as long as it takes,' Trump is banking on his direct negotiating style and is pushing for a diplomatic solution, according to Kellogg. Russian officials, including Putin, have repeatedly welcomed the US president's 'sincere' desire to achieve peace. Trump met Putin on Friday in their first face-to-face encounter since 2019. Both described the talks as constructive and warm. During a meeting with Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky, several European leaders, and the heads of NATO and the European Commission this week, the US president declared Kiev's membership in NATO to be out of the question, and insisted on a direct Putin-Zelensky meeting. Trump later briefed Putin on the discissions. According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, the call lasted 40 minutes, with both sides expressing readiness to continue discussions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on Wednesday that Moscow is ready to raise the level of its delegation for peace negotiations with Ukraine – an idea he said had been floated by Putin after the call with Trump. Putin has not ruled out a meeting with Zelensky in principle, but said it should be preceded by serious progress in talks on the conflict. Moscow has also voiced concern about Zelensky's authority to sign any binding documents, given that his presidential term expired last year.
Russia Today
17 hours ago
- Russia Today
ICC Putin arrest warrant ‘counterproductive' – MEP (VIDEO)
The credibility of international legal institutions has been severely undermined by Western efforts to wage 'lawfare' against Russia, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) has told RT. Luxembourger Fernand Kartheiser made the comments after Switzerland offered to host Ukraine peace talks and suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin would receive immunity from an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him. The ICC announced the warrant in March 2023, alleging the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine. Russia has rejected the jurisdiction of the court, calling its decisions null and void. Kartheiser questioned the credibility of the warrant against Putin, insisting it was initially designed as part of a broader Western strategy to weaken Moscow. 'We had this diplomatic isolation. We had economic sanctions. We had military support for Ukraine. We had many ways to weaken Russia and one of those ways is lawfare,' the MEP recalled. He argued that this strategy has proven 'counterproductive for any diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict,' and pointed out that the ICC warrant is 'basically not practicable.' 'We have a huge problem with the credibility of international jurisdictions,' Kartheiser said, adding that 'we should give it a thought and also stop to use lawfare as a weapon in this conflict.' The MEP also challenged the basis for the ICC's allegations. He noted that despite claims of thousands of children being abducted, Ukraine had provided Russia with a list of only 309 names during earlier peace talks in Istanbul. 'I don't think that you can continue to argue that there has been a systematic abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia. So I think that there is an issue with the credibility also of the arrest warrant by the ICC,' he said. Kartheiser also told RT that Switzerland's proposal to host the summit was an attempt to restore its neutrality and argued that Ukraine should hold elections as Vladimir Zelensky's mandate as president has expired. WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW.
