President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Bakanov, I know that you have already begun your work, and that you are in contact with Yury Borisov. I have also asked him to assist you in getting up to speed and ensuring a smooth handover.
Let us discuss all issues by order of priority. What can you say about the current situation?
Director General of the Roscosmos State Corporation Dmitry Bakanov: Mr President, first of all, I would like to thank you and the Government’s leadership for the trust placed in me by appointing me to head Roscosmos. I will do everything I can to justify your confidence.
For Russia, space is not just a sector – it is a source of national pride, and there is a strong public expectation that we maintain our leading positions on the global stage. One of my top priorities is finetuning the national project in accordance with your instructions, ensuring its comprehensive essence and the integration of all its elements. As instructed by Mr Mishustin and Mr Manturov, I will address the task of commercialising space programmes and attracting private investors to the sector.
The national project will certainly include Russia’s orbital cluster, which will provide essential services, such as communications, Earth remote sensing and navigation. It will also encompass the space launch programme, covering our entire family of Russian-made rockets, the development of space centres, space research, manned space missions and the nuclear energy space programme.
Vladimir Putin: Mr Bakanov, I know that you were born in Baikonur, correct?
Dmitry Bakanov: Yes, that is correct, I was born in the city of Leninsk into the family of an engineer. My father graduated from the Mozhaisky Academy and was working at Baikonur when I was born.
Vladimir Putin: Your appointment as head of Roscosmos was not because of that, but rather due to your track record, including your work at Gonets.
How do you assess the company’s performance now?
Dmitry Bakanov: The company maintains and operates a satellite cluster for data packet transmission. It is affiliated with the Roscosmos system. We are currently evaluating areas for improvement in its activities.
As you know, after that I worked at the Ministry of Transport, where I was actively involved in implementing navigation technologies based on the GLONASS satellite cluster. Over the past two years, we were able to triple the revenue of GLONASS.
Vladimir Putin: I hope very much that you will also apply all your best qualities as head of our flagship company, Roscosmos. There is no need to emphasise how crucial space exploration is – not just globally, but especially for our country, which has long taken pride in being a leader and trailblazer in many areas of space research. This is twice as important.
I am aware of challenges related to funding various programmes and the overall development of the company. Let us discuss these now. I wish you success.
Dmitry Bakanov: Thank you very much.
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