News: Russia Left with No Satellite Surveillance

Russia Left with No Satellite Surveillance

http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?id=670903

May 03, 2006 - Kommersant

The RF Defense Ministry has been left with no spy satellite in orbit.
The last anchor of Russia's surveillance, US-PU satellite of
electronic intelligence, moved down from the orbit at night from Friday
to Saturday, as the service life of that satellite, which took off from
Baikonur May 2004, came to a natural end.
A source with the General Naval Staff confirmed Tuesday that US-PU
satellite of the Legend system of space reconnaissance and target
indication won't be used up to its operating designation any longer.
The source declined to comment on the further destiny of the facility,
spokesmen of the Space Forces gave no comments either.

US-PU has recently left the working orbit, said Fillip Clark, a British
expert in the space military program of Russia. The satellite moved to
the lower orbit to come down to atmosphere and burn away.

US-PU was Russia's sole spy satellite in orbit and its withdrawal
signals Defense Ministry of the country has not a single facility of
the kind in-space. The things are no better here below. The military
have just three spy satellites left in reserve, said Space Forces
Deputy Commander, Lieutenant-General Oleg Gromov.

To secure continuous orbit presence of strategic reconnaissance
satellites, it is necessary to complete the upgrade of Cobalt-M
facility this year and to launch a satellite each year. Besides, the
development of new Persona satellite should gain momentum so that its
test flights could start in 2007.

"In the recent years, Russia has been losing its standing when it
comes to maintaining a proper level of the orbit group," Defense
Minister Sergey Ivanov acknowledged far back in February 2002 during
his visit to Plesetsk launch site. Ivanov vowed then Moscow "will be
intensifying efforts in this field" in 2003 to 2005. Still, the Space
Forces haven't received more than 17 billion rubles from the budget
in the past five years, while the amount to be funneled this year is
estimated at 20 billion rubles.

The reserve US-PU of Defense Ministry is expected to be launched from
Baikonur spaceport June 22, and Don satellite of photographic
reconnaissance is scheduled to take off before the end of this year.

From time to time, Russia actually delivers spy satellites to orbit,
all of them belong to other countries though. The satellites of Great
Britain, China, Iran and Israel have been launched in the recent months
and the launch of Terra-SAR and SAR-Lupe satellites for Germany is
being prepared now.

by www.kommersant.com