Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved the proposal to draw up a new federal program for the development of Russian space centers in 2016-2026, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told reporters.

"The prime minister has supported the idea to draw up a new federal target program for the development of space centers in the decade which starts in 2016. The current ten-year program expires in 2015," Rogozin said.

It is planned to build the second launch site in Vostochny and to develop the infrastructure of Plesetsk, he continued.

"This will ensure the access of our country to outer space," Rogozin said.

Outcomes of telecom satellite tender won by Western company may be reviewed - Rogozin

The outcomes of the Express-AMU2 telecom satellite tender may be reconsidered, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told reporters.

"I had advised Communications and Media Minister Mr. Nikiforov to look into that tender once again. Mr. Nikiforov told me it was quite possible we would have to review the matter," Rogozin told reporters.

Interfax asked the deputy prime minister to comment on the Astrium victory in the Space Communications tender. It was reported earlier that the Russian bidder deemed the tender results unfair.

"If we can make competitive products, i..e. Russian-made telecom satellites, we should not buy them abroad. We have too many questions to the ones who organized the whole thing tendentiously and were partial to foreign manufacturers," Rogozin stated.

In his words, a final decision "will be made shortly."

The Russian company is ready to build the satellite consistent with the required parameters and it will not be inferior to Western products, he added.

Source: Voice of Russia