Russian Space Forces (VKS)

The Russian Armed Forces were established on 7 May 1992, enabling the creation of VKS (Russian Space Forces) later that year on 10 August. Commander-in-Chief of the VKS is Col. Gen. Vladimir Ivanov, who was also CINC of the predecessor organization, Ministry of Defense Space Units (1982-1991), since 1989. The VKS is currently responsible for the operation of the Baikonur and Plesetsk Cosmodromes, the construction of the Svobodnyy Cosmodrome, the Mozhayskiy Military Space Engineering Academy, the Central Scientific Research Institute on Space Technology, and the Space Command, Control, and Tracking System (KIK), which includes the Main Center for Testing and Controlling Space Devices at Golitysno-2 near Moscow as well as other sites in the former Soviet Union. Portions of the KIK also support RKA's Flight Control Center (FCC or TsUP) at Kaliningrad near Moscow in conjunction with the Mir space station program. The former fleet of Space Event Support Ships operated by the former USSR Academy of Sciences has essentially been disbanded, although the Russian Ministry of Defense still operates some specialized range instrumentation ships capable of providing KIK services. In 1994, the VKS began testing a new mobile KIK unit and deploying new KIK sites to off set the loss of facilities outside the Russian Federation.

On 1 June, 2001, in the history of the armed forces of the Russian Federation is opened the new page: for the performance of the President's Decree of the Russian Federation of 24 March, 2001, and resolution of the Security Council of the Russian Federation of 6 February, 2001, space troops are formed and approached the accomplishment of their objectives in the destination. The creation of space troops dictated by the real growth of the role of national space complexes and systems in the information input of a force activity of Russia is the most important element of further strengthening of defense and national safety.

Space troops - fundamentally new branch of service, that is intended for providing of safety of Russia in the space sphere. The integration of associations, connections and parts of the starting, control KA, warning about the rocket attack, the control of outer space and antimissile defense into one branch of service was dictated, in the first place, by the fact that they have one sphere of application - space.

Complexes and systems of space troops solve the problems of state strategic scale not only in the interests of the armed forces of Russia, other primary structures, but also majority of ministries and departments, economy, social sphere.

The basic tasks of space troops are bringing the information of warning the highest military-political management of the country about the rocket attack, the antimissile defense Moscow, creation, development, maintenance and control of the orbital group of the automatic spacecraft of military, dual, social and economic and scientific designation. The utilization of outer space and possibilities of space systems in entire peace is evaluated as one of the important factors of political, military and economic National Security.







History



S.P.Korolev with the first cosmonauts at the spaceport Baikonur S.P.Korolev with the first cosmonauts at the spaceport Baikonur



Yu.A.Gagarin and V.F.Bykovskiy converse with The the s.P.Korolevym at the spaceport Baikonur Yu.A.Gagarin and V.F.Bykovskiy converse with The the s.P.Korolevym at the spaceport Baikonur



The crew of spacecraft reports to the chairman of state commission about readiness to takeoff The crew of spacecraft reports to the chairman of state commission about readiness to takeoff



Crew for a few minutes to the arrangement in the spacecraft Crew for a few minutes to the arrangement in the spacecraft



Crew of spacecraft in several steps from the launching site Crew of spacecraft in several steps from the launching site