Russia to continue launching early warning defense satellites

Russia's early warning system for detecting missile launches will continue expanding in 2016 with at least one new satellite.

The Russian military is believed to have launched the first early warning satellite for its new United Space System sometime in late 2015. Information about launches from the Plesetsk Comodrome is classified, although the military confirmed that the launch would be its second for the early warning system.

"In 2015, specialists from the Aerospace Force's Space Forces launched 21 spacecraft, used for a variety of purposes, from the Plesetsk and Baikonur cosmodromes," the ministry stated.

The ground-based early warning system increased its satellite registry by 5,000 satellites in 2015, with 15,000 Russian and foreign satellites now tracked by the system.

"The missile attack early warning system detected 14 Russian and foreign missile launches in 2015," the head of the Aerospace Forces' 15th army, Gen. Maj. Anatoly Nestechuk said in October.

Nestechuk then said that the Boeing X-37B unmanned space plane is relatively easy to track. The US military's Boeing X-37 program remains shrouded in secrecy, and the Pentagon claims is not related to the development of space weapons. One of the X-37B planes is currently in orbit.

earlier report
Russia Reduces Reliance on Foreign Satellite Data
Russia has significantly reduced its dependency on foreign remote sensing satellites, Russia's space agency Roscosmos said Tuesday.

"A significant reduction has been noted in the use of foreign Earth remote sensing satellites, which is linked to the provision of similar data by Russian space devices," the agency said in a statement.

The United Geographically-Distributed Information System (UGDIS) has also been completed, according to the press release. The system will ensure the distribution Russian satellite data to all those who require access. An Arctic remote sensing center will also be opened in Russia's northern port of Murmansk jointly with the emergency services ministry, Roscosmos said.

Russia's space agency has been undergoing a modernization program throughout 2015. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree dissolving the Roscosmos agency in concurrent to the creation of the Roscosmos state corporation. The reform, due to take effect from January 1, is set to consolidate all of Russia's space industry enterprises.

Source: Sputnik News