KOROLYOV, Moscow region. Aug 31 (Interfax-AVN) - The design of the medium-class Soyuz-5 launch vehicle should proceed in strict compliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin's orders, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said.
"The Progress Aerospace Center and the Ground Space Infrastructure Center have joined in the major cooperative efforts [to create the Soyuz-5], along with Energia. These organizations have a unique and technologically sophisticated task to accomplish, but its implementation will help Russia regain and reinforce its status as the leading space power in the world," Borisov said at a meeting at the Energia Corporation on Friday.
"That means this work must be done with the definite fulfillment of the Russian president's instructions and decree in mind," he said.
The corporation is to lay the foundation for future manned missions for deep space research and exploration: the president's decree appointed Energia as the chief developer of a superheavy-class space rocket complex, the deputy prime minister said.
"It is on this ship that we are pinning our hopes of future deep-space exploration. A crucial part of this project will be the creation of the medium-class carrier rocket Soyuz-5," Borisov said.