MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2020) The Moscow-based Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is starting a new program on the production of Rokot lightweight rockets, independent of Ukraine, a source in the space industry told Sputnik.
"A contract has been signed between the Defense Ministry and the Khrunichev Center on the resumption of the program," the source said.
As part of the Rokot-2 program, the Khrunichev researchers are developing a space launch vehicle with a Russian control system, to replace the Rokot control system that used to be produced in Ukraine. After 2014, Ukraine stopped the delivery of the control systems to Russia and the launch of Rokot space vehicles was stopped. The last launch of the Rokot/Briz-KM rocket was made on December 27, 2019 when the space launch vehicle lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome with three Gonets-M communications satellites.
The new rocket developed by the Khrunichev Center will be named Rokot-M, the space industry source told Sputnik.
