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RUSSIAN FEDERATION
The Russian Federation was part of the former Soviet Union,
which sent the first artificial satellite, Sputnik-1, into
orbit around the Earth in October 1957. The national space
programme is now being implemented mainly by the Russian
Space Agency (RSA) and various agencies associated with
it. The programme covers a wide spectrum of areas in space
science, technology and applications, inclusive of satellites
and spacecraft and ground segment, and involves a large
number of research organizations and contractors. The country
continued with the development and launch of satellites
like GOMS, its first geostationary meteorological satellite,
Resurs for monitoring natural resources on land, and Okean
for ocean and ice monitoring in the Arctic and Antarctic
regions, as well as space station activities.
The Russian Federation has been offering various services,
like high-resolution remote sensing data from its satellites
and the launching of satellites from its satellites and
the launching of satellites from its launchers, on a commercial
basis to other countries. The country is a major player
in the International Space Station venture. |