Space troops

Great symbol of the space forces

Illustration of the A-135 missile defense system near Pushkino

Starting device in Plesetsk

The space troops ( Russian: Космические войска России , since 2011 Войска воздушно-космической обороны) are a branch of the Russian armed forces .

They operate the early warning and defense against ballistic missiles as well as the launch and operation of military satellites , including the GLONASS navigation system .

history

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union , Russia's space forces were established in 1992. Since 1996 in St. Petersburg , the Cadet Corps of the Space Forces Peter the Great for students. In 1997 the space forces were assigned to the Strategic Missile Forces and in 2001 they were outsourced.

October 4th, the anniversary of the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite Sputnik , is celebrated as Space Forces Day.

On August 1, 2015, the space forces were combined with the Russian Air Force to form the Air and Space Forces .

Commanders

• Anatoly Perminow (1992-2004)
• Vladimir Popovkin (2004-2008)
• Oleg Ostapenko (2008-2012)
• Alexander Golowko (since 2012)

See also

• United States Space Force
• Space forces

literature

• Bert Chapman: Space warfare and defense. A historical encyclopedia and research guide. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, Calif. 2008, ISBN 978-1-59884-006-3 .

Web links

Commons : Space Forces  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website (English).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 31 мая 2006 г. N 549
2. ↑ Elizabeth Zolotukhina: Russia's new Aerospace Forces: Effective at countering the Kremlin's key perceived threats?