Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation

History
The Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation is the agency in charge of the Space Programme of the Russian Federation. It was formed in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union and is the successor to the Space Programme of the Soviet Union. Following the paralysing effects the Russian governments actions had on the Russian economy the agency remained inoperative until 2003 when a series of different missions was launched.

Mars Mission
A manned mission to Mars is a planned mission, has yet to start as of April 2010.

Lunar Exploration
The lunar programme of the Russian Federation started in 2007 and Valery Primakov, the director of the Russian Lunar Exploration Programme stated at a press-conference in 2009 that the Russian Space Agency plans to have a cosmonaut walk the surfice of the moon perhaps as early as 2013.

GRLS-SS
The GRLS-SS is the latest large scale Russian satellite system. Fully operating as of January 2010 the GRLS-SS serves the Armed Space Forces of the Russian Federation, the national communications network (telephone) and 11 of the 19 national tv-networks. Another major function is that it works as the primary radar/satellite-tracking system of the Russian Armed Forces. It also offers positioning services similar to the American GPS system and goes under the commercial name GLONASS.

GRLS-SS is short for Global'naya RLS-Sputnikovaya Sistema (ru:Глобальная РЛС-Спутниковая Система), Global RLS-Satellite System.

POGODA
The POGODA is a weather satellite system designed to serve the civilian weather monitoring agencies, it can however be used also by the Russian Armed Forces if needed.

The programme has a total of 37 weather satellites in operation providing for a 24/7 observation of the weather on the entire planet. 31 of the satellites are geostationary, i.e. they orbit the Earth above the equator at altitudes of 35,880 km and because of this orbit, they remain stationary with respect to the rotating Earth and thus can record or transmit images of the entire hemisphere below continuously with their visible-light and infrared sensors. The remaining are "polar orbiting"-satellites i.e. they circle the Earth at a typical altitude of 850 km in a north to south (or vice versa) path, passing over the poles in their continuous flight.

R-36
The R-36 missile was developed in the end of the 1970s as an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to carry up to 14 nuclear warheads. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the missile type has been used primarily to launch satellites into orbit.

Soyuz
The Soyuz first flew in 1966, and was derived from the Voskhod rocket (1949-1969). It is a two-stage rocket, with four liquid-fuelled strap-on booters clustered around the first stage, with a Block I second stage.

Soyuz rockets are assembled horizontally in the MIK Building at the launch site. The rocket is then rolled out, and erected on the launch pad.