As part of Russia's initiatives to increase maritime traffic on the Arctic route, the Russian space agency Roscosmos plans to launch several satellites with the aim of facilitating navigation in the region. On the occasion of today's visit to the Vostochny cosmodrome of the vice president of the Russian Federation, Yury Trutnev, the managing director of the Roscosmos, Yury Borisov, said that the route of the Arctic Ocean is a priority project for the company and specified that for this purpose it has been called a specific program that includes the launch of several satellites by 2024.

Trutnev recalled that President Putin had determined that the volume of traffic along the Arctic route will have to rise to 80 million tonnes per year by 2024 and that with this goal the government has adopted a development plan that includes beyond 150 initiatives up to 2035, including the expansion and modernization of the icebreaker fleet, the renewal of port infrastructure, the introduction of navigation safety systems and the creation of a constellation of dedicated satellites. " In the current scenario, in which a significant portion of the flows of goods has turned east, the Arctic route plays a strategic role for the development of the economy of the country : it can take part of the cargo from the eastern region and thus improve the performance of the economy of our country. The Arctic route will have to become the world's second transport corridor, taking part of the goods from the Suez Canal, as the route is much shorter. "

"Without the creation of a constellation of Arctic satellites, the safe passage of the ships along the Arctic route is not possible," he said. This project is underway and in a few days, a series of satellites will be launched that will operate in service of this global transport corridor. "

During the meeting, it was also decided to set up rescue centres to ensure the safety of navigation on the Arctic route.