The once mighty Soviet space program no longer officially exists. The programs that it set in motion, though, including the Earth's only working space station, Mir, still constitute some of the most advanced technological undertakings in the world. Unfortunately their future, in the hands of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), is uncertain.
The old Soviet program was entirely controlled by the USSR's Ministry of Defense. The Commonwealth's new military is now organized under what is called the Joint Strategic Armed Forces, but some states of the CIS favor independent armies. In the chaotic military situation, it is unclear who controls reconnaissance, surveillance, and communications satellites launched under the old program. Some disputes still rage, but a Commonwealth agreement made January 31, 1992 insures that critical facilities, such as the Baikonur Cosmodrome where all manned flights are launched, will be fully accessible to all signatory states.
A complete disintegration of the space program would, of course, represent a stupendous loss of income and state-of-the-art technology for the new commonwealth, and the CIS is struggling to prevent such a tremendous loss. But despite their efforts to salvage programs in motion as well as on the drawing board, the chaos surrounding the dissolution of the Soviet Union has put many projects in jeopardy - space station Mir, the super powerful Energia rocket, and proposed ventures to establish a large-scale materials processing unit and investigate the possibility of manufacturing crystals, pharmaceuticals, and alloys in weightlessness are in danger of termination. But under the guidance of the Energia Scientific Industrial Company established by the CIS, the former Soviet space program and all of its technological jewels may find new life.
