At a May 30 shareholders general meeting, it was decided to relieve 70-year-old Yury Semyonov, Energia's president, and make Nikolai Sevastyanov, 44, the new president. Sevastyanov had until then worked for a Gazprom division that developed communications satellites with Energia.

Semyonov's removal was reportedly based on Energia's failure in recent years to operate profitably.

Judging by Sevastyanov's comments, the corporation's new strategy will be pragmatic, with manned spacecraft and automatic probes no longer on different sides of the barricade.

"We are in a transitional phase," Sevastyanov told the meeting. "A new, industrial, phase of space exploration is gradually coming, which is why we should focus on projects that society needs."

Sevastyanov discussed long-term projects, focusing on the exploitation of helium-3 deposits on the Moon, for producing clean energy in thermonuclear reactions, saying such endeavours could begin in 15-20 years.

The new president also said, "Energia has every opportunity to compete aggressively on the international communication and observation satellite markets."

Sevastyanov stressed the priority of strong economic management and the need for commercial independence. "The space sector has always waited for state orders...We'll get money, and we'll live on it. But a commercial company must work independently on the market, even where it is not expected."

Energia has already set its sights on close international cooperation, primarily on the International Space Station (ISS) program.

Alexander Medvedchikov, the deputy director of the Federal Space Agency, told a June 7 Internet briefing that international contracts would be honored despite the recent Energia reorganization.

"The state will act as the guarantor of many commitments under international agreements and projects, particularly the International Space Station," he said. "The Federal Space Agency guarantees other contracts. And we have never let our international partners down."

Judging by everything the officials said, the Russian space sector, which has huge scientific and engineering resources, is finally about to adopt advanced management practices.

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