History of small space vehicle progress and development at Plesetsk cosmodrome. Current problems of further development

A historical survey of small space vehicle progress and development at Plesetsk cosmodrome has been carried out. Its leading role in the creation of multielement low-orbit groups intended primarily for military purposes is isolated. A justified conclusion has been made that the tendency to use small space vehicles as part of multicomponent low-orbit groups is obvious for such areas as space communication, remote Earth sounding, scientific research and developing technologies. The main properties of a space supersystem are formulated and major promising developments in such areas as departmental satellite communication systems, space systems of optoelectronic, radioengineering and radar reconnaissance, ecological monitoring and geodesy are specified.