News and Events (in Russian for the time being)

The Khludov Psalter is one of the earliest objects of Byzantine post-iconoclast art, created in Constantinople in the middle of the 9th century and now kept in the State Historical Museum. Thanks to the joint work of the Museum's and IKI scientists, the original illustrations hidden under the later images of the XIV century were revealed.

During its all-sky survey, Mikhail Pavlinsly ART-XC telescope aboard the Spektr-RG observatory discovered a previously unknown X-ray source, SRGA J230631.0+155633. Further studies revealed that this is one of the most powerful and interesting quasars that have existed in the Universe over the past five billion years.

IKI is among the winners of the competition for grants to upgrade the material and technical base of organizations performing R&D to enhance the centers for collective use of scientific and/or technological equipment in priority areas of scientific and technological development

On May 30, 2025, the results of the elections to the Russian Academy of Sciences were announced. Dr. Anatoly Petrukovich, the director of the Space Research Institute, was elected Academician of the RAS. Dr. Maxim Litvak, the head of the laboratory in the IKI Department of Nuclear Planetology, elected Corresponding Member of the RAS.

C 23 по 27 мая 2025 г. в представительстве «Интеркосмос» Института космических исследований РАН (ИКИ РАН) в г. Тарусе была проведена Тринадцатая международная Школа-семинар «Спутниковые методы и системы исследования Земли» .

The exosphere of Mercury has little magnesium and contains helium. Some details about its structure are currently being revealed by the PHEBUS instrument aboard the BepiColombo interplanetary mission — an ultraviolet spectrometer developed with IKI participation. PHEBUS observed Mercury during several flybys and is now preparing to operate in scientific orbit, which it is to entere at the end of 2026. Papers on these preliminary results were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

The State Commission has decided to conclude the flight tests of the two Ionosphere-M spacecraft and recommended the acceptance of the Ionozond space system into operation. The scientific payload has been tested and is ready for routine operations.

On May 15, 20205 IKI celebrates its birthday. The Institute was founded as a principal organisation for space research and exploration for fundamental science in the Academy of Sciences of the USSR under the Government Resolution from May 15, 1965 No. 392-147.

Anatoly Petrukovich, Director of IKI, discussed the problems of future space exploration at the plenary session 'Next Stop: The Moon and Beyond' on May 8, 2025, during the Global Space Exploration Conference — GLEX-2025, in New Delhi, India.

On May 10, 2025, Kosmos-482 satellite, a twin spacecraft of Venera-8 interplanetary mission, re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and fell into the Indian Ocean. It was launched in 1972, but remained in orbit around the Earth due to a malfunction of the upper stage. IKI scientistis give their comments on the event.