a resolution of the council of ministers of 30 january 1956 provided for the establishment of a command and control complex for the first flight satellites. work on the construction of the centre began on may 8, 1957. gitsiu cop and subordinate military units together with the mission control centre support the entire space programme. the military is responsible for the condition of many domestic orbital systems — military, scientific, manned and other. specialists at the main centre started working with the first launches, first artificial satellite, the first manned flight into space. they also worked on soviet moonwalkers (lunokhody), and on the programme for the orbital station mir, right up until the last seconds of its existence. now among their many tasks is work with the international space station.