If in 2013 Russia controlled almost half of the world market of space launches with its large fleet of missiles, including the “proton”, the technical problems with the latter, as well as competition from SpaceX and other players have significantly reduced the share of Russia, writes edition Ars Technica. This year she can only count on about 10 percent of the total number of commercial launches of satellites, while SpaceX will hold 50 percent of these start-UPS.
In the past the leaders of the Russian space industry were hard conversations about competition from SpaceX, promising cheap and reliable launch services spacecraft in earth and geostationary orbit. For example, the Russian rocket and space Corporation “Energia” rapidly developed a new carrier rocket “Soyuz-5” in defiance of the SpaceX.
But on Tuesday, the chief of the Russian head of space flight, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin made in an interview to RBC TV channel quite a remarkable statement about the competition of Russia with SpaceX.
“The market for launch vehicles is only 4 percent of the market of space services. That is to jostle with Elon Musk in this market and with the Chinese is to push for the 4 percent,” he said, adding that good money can be made on the production payload.
According to independent analysis, the global market of space launches annually brings $ 5.5 billion. Therefore, having lost half of their market, Russian industry will lose about two billion, and that a significant proportion of its non-military aerospace budget.
Rogozin is right in saying that the production of satellites is a much larger industry that brings about $ 14 billion a year. But there is competition, but Russia has never occupied a dominant position in the manufacture and servicing of satellites, in contrast to the launches. But it was the Soviet Union first launched Sputnik and sent a man into space — Yuri Gagarin.
Most notably in the comments of Rogozin that the most famous provider of space launches for the first time publicly conceded this market to other providers, especially rocket company, which appeared only in 2002, and the first rocket launched into orbit less than 10 years ago, says Ars Technica.
The article the Western media commented on Rogozin himself, noting that Russia is not losing its position in the space sector and expects to regain leadership in the market of launch vehicles.
“Oh, nothing we’re not going to give in. Dreaming. “Roscosmos” just before the renewal of the rockets. Lost time. Finally opened a new project. He will restore our leadership in the launch services market”, — he wrote on his page on “Twitter”.
Western media: Russia capitulated to SpaceX on the global market of space launches
Nikolai Khizhnyak