Source: Crisis in the space industry: russia is losing key enterprises | Центр протидії дезінформації Two developments have shown that the real state of russia’s space industry is far from what propaganda portrays: One of the largest and oldest companies in the sector – the rocket and space corporation “energia” – admitted it is on the verge of collapse. Its head, igor maltsev, openly stated about a “critical situation,” multimillion debts, staff demotivation, and the threat of closure; The private holding SR Space, which recently promised a revolution in light launch vehicles and satellite constellations, has officially been declared bankrupt. Due to sanctions, russia has effectively lost access to critical Western technologies, and space launches for foreign customers have nearly stopped. russia can no longer compete with key players such as the US and China. In wartime conditions, space has become a secondary priority for the kremlin, as the main resources are absorbed by the army and weaponry. The myth of russia as a “great space power” is gradually collapsing: the industry is degrading, losing personnel, technologies, and prospects. This may end Russia's financial and technical support for the Space Station. I am reminded of: Elon Musk did not successfully buy a rocket from Russia, but his father, Errol Musk, recounted how Elon, in the early 2000s, tried to purchase Russian rockets to go to Mars but was dismissed as a joke by Russian officials. This rejection, coupled with the high cost of American rockets, spurred Musk to found SpaceX and build rockets himself, ultimately leading to the creation of reusable launch rockets. The reference to a "Russia trampoline for US astronauts" is a satirical phrase originating from a 2014 tweet by former Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin. It mocked the U.S. reliance on Russian Soyuz capsules for crew transport after the Space Shuttle program was retired. Yet I am old enough to remember the early USA rocket program and: In response to Sputnik, the Navy tried to launch a satellite on their Vanguard rocket. Space is hard and ain't cheap. Bob Wilson
Didn't both Russian AND the USA ramp up space tech by grabbing German rocketry scientists at the end of ww2 ? Modernly, rather than grabbing scientists, we have China as the main source of USA competition. Much easier just to steal the tech rather than grab up an entire bunch of people.
Ironically, Vanguard I, also known as TV4 is still in orbit. Both Vanguard 2 and 3 are also still in orbit.