On Monday, Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, reported that the severance of relations with Western nations following Moscow’s extensive invasion of Ukraine has led to a financial impact of nearly 180 billion rubles ($2.1 billion).
Roscosmos deputy head Andrei Yelchaninov, as reported by the state-run Interfax news agency, stated that “the cancellation of contracts by unfriendly nations has resulted in a cost of 180 billion rubles for Roscosmos.”
Following the invasion, several collaborations were put on hold, including a proposed joint Mars mission with the European Space Agency. Additionally, Roscosmos stopped launching its Soyuz rockets from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.
Yelchaninov mentioned that the agency aims to offset the lost revenue by increasing its business dealings with countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
He explained, “Our goal is to return to the export volumes we had before the sanctions were imposed.”
However, he acknowledged that achieving this is a long-term undertaking due to the strong competition in the new markets. “If we can enter these markets effectively and establish a strong presence, the future prospects are very promising,” Yelchaninov remarked.
The Russian space sector has been grappling with a range of difficulties, including financial challenges, corruption scandals, and setbacks such as the loss of the Luna-25 lunar module in August 2023. These issues have compounded the difficulties in regaining its previous export performance.
