russian space industry has regressed to the level of the 1960s
A sharp drop in the number of space launches has been recorded in russia – to a minimum since the times of Yurii Gagarin. By the end of 2025, roscosmos carried out only 17 launches of carrier rockets.
For comparison: the USA conducted 181 launches during the same period, and China – 91. Thus, russia lagged behind the USA by more than ten times, and behind China by five times.
Against the backdrop of such figures, regular launch failures and accidents are particularly indicative, which once again proves that these are not isolated incidents, but systemic problems of the industry.
Once, the kremlin promised to “catch up and overtake America”, but instead, the main “space achievement” of putin’s russia has been the return of the industry to the indicators of the early 1960s.
War, sanctions, staff outflow, and chronic underfunding are eroding the industry from within. russia is rapidly losing its position in the global market and risks being completely excluded from the club of leading space powers. What was once a source of pride is now becoming another symbol of general technological decline.
