Russia's once-vaunted launch industry has been much in decline due to a combination of factors, including an aging fleet of rockets, a reduction in go

Russian space chief says new rocket will put Falcon 9 reuse to shame

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2024-04-16 15:00:06

Russia's once-vaunted launch industry has been much in decline due to a combination of factors, including an aging fleet of rockets, a reduction in government investment, and the country's war in Ukraine driving away Western customers.

However, it is has been difficult for the country's leaders to explain these difficult facts to the Russian people. Russians are justifiably proud of their country's heritage of space firsts and dominant position in spaceflight. So typically, officials bluster.

This is what Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov did recently during a lecture at the Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics. Located south of Moscow, this is the world's first museum devoted solely to spaceflight. Borisov heads the country's main space corporation, and thus is the leader of the country's space activities.

Borisov was speaking about the country's future launch plans to a group of students, cadets, and visitors at the museum. During his remarks, he noted that SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket could be used about 10 times. Borisov said Russia's new Amur-CNG rocket would be capable of much more.