Russia is on par with New Zealand in terms of the number of space launches.

January 11 2026 4 583 11

In 2015, Russia confidently held first place in the world for the number of space launches (28-29, behind the US with 20 and China with 19). However, over the past 11 years, this number has declined significantly, while the space industry in other countries has been rapidly developing. By the end of 2025, Russia tied for third and fourth place with New Zealand (both countries had 17 launches, all successful). The US ranked first in terms of launches, with 176, including one failure, and China ranked second, with 92, including two failures.

The difference is colossal, but Russia itself has facilitated the growth of its main competitor. For many years, Moscow has supplied the United States with rocket engines. As of December 2024, 130 RD-180 and 17 RD-181 rocket engines had been delivered.

These engines were used to launch Atlas V and Antares rockets, including for the US Space Force to place communications and reconnaissance satellites into orbit. In other words, Russia effectively helped create the US military space infrastructure, which is now operating online against Russia, assisting Ukraine with intelligence and targeting during attacks on Russian facilities. Russia's revenue from engine sales pales in comparison to the damage caused by Ukrainian attacks.

While Russia supplied engines to the US, the Americans developed their own power units with similar characteristics for launch vehicles and now have no need for Russian products. At that time, the US was completely dependent on Russia for space launch engines, but Moscow failed to exploit the situation effectively. Therefore, appropriate conclusions must be drawn from this.

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Afinogen

+6

11 January 2026 15: 49

Rogozin was also asked where Zin's money was. He explained everything clearly. It all went toward the Fedor robot. There was no time for launches.
twice-born

+11

11 January 2026 16: 02

Back then, corrupt managers, authorities, and journalists convinced us that selling engines to the enemy was a great way to make money! Even though it was clear to any child that these profiteers were simply betraying their homeland. And so it continues today: we sell uranium, titanium, aluminum, metals, and much more to the enemy. We even sell our top-secret weapons during the war, when we desperately need them ourselves!
And they still yell at us that this money is for our pensions and social security! And haven't they tried developing their own space program so that these jiggers can be used for our rockets?!
Some tiny island in the middle of nowhere—New Zealand—is launching rockets, apparently! And we've caught up with them in this, even if it's not Zimbabwe, that's an achievement!
Thank you, wounded trampoline player, and your unwavering leadership and followers! Soon we'll be "flying" into space on trampolines ourselves!
Who should apologize to Yuri Alekseevich and Sergei Pavlovich for screwing everything up?!
1. Alexander the Winner
  
  +9
  
  11 January 2026 17: 14
  
  As the saying goes, a fish rots from the head... There have been virtually no achievements in 25 years. A raw materials-based economy.
  Controlled self-destruction!
rotkiv04

+9

11 January 2026 16: 08

And at one time there were so many questions about the feasibility of supplying engines to the Americans, and here is the result: they themselves created space reconnaissance for their enemies. The stupidity of Putin's policy is, of course, simply astounding - absolute idiocy.
1. The comment was deleted.
  1. rotkiv04
    
    +7
    
    11 January 2026 17: 18
    
    Of course it's expensive. Under the current government, with its ineffective managers, everything is expensive except for oil and gas sales. Incidentally, engines weren't sold "at the moment," but during prosperous times, when the budget was being slashed like crazy. Just remember how Vostochny was built. So the stupidity of the reporter's users has nothing to do with it, and it's not their brains that are the problem.
    1. Smilodon terribilis nimis
      
      -5
      
      11 January 2026 17: 21
      
      Really? Then why did Gorbaty squander that very power under which we were the leaders in space?
      Even in the good old days, we didn't have anywhere near the capabilities of the USSR. Who's going to give us a hint? It's definitely not Putin.
      1. rotkiv04
        
        +8
        
        11 January 2026 17: 28
        
        Your logic is strange. We're talking about selling engines to our enemy. That is, we contributed to the creation of the enemy's space group. What does the USSR and Gorbachev have to do with it? He wasn't the one selling them, and not during the Soviet era. Putin and his entourage were selling everything that was created during the Soviet era, and they continue to do so even now.
  2. doctor_
    
    -7
    
    11 January 2026 17: 25
    
    It's not stupidity, but a certain limited understanding of the topic. Not only is space a very expensive industry, but there also have to be objectives (if there's a problem, there's a solution: forces, resources, etc. That's how I was taught), which are the basis for planned launch vehicle launches. We don't yet have our own Starlinks, whose constellation needs to be replenished every month. There are no foreign orders yet. The author of the article is also good! You can tell he's a "professional" in the space industry. The money from the sale of these engines helped manufacturers stay afloat during those difficult times and develop modern engines. The article is "worthless"!
it's good that someone is always to blame

+1

12 January 2026 00: 35

Whatever we take on, we are the best in everything
the credit of trust in the main thing is higher and higher every day
Sergey Latyshev

+2

12 January 2026 09: 40

Well, if we screwed up, then we screwed up. Nothing can be changed anyway. Essentially, the author repeated what was discussed three or four years ago.

The point is, rockets are needed to launch something (it's been written. We already have a large stockpile of Soyuz hulls). But our own satellites are few, expensive, large, low-tech, and prone to corruption. And Rogozin has already started canceling contracts for foreign launches.

And nothing can be done. Everyone is untouchable.
sgrabik

0

13 January 2026 12: 37

This is not a business at all, but a real betrayal of Russia's national interests. Such "business," to put it mildly, should not be encouraged, but rather should be put in jail for a long time, so that it will not happen again.