Faced with the threat of Western sanctions, Russia should produce all its communications satellites, according to Nikolai Nikiforov, the country’s communications and mass media minister.
Quoted by Moscow Times, he added that spacecraft should be built by Russian engineers working for Russian companies, and launched by Russian rockets.
Currently, its dependence on foreign manufacturers is very high, as imported components make up 80-90% of Russian payloads and 30-40% in spacecraft platforms.
Nikiforov also said that one of the goals of the Russian government should be to expand the country’s presence in the global space industry. Although Russian vehicles dominate the launch market, its largest satellite manufacturer RSCC, is only ninth in the world in terms of revenue.
What is more, Russian satellite forms have a market share of just 3%.
Although one company – Information Satellite Systems – says says it can build satellites free of US export restrictions, it will still rely on Chinese components.
