Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Kremlin denies space programme lagging after SpaceX launch
Moscow, Oct 14 (AFP) Oct 14, 2024
The Kremlin denied on Monday that its space programme was falling behind after US firm SpaceX successfully flew a rocket booster back to the launch pad in a world first.

The first stage booster of SpaceX's Starship megarocket made a picture-perfect return to the launch tower on Sunday, in a test flight Elon Musk's company hailed as a day for the "history books".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he "disagreed" with the idea Russia's own space programme was not developing fast enough after a series of mission failures.

"Space research is a rather sluggish process, it cannot unfold visually right before your eyes," Peskov said, adding that Russia was watching the US space programme with "great interest".

Once a space-faring pioneer, Moscow has faced multiple setbacks since the collapse of the USSR, including the loss of two Mars missions and its first lunar probe in almost 50 years in 2023.

Russia has many, often extravagant ideas to develop its space programme, including putting a nuclear reactor on the Moon with China, but has struggled to put them into action due to a loss of scientific talent and erratic funding.

Its Roscosmos space agency still ferries American astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) -- one of its few areas of cooperation with the United States -- although it has signalled it wants to leave the project by 2028.

The head of Roscosmos warned last year that most Russian equipment on the station was beyond its "warranty" and that the ISS as a whole was "approaching the finish line of its existence".

The Russian segment of the orbital station has suffered three coolant leaks in just under two years, raising questions about the reliability of the country's space programme.

bur/lth

ISS A/S


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Ariane 6 set for first commercial flight in early 2025
Hera initiates journey to mars with key deep-space burn
Dragon executes first successful reboost for Space Station

24/7 Energy News Coverage
The refrigerator as an indicator of societal progress
Climate change poses multiple risks for banks
Researchers advance hydrogen jet engine design for sustainable aviation

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
US to send contractors to Ukraine to maintain military equipment
Philippines defines its sea routes to defend interests
Iraqi PM urges Trump to 'work towards ending' Mideast wars

24/7 News Coverage
Flood-hit Spain drenched by wettest October on record
Memories extend beyond the brain in new NYU study
Optimal Learning Rates Revealed in New Study on Adaptation


All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.