There is an increasing amount of Chinese content in orbit.
Russia continues to lose its position in the global space market, where it was once a pioneer and leader. According to the results for 2025, the state corporation "Roscosmos" carried out 17 space rocket launches, Vice Prime Minister Denis Manturov reported at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
Compared to last year, the number of launches by "Roscosmos" remained unchanged, while the United States increased their number from 145 to 181, and China from 68 to 91. As a result, Russia lagged behind the U.S. by more than 10 times and behind China by more than 5 times.
Excluding the pandemic period, the number of launches in Russia has been at a minimum for the second consecutive year since 1961, when Yuri Gagarin made the first flight into space (there were 9 launches that year). By the mid-1960s, the USSR was launching more than 40 rockets a year, and by the early 1970s, it increased the number of launches to 80-86 per year, setting a record of 99 launches in 1982.
Since then, the number has decreased almost sixfold, and as a result, Russia is on the verge of dropping out of the top three space powers. New Zealand also carried out 17 space launches last year (compared to 13 in 2024 and 7 in 2023) and matched Russia in market share in the space sector.
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