What is it in Space-Age Russian? by Michael S. Vartanoff

Despite a deterioration in diplomatic and military relationships in recent years, Russia and the United States maintain a strong partnership in civil space the two nations share training, communications, operations, and launch capabilities in support of the ISS. 6 Russia was a founding partner of the ISS and is the second largest contributor to its construction and operation. Space Shuttle program in 2011, the Soyuz launch system has been the only vehicle transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Many of Russia’s satellite constellations deteriorated in the 1990s and 2000s due to a declining budget and crumbling economy however, the country has maintained its global prominence in human spaceflight. 5Īlthough legacy Soviet space technology continues to provide an advantage for Russia today, the country has not continued to make advances in space at the same rate as it did during the Cold War. 4 In 2015, two separate organizations known as the Russian Federal Space Agency and United Rocket and Space Corporation, were consolidated into one megacorporation called Roscosmos. 3 While a collection of design bureaus in the Soviet Union together constituted a majority of all global space launches in the first space age (1957 to 1991), Russia’s modern International Launch Services (ILS)-an American-Russian commercial company known for its Angara and Proton rockets-now only makes up about 10% of the global market share. 2 However, the Russian space industrial base today pales in comparison to its Soviet predecessor, with a total space budget of only about $4 billion in 2016. Even the United States continues to use a Russian rocket engine, the RD-180, on one of its main space launch systems, the Atlas V. Russia remains a dominant actor in space today, particularly in space launch. VLADIMIR POPOVKIN Russian Deputy Defense Minister 1 SINCE THE SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH of Sputnik I on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union, and subsequently the Russian Federation, has been one of the most dominant players in outer space. I can only say that is being conducted in Russia.

We cannot just sit back and watch when others do it. Download a PDF version of this chapter in the full report here. The following article is an excerpt from Space Threat Assessment 2018, a report from the CSIS Aerospace Security Project.

What is it in Space-Age Russian? by Michael S. Vartanoff