Russia's space agency Roscosmos on Monday said the break in ties with the West following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has cost it nearly 180 billion rubles ($2.1 billion)."The termination of contracts by unfriendly countries cost Roscosmos 180 billion rubles," Roscosmos deputy head Andrei Yelchaninov was quoted as saying by the state-run Interfax news agency.Among the collaborations suspended after the invasion was a planned joint mission to Mars with the European Space Agency.
Roscosmos also halted launches of its Soyuz rockets from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.Yelchaninov said the agency planned to make up for the lost revenues by doing more business with countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East."As for the returning to the volume of exports we had before sanctions, we are setting this target," he said."But this is a long-term project since competition is strong in all these new markets,"Yelchaninov was quoted as saying.
"If we penetrate the markets correctly, the prospects are very good."Russia's space sector has struggled with financing problems, corruption scandals and setbacks such as the loss of the Luna-25 lunar module in August 2023.