31 Dec 2019 18:44

Rogozin sees U.S., China as Russia's main rivals in space

MOSCOW. Dec 31 (Interfax) - The United States and China are Russia's main competitors in space exploration, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 (VGTRK) television channel.

"The Americans and China are developing very rapidly. Financing for their programs is several times larger than Russia's. Therefore, we are trying to do our own job more efficiently for less money and to not lose leadership in certain fields," Rogozin said.

"We are still number one in piloted space programs. As for rocket engine construction, our engines are still the most efficient," he said.

Rogozin said he also sees Russia as the leader in military astronautics.

"I believe our missile systems are the best in the world," Rogozin said.