MOSCOW. Aug 25 (Interfax-AVN) - It is important to maintain state financing at least at the current levels so that the rocket and space industry can develop, Energia Corporation Vice-President for Strategy, Business Development and International Cooperation Alexander Derechin has said.
"Unless the financing grows at least above inflation rates [and bearing in mind the dollar exchange rate the inflation rates are rather high] we will definitely have to carry out a strategy of survival instead of a strategy of development," Derechin said at the First Eurasian Aerospace Congress in Moscow.
The government 'forgot' about space industry enterprises and 'the financing practically ceased' in the 1990s, he said.
"The memory was refreshed in the early 2000s, and the financing grew rather rapidly," Derechin said.
In his words, Russia ranks below the European Union and China, not to mention the United States, in terms of financing for space activity in the world.
"This is a crucial matter and, hopefully, the Finance Ministry will get it somehow," Derechin said.
"We will degrade very rapidly" if the state financing of the rocket and space industry is cut, he said.
Indeed, space activity should be commercialized but a legislative basis needs to be created first, he said.
"There is no notion of commercial [space] activity in the Russian legislation," he added.
Besides, state corporation Roscosmos should actively promote the appearance of new space market actors - space services operators. "We need to create operators," the expert said.