GORKI, Moscow region. Jan 23 (Interfax) - The Russian aerospace industry is far from economically successful, but it can and must be, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.
"Nowadays, space means a large market with real competition. One has to work hard to stay in this market. The aerospace industry can and must be economically successful. We are a long way off right now," Medvedev said at a meeting devoted to the financial and economic condition of Roscosmos and its affiliates.
He urged his listeners to think about what should be done to achieve this goal.
"Our country truly ushered in the space era and achieved a lot in space exploration. There is no doubt that today leadership in the aerospace area has strategic significance," Medvedev said.
He said he had national security, defense, and new technologies in mind.
"Space has always created such technologies; the innovations created for space in the past and in the present change people's daily lives. This is true of the entire range of achievements, from telecommunication to new materials," Medvedev said.