MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2021) Russian state space agency Roscosmos did not complete about half of the activities under the Federal space program for 2016-2025 and two-thirds of the program for the development of spaceports, according to the company's 2020 annual report released on Thursday.
The table attached to the report says that the agency has completed only 10 out of 18 programs, or 55%. The program for developing GLONASS navigation satellite system has been completed by 80%, while the program for developing cosmodromes across Russia by 30%.
Additionally, the report notes that the space agency suffered multibillion-dollar losses associated with a reduction in revenue and net profit from foreign contracts � about 25 billion rubles ($343.3 million) and more than 1 billion rubles, respectively � as well as unplanned expenses for payment of non-working days due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Commenting on the report, the first deputy general director for economics and finance at Roscosmos, Maxim Ovchinnikov, told Sputnik that poor results on implementing the federal program's objectives were related to the coronavirus pandemic and Western sanctions, among other circumstances.
"Their implementation was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, a decrease in resource support for the activities, as well as sanctions for the supply of components for rocket and space technology," Ovchinnikov said.
For all activities under the federal program, the state defense order was adjusted, which, in turn, changed the timing of the onset of a number of measures and control events, he added.
