Russia's space program is clearly lagging behind: the U.S. and China account for 90% of space payload capacity, while the lunar economy holds promising prospects.

Of all the payload launched into space, 65% is American, 22% is Chinese, and Russia's share is only 4%.

Russia will continue to lag behind the leaders in space exploration.

An expert article was published on April 3 by RT (Russia Today).

Two long and arduous space projects are finally set to be realized in the coming days.

The "Baiterek" rocket—also known as "Soyuz-5," formerly the "Zenit"—is scheduled for launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the near future.

Last night, the United States successfully launched its crewed Artemis lunar mission.

Both the U.S. and China are now exploring the Moon, which has already become economically viable.

In the long run, the Moon will be integrated into the economic cycle.

The cost of transporting water to the International Space Station is extremely high—up to $5,000 per liter.

Every kilogram of water in space is worth its weight in gold.

But if we can extract and transport water from the Moon, the cost would drop tenfold.

Moreover, if we split water into oxygen and hydrogen—this would yield an excellent rocket fuel.

Launching spacecraft from a lunar base toward deeper space would cost less than launching from Earth.

And transporting materials from the Moon to orbit wouldn't even require rocket launches; cargo could be propelled using magnetic accelerators.

In the long term, lunar bases are expected to mine water, fuel, and heavy elements such as titanium and aluminum.

By 2040–2050, all these infrastructures will be built and operational. It’s certain that this will be profitable and economically feasible.

Can Russia catch up with this space advancement?

Russia has a ten-year plan recently approved.

If we examine this plan carefully, we’ll see that the gap between Russia and the leading nations will continue to widen.

Even if all plans are fully implemented, the gap between Russia and countries seriously developing their space programs will only grow larger.

The media provides specific figures—these data are not classified.

Of all the payload sent into space, 65% is launched by Americans, China accounts for 22%.

Russia’s share is just 4%.

The gap between Russia and the leading nations will keep expanding.

There is no reason to expect this trend to change.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861406396217351/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.