For the past three years -- 2005, 2006 and 2007 -- Russia has led the world in its number of space launches. In 2007 it launched 26 rockets with satellite payloads, comprising 398 percent of the global total.

Dismissing possible miscalculations and speaking only of hardware, the potential for catching up with and overtaking Europe's Arianespace is there. Hopefully, it will not be too long before Russia begins building several new launch vehicles developed at the Khrunichev Center under its Angara program.

In Berlin, Alexander Kirillin, head of Samara's Progress Rocket Design Bureau, said his company is expanding the range of famed Soyuz launch vehicles.

In addition to medium-class and Soyuz-2 rockets for increased payloads designed to be launched from the international Kourou Space Center, there are plans to build lightweight Soyuz-1 vehicles for placing payloads in lower orbits.

"These environmentally friendly, reliable and relatively low-cost vehicles will be launched from existing facilities," Kirillin said. He thinks the low-orbit launch market is among the fastest developing today and accounts for a 15 percent to 18 percent niche in the payload spectrum around the world.

So, should the Angara and Soyuz-1 programs be realized, Russia will have all types of modern launch vehicles available in the rocket services market.

Turning from rockets to satellites, Russia's present craft are not GLONASS -- Global Navigation Satellite System -- satellites, which do not last longer than five years. In fact, the short life span of the orbiting fleet is the main obstacle to GLONASS's proper functioning for Russia's armed forces.

That situation is set to improve radically, judging by the displays shown by ISS, a company making information satellite systems. In addition to the new Global Navigation System GLONASS-M satellite, which is already in production and has a service life of more than seven years, ISS showed a forward-looking satellite model, mounted on the non-airtight Global Navigation System GLONASS-K platform, with an estimated lifespan of more than 10 years.

ISS also displayed replicas of the latest Express-AM44 communications and direct TV satellite and the Luch-5A repeater satellite. Both are being developed in tandem with the European company Thales Alenia Space.

In April ISS and Alenia signed a memorandum to supply Russian-made parts for European spacecraft. "While yesterday we bought a complete payload from our European partner, and today partly produce and assemble it in Russia, tomorrow we will supply individual satellite elements to the West," ISS Director General Nikolai Testoyedov said.

(Andrei Kislyakov is a political commentator for RIA Novosti. This article is reprinted by permission of RIA Novosti. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.)

(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)

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