Russia needs leaner space industry: Roscosmos

Moscow: Russia needs a leaner space industry, and that means significant job cuts, according to Vladimir Popovkin, head of Russia`s Space Agency Roscosmos.

"Unless we act now - we will cease to be competitive," he warned. Speaking about the need for reform, Popovkin said that "reorganising Roscosmos into a holding company will ensure maximum staffing" across the sector. "If today over 250 people are employed then we calculate that the maximum should be 150-170," he said during a lecture for science and technology students. In recent years Russia`s space programm has suffered a series of failures, from lost satellites and abortive launches to Fobos-Grunt`s failure to leave low earth orbit. IANS