Roscosmos will not be able to produce 4 out of 6 geostationary (GEO) satellites by 2030 due to lack of funding, said Sergey Prokhorov, Director of the Department of Advanced Programs of the State Corporation. These spacecraft provide communication channels between Russia and friendly countries.
The Ministry of Digital Development previously promised to allocate funding for the creation of a satellite constellation. However, each spacecraft is designed separately. Therefore, it will not be easy to create 4 satellites by the specified date, experts said.
Leonid Konik, head of the ComNews group of companies, explained that each GEO device is unique. It may take more than 5 years to develop one copy.
Another expert said that the cost of one GEO satellite from the manufacturer exceeds $100 million. Another $70 million will be required to launch it into orbit.
At the same time, insurance is also included in the cost. Thus, the average price of a GEO device may exceed $200 million, he concluded.
Read also on the topic:
Obsor-R No. 1 Ge спутник is being prepared for launch
Cosmonaut mice will go into orbit on the Bion-M satellite
Roselectronics has developed a batch of components for the Express-AMU4 satellite