RKK Energia, makers of Soyuz, facing bankruptcy
Russia’s most well-known space manufacturer, RKK Energia, the firm behind the Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, is facing bankruptcy, with debts and mismanagement threatening the future of the company.
The company has been the centre of the Russian space programme, managing the nation’s part of the ISS and spearheading the development of satellites and rockets. But according to a leaked internal statement from company boss Igor Maltsev, it is now struggling.
In the message intended for staff on its 79th anniversary, Maltsev revealed that RKK Energia is “burdened with multimillion-dollar debts” as well as inefficiency and a loss of its sense of purpose.
“In recent years, promises on key projects have remained unfulfilled, deadlines missed, and the company is burdened with multimillion-dollar debts,” he warned. “Interest payments are consuming the budget, processes are inefficient, and a large portion of the workforce has lost motivation and a sense of shared responsibility.”
He called for an end to internal “lies” regarding the state of the company and called for more accountability and teamwork.
The company’s challenges reflect the wider trend with Russia’s space ambitions. The Soyuz rocket remains its only crewed launch system since 1966 with major attempts to modernise failing. The Angara rocket meanwhile has seen endless delays and plans for a future spacecraft to replace Soyuz remain unrealised. Projects such as a new orbital station and lunar base announced over ten years ago have yet to take off.
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