/sci/ - Science & Math

https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/10/russian-space-chief-explains-why-country-can-only-build-40-satellites-a-year/

> Now we have some sense of why this is. In an interview with a state-owned Russian-language news channel, the chief of Russian space operations, Yuri Borisov, explained that the country can only build a few dozen satellites a year. (This is about one-fiftieth of the total that a privately owned company, SpaceX, will launch this year.) Borisov said building a single satellite in Russia takes about 18 months, and because of this, it is not possible to develop a megaconstellation.
> According to Borisov, the combined efforts of the US industry and government can build about 3,000 satellites a year, and China has production facilities capable of manufacturing 1,200 to 1,500 satellites a year. The sprawling Russian space corporation he runs, Roscosmos, cannot come close to matching these totals.
>"It turned out we weren't ready for this," he said in the interview, which was translated for Ars by Rob Mitchell. "Today all satellite manufacturing companies of the industry are capable of building about 40 satellites per year."
> Essentially, Borisov said that the way Russia currently builds its satellites is by hand, through intricate and time-consuming processes. To become more competitive and have a constellation of its own, he said, Roscosmos will need to move toward an assembly line-like means of mass production.


Why can’t Russia into satellites?