MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. Russia has enough carrier rockets to become the world’s leader in the number of space launches, State Space Corporation Roscosmos Chief Dmitry Rogozin said on Wednesday.
"The space rockets we make are of splendid quality, and they are sufficient for us to take first place by the number of launches. We have problems with satellites because sometimes we are short on components for these satellites," the Roscosmos chief said in a live broadcast of the Solovyov Live YouTube channel.
The Roscosmos administrator earlier said in his speech to the State Duma (the lower house of parliament) that Russia could not launch satellites due to the absence of microchips, which are prohibited from being supplied to Russia due to the ongoing sanctions.
The United States began imposing its barrage of sanctions in March 2014, arguing that they were prompted by the conflict in southeastern Ukraine and Crimea’s reintegration into Russia. The measures include visa restrictions and a freeze on property and accounts of individuals and companies, and a ban on the deliveries of arms, dual technologies and hi-tech equipment.