From 2018 to 2020, thanks to the efforts of Roscosmos, the government and the Ministry of Finance, the financial “hole” created by the Khrunichev Center, the developer and manufacturer of the Proton and Angara rockets, has been reduced by 70 billion rubles, Dmitry Rogozin, CEO of the state corporation, said on Facebook.
According to him, in May 2018, “credit debt, deficit of working capital, accumulated fines and penalties” in the company's budget amounted to 117 billion rubles. The manager added that by 2023 the Khrunichev Center will pay off the existing debt and become profitable.
According to Rogozin, the Angara-A5V rocket, which is still being developed, is “capable of solving all our tasks until 2032,” including the Moon, and the Yenisei super-heavy rocket should not be created on the basis of existing solutions.
From January 1 to December 14, Roskosmos conducted 15 launches of space rockets. Of these, 13 launches were provided by the Soyuz-2 medium launch vehicles of the Samara Rocket and Space Center (RSC) Progress, and only two – by the Khrunichev Center's heavy rockets (Proton-M and Angara-A5). After Rogozin took over as head of the state corporation, the Khrunichev Center was implemented in joint projects of the Moscow Region Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia and RSC Progress – the super-heavy launch vehicle Yenisei, created by the latter, should receive the KBTK, and their medium-heavy rocket Soyuz-5 (Irtysh) has lost the Federation (Orel) manned spacecraft, which is now planned to be launched on the Angara-A5P. At present, mass layoffs are being carried out at the Progress RCC, and Roscosmos is withdrawing money from this enterprise. In July 2018, Rogozin announced the merger of the profitable RCC Progress and the unprofitable Khrunichev Center into a “production cooperation”. “We need to quickly adopt a plan for the financial recovery of the Khrunichev Center,” the manager explained his decision.
