These are difficult times for Russia's civilian space program. In recent years, Russia has cut back on the number of Soyuz crew missions it sends to the International Space Station, and a replacement for the nearly 60-year-old Soyuz spacecraft remains elusive.
While the United States and China are launching more space missions than ever before, Russia's once dominant launch rate is going downhill.
Russia's access to global markets dried up after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched Ukraine's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The consequences of the invasion killed several important space partnerships between Russia and Europe. Russia's ability to do new things in space appears to be focused on military programs such as anti-satellite weapons.
The Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activity, Russia's official space agency, may have a plan to compensate for the decline. Late last month, Putin approved changes to federal laws governing advertising and space activities to “allow placing advertisements on spacecraft,” Roscosmos wrote on its official Telegram account.
We've seen this before
Russia's State Duma, dominated by Putin loyalists, previously approved the changes.
“Under the amendments, Roscosmos has been granted the right to place advertising on space objects owned by both the state-owned company itself and the federal government, effective January 1, 2026,” Roscosmos said. “The changes will create a mechanism for attracting private investments in Russian space exploration and reduce pressure on the state budget.”
The law requires that advertising symbols do not affect the safety of spacecraft. The Russian government said it will introduce a fee structure for advertising on space objects owned by the federal government.
Roscosmos has not said this, but advertisers eligible for the offer will likely be limited to Russia and its allies. Any advertising from the West would likely violate sanctions.
Rocket makers have routinely applied decals, stickers and special paint jobs to their vehicles. This is a particularly popular practice in Russia. Usually these logos represent customers and suppliers. Sometimes they honor special occasions, such as the 60th anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first human spaceflight mission and the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
