U.S. Companies Buy Soviet Space Services

Eighteen of Russia’s 48 satellite launches last year were on behalf of U.S. companies, and the cash-strapped space program hopes to increase that number in 1998, a news agency reported Friday.

Russia’s space program has been struggling since losing large Soviet-era subsidies, and officials have sought to raise revenues by launching commercial satellites.

In addition to the American satellites and their own, the Russians sent up satellites for China, Germany and Luxembourg last year, the Interfax news agency reported.

Russia introduced the new Svobodny space center in the southeast last year, which is intended to handle large numbers of commercial satellite launches. Russia also has launch pads in Plesetsk in the northwest and leases a site in Kazakstan that was built during Soviet times.