[r9etb]

If we had to start the satellite competion again from scratch, Russia would have no chance of keeping up with the US or China.

You're wrong there. Even now, the Russians have by far the greatest space launch capacity of any space-faring nation.

[dead]

Yes, they can lift things heavy things very well, but can they build the cutting edge, technologically advanced satellites really worth lifting?

Or are they going to chuck a bunch of 2002-caliber satellites up there?