WAAY TV 9/7/2021
CNN's Kristin Fisher spoke to Dmitry Rogozin in his first interview with western media since becoming the head of Roscomos, Russia's space agency. She joins New Day to share his thoughts on the billionaire space race, which company he thinks is best, and Roscosmos' relationship with NASA.
Russia's space chief was watching as billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson blasted into space aboard vehicles they helped fund — and wishing Russian oligarchs would follow suit.
"Our millionaires prefer to invest more in yachts rather than in spaceships," Dmitry Rogozin told CNN in his first interview with Western media since becoming Roscosmos' director general. "But maybe kids of current Russian millionaires will be much more wise creatures."
Rogozin is impressed with the United States' burgeoning space tourism industry, including Branson's Virgin Galactic and Bezos' Blue Origin.
"I like what your people are doing — people who spend their own money on things useful for overall society," Rogozin said.
But Rogozin saves his highest praise for SpaceX founder Elon Musk, and blames his own country's stagnation in space on the instability that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.
"Mr. Elon Musk realizes many of the ideas and thoughts that we wanted to realize, but did not get to because, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, our space program halted for some time," Rogozin said. "We respect him as an organizer of the space industry and as an inventor, who is not afraid to take risk."
Rogozin is even inviting Musk to his home in Russia "to be a guest of my family" and discuss "exploring the universe, extraterrestrial life, and how we can use space to preserve life on Earth."
"I already set the teakettle on heat," Rogozin said.
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