OREANDA-NEWS. March 02, 2011. Russia lacks carrier rockets to carry out all space launches scheduled for 2011, the Head of the Roscosmos space agency said.

"We have a number of spacecraft that should be launched this year, but we do not have [enough carrier] rockets," Roscosmos chief Anatoly Perminov said in an interview with the Voice of Russia radio station.

He also noted that there were more launches planned for this year than during 2010.

Last year, Russia led in the number of space launches, carrying out 31 launches, 15 more than the United States.

In late January, Perminov said Russia was planning to carry out 48 space launches in 2011, including 9 missions to the International Space Station by Soyuz and Progress carrier rockets.