Everyone seems to be launching and landing rockets these days.

China joined the club of countries that have launched an orbital mission and safely brought its booster back to Earth. Japan's space agency has been doing hop tests, while Honda recently demonstrated vertical reuse capabilities. In the United States, SpaceX launches reusable rockets almost as frequently as you change socks, and Blue Origin is making credible strides toward partial reusability.

But what about Russia? The country boasts a proud history of spaceflight, but its recent announcement does little to inspire confidence. Since 2017, Roscosmos has been working on the Amur-LNG rocket, designed as an answer to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, with plans for both a reusable first stage and methane-powered engines.

However, almost six years later, Dmitry Baranov, Deputy Director General of Rocket Programs at Roscosmos, revealed this week that their efforts are still focused on building a demonstrator for the rocket's first stage. While it’s clear what they want to achieve, the timeline seems more wishful thinking than reality.