News Roscosmos News

[N_Molson]

Good. USA need some pressure.

 

[SiberianTiger]

The full text of the "Development Strategy" is available in Russian here: http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=402

The first goals Roscosmos is setting for "by 2015" term are:

• Deployment of Earth observations spacecraft constellations to provide data vital for market consumption, science, defense capability and security of Russia;
• Maintaining the leading role in manned spaceflight;
• Improving the quality of domestically built spacecraft to the world standard by favouring to use of foreign produced electronic parts;
• Launching the 1st phase of Vostochny cosmodrome facilities enabling it as a site ready for unmanned launches;
• Doing R&D to lay a base for space exploration programmes in the years to come;
• Boosting strength and competition ability of domestic space enterprises by vertical integration into multi-field holdings; re-equipment of the enterprises with hi-tech equipment.

Let's see if they can do these things. It's not too long to wait at all.

 

[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Russian Government Tightens Control Over Roscosmos Spending:

MOSCOW (Roscosmos PR) – On April 28 in Moscow, there was signed the Agreement on Cooperation between the Accounting Chamber of the Russian Federation and the Federal Space Agency, which was signed by Chairman of Russian Accounts Chamber Sergei Stepashin and head of the Russian Space Agency V.A. Popovkin.

Stepashin said that “the Federal Space Agency is undergoing considerable transformation, preparing new organizational changes. Today it is necessary to restore order. This is due to the initiative and the Federal Space Agency to sign our agreement. “

V.A.Popovkin noted ambitious challenges currently facing the Federal Space Agency, as well as a significant increase in space funding. “With your help, Sergei Stepashin, in the framework of the signed agreement, we hope to solve the problem of control over the funds, as well as analysis of performance in the financial field,” said the head of the agency.

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[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Russians Move Toward Launch of New Soyuz Light Rocket:

Russia is moving steadily toward a planned September launch of the stripped Soyuz 2-1v rocket designed to launch small satellites into orbit. Two tests last month verified key elements of the new rocket, Russian officials say.

On April 19, engineers successfully completed the first cold flow test of the first stage using liquid oxygen and kerosene. The test was done in preparation for the first first-scale test firing of the rocket set for later this year.

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[N_Molson]

It seems that the rocket is also named Soyuz-1.


Above: A light-weight Soyuz-1 launcher could serve as an intermediate step between Soyuz-2-1b rocket and the more powerful Soyuz-2-3 launch vehicle

 

[Alfastar]

It seems that the rocket is also named Soyuz-1.


Above: A light-weight Soyuz-1 launcher could serve as an intermediate step between Soyuz-2-1b rocket and the more powerful Soyuz-2-3 launch vehicle

A R-7 without the well-known 4 booster stages. Interesting..

 

[orb]

Space News: Roscosmos, JAXA Officials Advocate Lunar Exploration:

WASHINGTON — NASA is setting its sights on an asteroid as the next big landing destination for astronaut explorers, but senior officials with two of the agency’s international space station (ISS) partners say the Moon should be the goal.

The most senior of these officials is Vladimir Popovkin, head of the Russian federal space agency, Roscosmos, who said lunar missions are his agency’s top priority for human exploration. Speaking May 22 at a roundtable of government space agency leaders at the Global Space Exploration Conference here, Popovkin said the space station partners should use the outpost to test technologies needed for a return to the Moon.

“We would like to see this phenomenal lab as a test bed that would allow us an opportunity to verify and test lots of technology that will be essential for us to be able to step up and reach deeper space,” Popovkin said through an interpreter.

Given that Roscosmos — like the rest of the world’s space agencies — faces financial and technical constraints that rule out near-term exploration of Mars or an asteroid, “we arrive at the conclusion that the Moon is supposed to be the next target,” Popovkin said. “And when we talk about the Moon, we are not talking about replicating what mankind has already achieved … we are talking about establishing permanent station bases on the surface.”

Without explicitly endorsing Popovkin’s call for permanent Moon bases, a senior official from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) agreed that space agencies across the globe should look to send human explorers to the Moon, and to use the space station to test the technology needed to get there.

The Moon “is the next destination for mankind,” said Yuichi Yamaura, associate executive director of JAXA. “We have a responsibility to continue the ISS program. That may be in preparation for human activity on the Moon.”

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[N_Molson]

That's what I like to read. Now let's hope it will concretize in the next 10 years :thumbup:

 

[Codz]

An "International Lunar Base" would be interesting. The ILB?:hmm:

 

[orb]

Aviation Week: Russia Sees Moon Base As Logical Next Step

 

[NovaSilisko]

An "International Lunar Base" would be interesting. The ILB?:hmm:

Probably would just end up being referred to as "The Moon Base", just like the ISS is referred to as simple "The Space Station"

 

[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Khrunichev Prepares Angara Test Article:

MOSCOW (Khrunichev PR) — The Khrunichev Space Center continue to process a test article for shipment to the Plesetsk launch base where this device will be used in the tests aimed at finalizing the design of the launch complex of the Angara Launch System.

At Plesetsk, engineers and technicians from the space industry together with combat teams of the Aerospace Defense Force will carry out a test sequence using this test article. The aim of these tests is to certify the ground Processing Facility and the Launch Complex belonging to the Angara Launch System and to verify this system’s operational availability.

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As of today, the inter-departmental tests of the RD 191 engine for the URM 1 common core module and of the RD 0124 engine have been completed and these engines are ready for serial production.

System-level tests of the guidance, navigation and control system as well as software debugging at a dedicated test facility have been completed. The on-board avionics has been tested. The ground support equipment for the Processing Facility and the Multi-Purpose Launch Complex has been fabricated and installed.

All operations related to the development, design and fabrication of the Angara launch vehicle have proceeded in compliance with the General Schedule. The maiden flight of the Angara 1.2PP light-lift launch vehicle is to take place in December this year while that of the Angara 5 heavy-lift launcher is scheduled for 2013.

The light-lift vehicle is due to be ready for shipment to Plesetsk in December this year while the heavy-lift launcher is to arrive at the launch base in the early 3rd quarter of 2013.

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[orb]

RIA Novosti: Russia May Join Mars Orbiter Project in Nov. – ESA:

Russian space agency Roscosmos and the European Space Agency (ESA) could sign a final agreement on Russia’s participation in a Mars research project in November, ESA spokesman Rene Pischel said on Friday.

“The work is underway and we are finishing up the coordination,” Pischel told reporters. “The final agreement should be signed after the ESA ministerial conference in November.”

ESA official added that Russia could contribute its experience in preparation for the launch of Mars probe Phobos-Grunt to the project.

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[Alfastar]

Ok, can we also note the failure date? :lol:

But to be serious, Russia can better send a probe to a other planet if you look to the failure rate of Russian spacecraft's to mars. *Maybe a Russian Venus rover give a good boost to the interesting of Russian spaceflight*.

* = Opinion.

 

[N_Molson]

Mmh a Venusian rover is much more difficult to design IMHO, given the insane pressure and temperatures there. Also, the lack of visibility makes photo recon impossible, you can only rely on radar imaging elevation maps to find a suitable landing area. Even worse, there are probably violent gusts of deadly hot wind charged with sulfuric acid droplets/vapors and grains of corrosive dust.

Mars is a playground in comparison.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Ok, can we also note the failure date? :lol:

But to be serious, Russia can better send a probe to a other planet if you look to the failure rate of Russian spacecraft's to mars. *Maybe a Russian Venus rover give a good boost to the interesting of Russian spaceflight*.

* = Opinion.

Quite seriously, Russia will have to send few technology demonstrators to some Sun-centric orbit, possibly with any discardable without much tears scientific payload, to validate that domestically made electronics can still work and the deep space X-band stations are able to maintain contact with the spacecraft.

If more than few of such spacecraft work ok, next steps could be thought of.

 

[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Russian, Kazakh Presidents Agree to Develop Long-Term Plan for Baikonur:

Russian Ruler for Life Vladimir Putin and Kazakhstan’s only president ever, Nursultan Nazarbayev, have directed the heads of their respective space agencies to develop a “comprehensive bilateral agreement governing the joint use of Baikonur, the development of its scientific and technological capacity, joint missile systems, training and participation of Kazakhstani specialists in launch services,” the KAZINFORM news agency reports.

The decision was announced last week during Putin’s official state visit to Almaty, a trip that corresponded with a gathering of the space agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The commonwealth is a loose association of Russia, Kazakhstan and eight other former Soviet republics.

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[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Khrunichev Prepares to Send Angara Test Article to Plesetsk:

MOSCOW — June 15, 2012 (Khrunichev PR) – At the State Research and Production Space Center Khrunichev completed the preparation for shipment to the Plesetsk Cosmodrome bench products launcher “Angara” to practice starting and ground systems.

Currently underway for the preparation of the product to be loaded on rail unit. After loading in the near future, the product will be sent to the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.

In Plesetsk technicians space industry, military troops calculations of air and space defense will hold a set of tests using this layout. The purpose of certification is to test the technical and ground launch complex space rocket complex “Angara” and confirmation of their readiness to start.

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[orb]

RIA Novosti: Russia, Ireland Sign Space Cooperation Memorandum:

Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos and Ireland’s National Space Center have signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation in space exploration.

“The memorandum reaffirms the strive of both countries to promote the development of bilateral cooperation in the area of space exploration in the framework of 1967 Outer Space Treaty and other international treaties on peaceful space exploration,” Roscosmos said in a statement on Thursday.

The document also outlines basic principles and conditions of Russian-Irish cooperation in scientific space research, satellite navigation and Earth remote sensing.

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[N_Molson]

Ireland space program... :hmm: