News Roscosmos News

[SiberianTiger]

Breaking news...

http://ria.ru/science/20121114/910754202.html

RUSSIAN GROUND CONTROLLERS HAVE LOST ABILITY TO COMMAND MOST OF THE CIVILIAN SATELLITES AND RUSSIAN SEGMENT OF THE ISS BECAUSE OF A CABLE BREAKAGE IN MOSCOW TERRITORY

http://ria.ru/science/20121114/910754744.html

UNDOCKING OF SOYUZ TMA-05M FROM THE ISS, PLANNED FOR NOVEMBER 19TH CAN BE PUT TO RISK DUE TO A CABLE BREAKAGE IN MOSCOW TERRITORY

 

[Urwumpe]

That sounds really really nasty... can NASA or ESOC assist to prevent the worst damage?

 

[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Russian Authorities Allege Massive GLONASS Embezzlement Scheme

Space Mart: Russian satellite system official sacked

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

From this link, the time needed to repair the cable is at least 48 hours: http://ria.ru/science/20121114/910758822.html

Well how can this happen? Construction workers damaging data cables are not uncommon, but I have never heard of such an incident happening in Houston/Pasadena.....

Is the Korolev Mission Control linked to the outside ground stations via one big cable?

Edit: Now what the.....? Apparently the same cable damage also knocked the Moscow Stock Exchange out of action as well! :facepalm:

 

[SiberianTiger]

The source in http://ria.ru/science/20121114/910758822.html says the cable breakage near Scholkovskoye highway has broken a link between MCC-M and the network of ground tracking stations across Russia. This has affected the ability of the MCC-M to send uplink information to RSOS and to civilian satellites such as Canopus-V, Luch-5A, Luch-5B, Resurs-DK, Electro-L.

According to http://ria.ru/science/20121114/910754202.html, the cable belongs to Comcor comms provider (btw, the worst Internet provider I ever was on while in Moscow!)

But http://www.interfax.ru/news.asp?id=275867, a Roscosmos representative says a "replanning" of means of ground controlling is done, which provides for "no impact on the ISS or Russia space assets".

 

[Urwumpe]

Spiegel Online is now also reporting it:

Spiegel Online - Russland verliert Kontakt zu zivilen Satelliten (German language)

Same on the IT news page Heise Online:

Heise Online - Russland verliert Kontakt zu Satelliten und der ISS

SPON reports the ISS is safe (likely over the other space agencies), Heise reports that the undocking of Soyuz is in distress.

 

[orb]

And there: http://en.rian.ru/science/20121114/177461100.html

{...} The emergency has not affected communications with the Russian segment of the International Space Station, the Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said. {...}

 

[SiberianTiger]

http://www.interfax.ru/news.asp?id=275962

The cable is repaired, and the commands now flow the primary channel, says head of Roscosmos Press Service Alexey Kuznetsov.

 

[orb]

GPS Daily: Roscosmos Requests Glonass Project Contractor Head's Dismissal

 

[orb]

Aviation Week: ESA, Roscosmos Approve ExoMars Cooperation

 

[orb]

RIA Novosti: Russia Gets Second Prospective Female Cosmonaut:

MOSCOW, November 21 (Alexey Eremenko, RIA Novosti) – The first open cosmonaut recruitment drive in Russian history has produced eight prospects, including one woman, the head of the cosmonaut training program said on Wednesday.

Anna Kikina, 28, became the second active female cosmonaut trainee in Russia after Yelena Serova, who is set to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014.

{...}

 

[orb]

RIA Novosti: Ukraine Presses Russia on Joint Space Launch Program

 

[orb]

http://www.space.com/17988-sarah-brightman-space-tourist-flight.html

Parabolic Arc: Brightman Space Tourism Trip in Jeopardy, or Russian Negotiating Tactic?:

Russian officials are making noises that British sopranonaut Sarah Brightman might not take a joy ride to the International Space Station after all. It’s difficult to tell whether there are serious issues with the upcoming flight, or whether this is a Russian negotiating tactic.

Roscosmos Head Vladimir Popovkin told reporters on Friday that Brightman intends to fly to ISS but that the space agency hasn’t made a final decision to let her do so. He expected officials would make a decision during the second half of next year.

“We need to provide young cosmonauts with flight practice,” Popovkin reportedly said, apparently in reference to a group of eight cosmonaut trainees recently selected by the Russian space agency.

{...}

NewSpace Journal: Russian officials raise doubts about Brightman’s flight, and space tourism

 

[orb]

RIA Novosti: Russia’s Space Industry to Merge into Holdings:

MOSCOW, November 26 (RIA Novosti) – A structural reform of Russia’s space industry will see its numerous enterprises united into five or six large holdings, Federal Space Agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said on Monday.

The reform should make the troubled industry more manageable, Popovkin said after a governmental meeting in Moscow.

The draft list of industries to get separate holdings includes orbital spacecraft development, in-orbit operation, guidance systems, scientific research, testing and strategic rocketry, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said, also on Monday.

The centralization may be taken a step further, with the Federal Space Agency, Russia’s analogue of NASA, transformed into a state corporation that would replace the prospective holdings, Popovkin said.

The government considered creating a single “space corporation” for three years before deeming the idea ineffective, said Rogozin, who oversees defense and space industries.

But Popovkin said the idea may be revitalized depending on the performance of the upcoming holdings. Rogozin is to report to the government on the results of the reform after the first quarter of 2013, Popovkin said.

The government also ordered a 50-percent salary increase for all employees in the space industry, Popovkin said. Salaries currently average 37,500 rubles ($1,200) a month, he said.

{...}

 

[N_Molson]

Re-centralization after de-centralisation. Interesting :hmm:

 

[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Russia Plans Major Reorganization of Space Industry

 

[orb]

RussianSpaceWeb.com: Russia to send spacecraft into vicinity of the Sun:

2012 Nov. 29

In 2012, Russian space agency gave go head to a full-scale development of an ambitious spacecraft dedicated to studies of the Sun from a close distance. The first Russian or Soviet mission into the vicinity of the Sun faces many unprecedented technical challenges including the development of innovative electric engines and protecting the spacecraft from the searing 600-degree heat and radiation of our home star. Dubbed Intergelio-Zond or IGZ, the daring space probe would follow in footsteps of the the US-German Helios mission and NASA's Ulysses spacecraft. It is also expected to coincide with the US Solar Probe and the European Solar Orbiter projects.

{...}

 

[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Soyuz Light Rocket Debut Delayed by Live Test Failure:

The inaugural launch of the Soyuz-2-1v rocket has been delayed from this year until sometime in 2013 due to a live test firing failure that damaged the rocket. RussianSpaceWeb.com reports that a planned 200-second firing of the first stage engine failed after only a few seconds, resulting in damage to the propulsion section of the rocket.

The website’s sources indicated that “an erroneous shutdown command had been issued based on data from the RD-0110R steering engine which indicated that the engine’s turbopump exceed an allowable rotation speed. The turbine of RD-0110R was destroyed, even though all input parameters for its operation seemed to be normal.”

The test article and stand have been repaired. The next live firing is now set for the end of February.

In the meantime, the Chemical Automation Design Bureau (KBKhA) reports that it successfully test fired a RD-0110R steering engine on Nov. 22 at its test facility.

{...}

 

[orb]

RussianSpaceWeb.com: PTK NP development during 2012

 

[boogabooga]

Well, this could be bad:
Kazakhstan mulls ending Russia's cosmodrome lease

http://news.yahoo.com/kazakhstan-mulls-ending-russias-cosmodrome-lease-075818121.html