Russian Space Program

Odd enough timing, though the need for supplemental funding is a factor.
 

Источник: запуск спутников "Гонец-М" с Плесецка предварительно намечен на 20 сентября

novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru

Google translation:

The first launch of the Gonets-M communication satellites on the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle is scheduled for late September. This was reported by TASS a source in the rocket and space industry.

“The first launch of the Gontsov this year is tentatively scheduled for September 20,” the source said. According to the source, the Soyuz-2.1b rocket will be launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.
Click to expand...
 
Also apparently Angara A5 is being in preparation for transportation to Plesetsk. Which is interesting, didn't knew it's gonna fly this year.
 
European specialists at Baikonur began to prepare the ERA robo-arm for launch on the ISS
Google translation
"Experts from ESA and Airbus Defense and Space arrived at Baikonur on October 22 and started working with the ERA manipulator on October 23," Pischel said.
According to the head of the ESA permanent mission, the specialists will work at the cosmodrome in close cooperation with representatives of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation until early - mid-November. "This is the first of several planned trips of ESA specialists to Baikonur as part of the preparation of the manipulator for launch," said Pishel.
Click to expand...
 
 
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OneWeb spacecraft arrived at Vostochny

The spacecraft of the British company OneWeb arrived at the Ignatievo airport (Blagoveshchensk) on an An-124-100 aircraft. Specialists of the Vostochny Space Center (a branch of the Center for Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure Facilities, part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) have already transported them to the Vostochny Cosmodrome, where they will be prepared for the launch scheduled for December 2020 on the Soyuz-2.1 carrier rocket b "with the Fregat upper stage.

This launch will be the first fully commercial from Vostochny. In addition, it will also be the first launch for OneWeb by the French company Arianespace from this launch site. Glavkosmos (a subsidiary of the Roscosmos State Corporation) is responsible for launching OneWeb vehicles using Soyuz-2 launch vehicles under contracts with the French company Arianespace and the Russian-French Starsem.

On November 2, 2020, two dispensers and auxiliary ground equipment were delivered to Vostochny for OneWeb spacecraft. From November 12 to December 1, in accordance with the technological schedule, work is underway to refuel the Fregat upper stage, after which it will be delivered to the assembly and test building for the assembly of the space warhead.

Currently, the constellation of OneWeb satellites in low Earth orbit numbers 74 spacecraft, with hundreds of others planned to be launched. The first six OneWeb satellites were launched on February 28, 2019 from the Guiana Space Center (French Guiana) using the Soyuz-ST launch vehicle and the Fregat upper stage. Another 34 satellites were launched into orbit on February 7 and March 22, 2020 from the Baikonur cosmodrome using Soyuz-2.1b rockets and Fregat upper stages. The upcoming launch should bring the number of OneWeb satellites in Earth orbit to 110 units.

LEO OneWeb spacecraft are designed to provide terrestrial consumers with high-speed Internet directly via satellite communications.

www.roscosmos.ru

Новости. Космические аппараты OneWeb прибыли на Восточный

Космические аппараты британской компании OneWeb прибыли в аэропорт Игнатьево (г. Благовещенск) на самолете Ан-124-100. Специалисты Космического центра «Восточный» (филиал Центра эксплуатации объектов наземной космической инфраструктуры, входит в состав Госкорпорации «Роскосмос») уже...
www.roscosmos.ru www.roscosmos.ru
 
"Роскосмос" заключил договор на техпроект ракеты для полетов на Луну - РИА Новости, 16.12.2020 (ria.ru)

"Roscosmos"A contract worth about 1.5 billion rubles for the development of a technical project of the yenisei-class super-heavy launch vehicle for flights to the Moon, follows from the materials of the state corporation, posted on the website of state procurement.
The contract between Roscosmos and the Progress Rocket and Space Center, worth 1.47 billion rubles, signed on December 15, provides for "the development of a technical project of a space rocket complex with a super-heavy launch vehicle and a booster unit" by mid-November 2021."

new generation of small satellites? Просто в космос: ученые РАН создают прорывной двигатель для спутников (yandex.ru)

Just into space: RAS scientists create a breakthrough engine for satellites
It will use metal-dielectric plates as fuel, the supply of which will last for 10 years of autonomous operation.
Denis Gritsenko
January 13, 2021

Russian scientists have proposed a qualitatively new type of engine for work in outer space. It is based on the principle of plasma excitation using a microwave spark discharge. Such a unit can be installed on small-format satellites. Unlike the gas-fueled satellite engines common today, the new device will use special metal-dielectric plates as an energy source, the supply of which will be enough for 10 years of autonomous operation. A plate with a radius of 10 cm can replace 1.5 thousand cubic meters of gas fuel. In the future, new engines can be used to explore the solar system.

Small but smart

Scientists of the Institute of General Physics named after A.M. Prokhorov Russian Academy of Sciences are ready to create a prototype of a new type of engine for operation in outer space. According to their idea, the movement should occur due to the use of a new type of discharge described by them, which arises in a gaseous medium as a result of the action of microwave radiation. Physicists called it the microwave spark discharge (MIR).

- The engine offered by us has a number of advantages. The main one is that a metal-dielectric disk is used as a solid fuel in the system, '' said Igor Kossyi, head of the laboratory of gas-kinetic phenomena in the microwave discharge of the GPI RAS.

With the help of MIR, it is possible to act on a metal-dielectric material in such a way as to excite a plasma, which will propel the aircraft forward. The power of such an engine will be relatively small, but sufficient for driving in a vacuum. Therefore, the developers propose to start using it on light small-scale near-earth satellites, which are in demand today in Russia and in the world.

The source of electromagnetic radiation in the new engine can be a standard magnetron used in conventional microwave ovens. The dimensions of the equipment are 50x50x100 cm, weight - 2 kg. The cost price of the new unit is about € 1 thousand.

The engine requires a metal dielectric plate as fuel. For example, a Plexiglas disk 10 cm in diameter and 2 cm thick can serve as a source of 1.5 thousand cubic meters of gas, which is necessary for plasma generation. Solid fuel will significantly reduce the size of the satellite due to the part of it that stores the gas in cylinders used today for the movement of spacecraft. According to the calculations of the GPI RAS specialists, the supply of the fuel dielectric on board the small spacecraft may be sufficient for 10 years of autonomous operation.

The complexity of the implementation of the proposed engine and its analogs - in a relatively weak thrust. The power of the mechanical impulse that the satellite acquires as a result of the operation of the device is small. But the authors of the development have an idea how to enhance this characteristic. Current calculations of mechanical impulse have been made from a motor design in which microwave radiation is applied directly to a metal-dielectric surface. If the microwaves arrive at the plasma-generating surface, passing through the radio-transparent thickness of the dielectric disk, in theory this can significantly increase the mechanical impulse. But the hypothesis has yet to be confirmed during the experiment.

Wait for the tests

Experts in the field of space technology, interviewed by Izvestia, reacted to the proposed technical solution of the GPI RAS with cautious optimism. From their point of view, the idea of a plasma engine is interesting, but for the final assessment, you need to wait for its embodiment "in hardware".

“The concept of the engine proposed by Russian scientists has an important advantage: the working fluid in it is initially in a solid, not a liquefied state,” said Alexei Baigashev, head of the Astronomical Society of the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University.

According to the expert, all other things being equal to the engine, this will significantly reduce the volume occupied by the fuel, simplify storage, transportation and preparation of the spacecraft for launch. The key issue is testing the stated concept in a real spacecraft. Probably, after the development of a new engine and its ground tests, the researchers will launch a test microsatellite, which, with its low mass and cost of launching into orbit, will allow to fully study the operation of the propulsion system in real conditions.

“Implementation of an ion engine with such a plasma source requires a constructive solution and testing in experiments,” noted Oleg Tsybin, professor at the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University's Higher Engineering and Physics School (the university is a participant in the 5-100 education competitiveness project).

We need practical solutions to the problems of materials and technology of a solid surface, its resistance, destruction, thermodynamics, the type and acceleration of ions, their neutralization, the expert explained. After solving them, the advantages and disadvantages of the engine and its capabilities will be more clear.

Adjust trajectory

It is possible that the MIR engines will be useful in a situation when it is necessary to save chemical fuel and correct the ballistic trajectory for a long flight time, believes Alexander Efremov, director of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Gravity and Cosmology of the RUDN University.

“However, so far we have no data on their parameters and capabilities,” he said.

The advantage of a potential installation based on a microwave spark discharge, if it is operational, is an accelerated flight to various celestial bodies without the consumption of a working medium, or with minimal consumption. However, such a technical solution still raises questions, since it has never been practically implemented, said Denis Malygin, candidate of technical sciences, chief designer of the Astronomicon laboratory and employee of the Department of Photonics at ETU LETI. Experimental data do not unequivocally confirm or refute the performance of such an installation, this is due, among other things, to the small value of the expected effect, comparable to the measurement errors, the expert noted.

Such engines with ionic thrust are applicable only in space vacuum and cannot move vehicles through the atmosphere, Denis Malygin argues, since ion engines do not work in the presence of ions outside the engine. Such devices have a high power consumption (1–7 kW), and power generation on small satellites is very limited. Moreover, to achieve acceleration, a new type of engine requires a long work, which again brings back to the question of satellite power, he added.

- Interesting idea. It can find application in shunting engines, which are used in the orientation and stabilization systems of spacecraft, ”said Anastasia Khramtsova, head of the Aerospace Systems direction of the FEFU design center.

For propulsion engines, the declared thrust is very low, she said. The question is how much energy is needed for the installation to work - this is a decisive factor when choosing an engine for a satellite.
 
EKS: Russia’s space-based missile early warning system

In May of last year, Russia launched the fourth of its new-generation missile early warning satellites called Tundra. Flying in highly elliptical orbits, they continuously monitor regions from which missile attacks could potentially be launched against Russian territory. The Tundra satellites are part of the Integrated Space System (EKS), which will also include several satellites in geostationary orbit. With the fourth Tundra launch, EKS is reported to have reached its minimum baseline configuration. This article attempts to shed new light on the system’s technical features and capabilities using a variety of openly available sources.

 

new vacuum test chamber facility has been opened for testing orbital equipment at the Keldysh Center.
The facility not only does vacuum but also tries to simulate the low density high temperature and ionized
conditions in the outer atmosphere.

They have also developed an elastic gap filler material that can be used to counteract punctures of spacecraft
by micrometeorites and space junk.

They are continuing work on nuclear propulsion for solar system exploration in addition to regular Hall effect ion
thrusters. Can use settings for english auto translate captions.
 

Фотография самолёта · Ильюшин · Ил-76МДК · RF-75352 · Россия - Роскосмос ✈ russianplanes.net ✈ наша авиация

Фотография самолёта. Разработчик: Ильюшин, модификация: Ил-76МДК, бортовой номер: RF-75352, оператор: Россия - Роскосмос, место съёмки: ! Прочее - Россия !, фотограф: Илья Савиных (c)
russianplanes.net russianplanes.net

Vomit Cometski in action!
 
Dumping a bunch of news.

ria.ru

В России вернули прежние объемы финансирования космических программ

Финансирование научных космических проектов Федеральной космической программы на 2016-2025 годы восстановлено в прежнем объеме, заявил на заседании президиума... РИА Новости, 13.04.2021
ria.ru ria.ru

MOSCOW, April 13 - RIA Novosti. Funding for scientific space projects of the Federal Space Program for 2016-2025 has been restored to the same level, President of the Academy Alexander Sergeev said at a meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences .

"The restoration of funding for the scientific space subsection within the framework of the Federal Space Program has been confirmed," the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences said; the meeting is being broadcast on YouTube.

"Now a decision has been made to restore funding at the level of 15 billion (rubles per year - ed.), Which will allow us to carry out three missions to the moon : this year Luna-25, in 2024 - Luna-26 and in 2025 year "Luna-27" - he added.

In November 2020, Sergeev announced that the volume of funding for scientific research in the field of space in Russia until 2025 will be cut five times - to three billion rubles from the planned 12-15 billion rubles.
Prior to that, the deputy of the State Duma Denis Kravchenko after a meeting with the head of " Roskosmos " Dmitry Rogozin told reporters that may be affected Russian lunar program: according to him, "Luna-26" and "Luna-27" is partially funded, "but then there is a significant sequestration ".

tass.ru

Роскосмос потратит 1,88 млрд рублей на создание комплекса районов посадки корабля "Орел"

Работы должны быть выполнены до 15 ноября 2025 года
tass.ru tass.ru

MOSCOW, April 13. / TASS /. Roskosmos plans to spend 1.88 billion rubles on development work (ROC) to create a complex of landing areas and primary service for the reentry vehicle of the manned transport spacecraft Orel, follows from the materials posted on the public procurement portal .

According to the terms of reference, "the purpose of the design and development work is to create a complex of landing areas and primary servicing of the reentry vehicle (VA) of a manned transport vehicle."

The work must be completed from the date of the contract until November 15, 2025. The terms of reference state that the complex should include means for evacuating the crew from the reentry vehicle, means for its primary post-flight service, auxiliary and training means, technical systems. "Established landing areas should have the following characteristics: areas are selected on the land territories of Russia; areas should be limited in size, but not less than the specified accuracy of landing VA; the height of the terrain above sea level [should be] no more than 500 m," - says the terms of reference.

At the same time, the landing areas should be in a deserted place, and rivers, swamps and water bodies should occupy no more than 5% of their territory.

About the ship "Eagle"
On February 12, Aleksey Bogomolov, General Designer of the Center for Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure Facilities, announced that the Oryol spacecraft would land in the Orenburg region after a space flight. According to him, the release of the draft design has been successfully completed, which determined the requirements, the composition of the equipment and the technology of work with the reentry vehicle of the ship in the areas of its landing.

The promising manned spacecraft Orel (formerly the Federation) is being created as part of the Russian lunar program. The first launch of the Eagle without astronauts on board is scheduled for December 15, 2023 from the Vostochny cosmodrome; during this flight, the spacecraft docking with the ISS is not envisaged. In 2024, Oryol will perform a second flight (also without astronauts), followed by docking with the station. In 2028, he should make a manned flight around the moon.

ÐÔ ïðèíÿëà ðåøåíèå î ñòðîèòåëüñòâå îòäåëüíîé îðáèòàëüíîé ñòàíöèè- ÑÌÈ (âåðñèÿ 2) -

Èíòåðôàêñ - Àãåíòñòâî Âîåííûõ Íîâîñòåé - èíôîðìàöèÿ î âîåííî-ïîëèòè÷åñêîé ñèòóàöèè â ñòðàíå, î äåÿòåëüíîñòè Ìèíèñòåðñòâà îáîðîíû è äðóãèõ ñèëîâûõ ìèíèñòåðñòâ, î ñèòóàöèè â Ðîññèéñêîé àðìèè è Âîåííî-ïðîìûøëåííîì êîìïëåêñå Ðîññèè.
www.militarynews.ru

Moscow. April 12th. INTERFAX - The Russian leadership has approved the decision to create an independent Russian orbital station, the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper reported.
"The project to create an alternative for the ISS was approved on Monday by the President of the country at a closed meeting on the development of the space industry, which was held by Vladimir Putin from Engels," the newspaper said, citing an informed source.
"It is assumed that the construction of the new ROSS station will begin in the near future in order to prevent a large temporary gap between the conservation of our segment on the ISS and the appearance of a new working area in orbit. The estimated date for the conservation of the old segment of the ISS is 2025," the publication says.
As noted in the publication, the decision was dictated by the deterioration of a number of modules in the Russian segment.
The executive director of Roskosmos for manned programs, Sergei Krikalev, on Monday evening was unable to confirm to Interfax the information that Russia would create its own orbital station.
“I cannot comment on anything, because I don’t know,” he said.
On April 5, Vladimir Soloviev, Flight Director of the ISS Russian Segment, announced that the life of the ISS could be extended until the 2030s.
"Next, we plan to think about the completion of the ISS, although until 2030, maybe a little more, we plan to operate it with a smooth completion of the program," Solovyov said.
In October 2020, Soloviev announced that the corporation's specialists predict "an avalanche-like failure of numerous elements on board the ISS" after 2025. According to him, due to the increased costs, experts consider it necessary "to reconsider the terms of further participation in the program and focus on the implementation of programs for orbital stations."
The Space Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences, after its report, recommended to revise the terms of the ISS flight program and start developing a new concept for the development of Russian manned space exploration, "including the creation of a national manned infrastructure in near-earth orbit."
The service life of the ISS expires in 2024. Earlier, it was repeatedly reported about a possible extension of the station's operation until 2030.
On November 26 last year, Roskosmos reported that in early 2021 it is planned to begin consultations with NASA and other partners on the future fate of the station. On December 28, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov announced that the fate of the ISS would be determined "in the first quarter of next year."
On March 4, Yuri Gidzenko, deputy head of the Energia spacecraft and launch vehicle flight center, said that a decision had been made "at the upper levels" to extend the station's operation until 2028.

en.topwar.ru

Russia completes contract for the supply of RD-180 rocket engines to the United States

Russia has completed a contract for the supply of RD-180 rocket engines to the United States, the last batch has gone to the customer. This was announced by Roskosmos. As explained, on April 14, NPO Energomash handed over to the American side the last six RD-180 engines produced for the United...
en.topwar.ru en.topwar.ru

Russia completes contract for the supply of RD-180 rocket engines to the United States
Today, 12: 46
31
Russia has completed a contract for the supply of RD-180 rocket engines to the United States, the last batch has gone to the customer. This was announced by Roskosmos.

As explained, on April 14, NPO Energomash handed over to the American side the last six RD-180 engines produced for the United States under the current contract. Representatives of American companies signed documents on the acceptance of engines, after which they will be sent to the States.

It is noted that this is the last batch under the contract, it was supposed to go to the United States in 2020, but the delivery did not take place due to the coronavirus pandemic. Over the entire period of cooperation, Energomash has delivered 122 RD-180 engines to the United States.

However, Energomash does not intend to lose the American market and is negotiating new contracts for Russian rocket engines. It is not excluded that the United States, despite the demands of Congress to completely abandon Russian engines, will sign a new agreement. At least last year, it was reported that US dependence on the RD-180 and RD-181 will last until 2024 at least.

At the same time, the sale of Russian engines to the Americans brings up to a third of Energomash's proceeds. A complete refusal to supply can lead to losses from 10 to 13 billion rubles per year.

The RD-180 engines are used on the Atlas rockets, and the R-181 engines are used on the Antares rockets, which are used to send Cygnus cargo ships to the ISS.

Russian manned lunar expeditionary complex, released by RKK

lun exp.jpg

lun exp 2.jpg
lun exp 3.jpg
 
Volga-Dnepr Airlines has delivered a Luna-25 full-scale mock-up from Moscow (Russia) to Blagoveshchensk (Russia) onboard an AN-124-100 freighter.

A five-tonne full-scale overall assembly of Luna-25 spacecraft designed and manufactured by NPO Lavochkin, one of the leading aerospace companies, was transported to Ignatyevo airport for further trucking to the Vostochny Cosmodrome. The mockup is intended for complex tests of technical means and systems at the cosmodrome.
Click to expand...

www.aircargonews.net

Volga-Dnepr transports spacecraft scale model for testing - Air Cargo News

Volga-Dnepr Airlines has delivered a Luna-25 full-scale mock-up from Moscow (Russia) to Blagoveshchensk (Russia) onboard an AN-124-100 freighter. A
www.aircargonews.net www.aircargonews.net
 
Eric Berger as a source? who is he?

eric burger.JPG

The Proton-Ms 1st flight was in 2001 and the falcon-9 block 5 was like flown in 2018, they managed to cut down the Proton costs to 65 million but that was not enough to reach 62 million while Space X could go as low as 50+ million to gain profit which was a block 5 design. Determining the payloads and costs of the Angara-A5M and Amur I am sure NASA loves the supposed rivalry of Roscosmos and Space X because NASA is getting cheaper flights and is hoping Space X does not kick the bucket for newer competitive designs. I hope Space X soon will have a fly-wing rocket design bureau being created to keep the rivalry going.
 
https://phys.org/news/2021-05-russia-crew-iss-movie-space.html People will probably complain that this guy is sleeping in bed with one space agency and than going to the next one, while I think his motive is to excite people back into space exploration and encourage it.

The Russian space agency announced the film project after NASA confirmed last year it was teaming up with US action star Tom Cruise to make a movie on the ISS.

The Russian "space drama", whose working title is "Challenge," will feature popular Russian actress Yulia Peresild, 36, and Klim Shipenko, a 37-year-old US-educated director and actor, Roscosmos said.

They will have to undergo training, including tests on a centrifuge, parachute jumps and flights in zero gravity, starting no later than June 1.

A mockup of the Russian segment of the ISS will be used to prepare the film crew for their space adventure.

The launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft has been set for October 5.

"Wish us luck," Peresild said in a post on Instagram.

The film is being co-produced by the flamboyant head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, and state-run network Channel One.

Konstantin Ernst, Channel One general director, said the film was part of a major project—that will also include the production of documentary films —to help Russians rediscover "love and passion" for the human spaceflight programme.

"If people love a certain industry then this energy is being channelled into this process," Ernst said in televised remarks.

The eccentric billionaire has previously announced plans to take eight people with him on a 2023 mission around the moon aboard a Starship spacecraft built by Musk's SpaceX.

Maezawa and film producer Hirano will begin approximately three months of pre-flight training in June at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City outside of Moscow.

They have already passed the required medical examinations.

Roscosmos said the flight will last 12 days and the crew will be led by Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, who has already been on two missions to the ISS.

A total of eight private self-funded space travellers have visited the ISS and Maezawa will be the first from Japan.

His flight will also be the first time that two of the three spots on a Soyuz rocket will be occupied by tourists.

"We are excited for Maezawa-san and we are honoured to have enabled this opportunity for him to fly to space," said Eric Anderson, CEO of Space Adventures, a private spaceflight company.
 

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