Russian Space Program: News & Discussion #3

Russia’s Soyuz-2.1b rocket to orbit Gonets-M telecoms satellites in 2020

By the year-end, Gonets-M satellites will be launched with the help of a Rokot carrier rocket for the last time

MOSCOW, October 1. /TASS/. The work on adapting Soyuz-2.1b carrier rockets for orbitting Gonets-M communications satellites will be over in 2020 and the first such launch is scheduled for the summer of next year, Gonets Satellite System Company told TASS on Tuesday.

"In 2020, there are plans to complete the adaptation of the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket for the launches of Gonets-M satellites and conduct two launches (with three satellites in each launch), the first of which is scheduled for the summer, and thus renew the orbital grouping that consists of 12 satellites," the company said.

The launch of a package of Gonets-M satellites with the help of a Rokot carrier rocket is scheduled before the end of this year. This will be the last flight by this type of carrier rockets, the company reported. "No decision on its delay was made," the company said, commenting on the reports that a decision had allegedly been made to postpone the launch until next year.

"Work is currently underway with Gonets-M satellites developed by the Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems for their subsequent dispatch from the enterprise to the Plesetsk spaceport in October," it stated.

The Gonets is Russia’s sole low-orbit system of mobile satellite communications designed for the global exchange of various types of information with mobile and stationary facilities, and for organizing re-broadcasting channels for various purposes. The system allows transmitting Glonass coordinate data from a mobile post to remote monitoring and communications centers, irrespective of a subscriber’s location.

Gonets-M small-class satellites are delivered into a low circular orbit (about 1,500 km over the Earth) in a set of three space vehicles. Satellites of this series provide for communications along with registering and storing messages in their onboard memory device and subsequently transmitting them to the subscriber.

Gonets-M satellites are also designed to provide telephone and facsimile communications in the area of users’ direct radio coverage.

https://tass.com/science/1080750

Space bagel: Russia to fly donut-shaped spaceship to edge of solar system

https://www.rt.com/news/470201-russian-scientists-donut-spaceship/


This is the kind of projects , that Russia needs to do , Domination and Leadership in space is not
only for bragging rights or any kind of Ego mania needs.. it is Instrumental for Russia existence and
not allow the opposition to Russia ,internal or external like US ,to influence their society towards the
US orbit , and encourage divisions in society by weaken Russia government influence at home..


NAtional unity through Success and Leadership of their country in world development..
This is the only way for Russia to move forward. and not like Putin does
through meaningless Sports bullshit or remembering the old past.. or by politely asking for it..
Is by being Successful nation that Russia can take off ,to the next level and earn the respect ,that Gasputin ask the west politely for it but never gets.. not surprisingly.  

Hopefully the mission to the edge of solar system will pass close to other planets and take ultra extreme
fidelity resolution pictures of Planets.. so to show the world as close as possible ,how they really looks like  ,
and not like NASA Disney animators show us.. using their fake probe The Voyager 1 .. that there is no way
with the technology NASA had by that time ,to do a probe that will last near 50 years sending "images"
and "communications" surviving radiation and freezing temperatures ,that surpass several time the the north and south Poles on earth..  No nuclear reactor could last that long ,neither solar panels in the 70s could provide
enough energy to heat for so long a probe and keep it sending high definition pictures of the solar system.

So i hope Russia advertise this properly and hopefully the probe armed with state of the art cameras for space
environment and bring back home true photos of the solar system..   Better late than never ,but this is the kind of projects Russia should have been doing on a regular basis every 5 to 10 years send a new probe to explore a different zone or planet or mars or jupiter or saturn satellites. Space domination should be the #1 priority of Russian budget , this not only create a tons and tons of advanced high tech jobs ,that helps the economy ,but
this also attract a lot of foreign high potential talent too to work in Russia and best of all promote investment and
more importantly.. it influence Russia enemies too , their interest and desire of collaboration... Russia can use
its space program as a carrot to a horse.. to bait negative forces in US and Europe towards Russian orbit. But
only will work ,if Russia shows clear domination and leadership on Space exploration...and the west realize it can benefit far more in cooperation with Russia..than not. This is how Putin's Russia only end the western cold/semi hot war.. and how can silence the opposition at home , and like their government..with Success and leadership and domination in space is one powerful way.. Defeating US in other high tech areas ,business that society love, and are fun for society like creating a new modern culture by developing a modern entertainment industry is another..

No timeline, no completed design, no funding, no launch platform, not even concept art of spacecraft

This is the image they used in the article, I shit you not:




To say nothing of the fact that everyone and their grandma among space faring nations already sent probes out there

Russia starts operating Kanopus satellite system to monitor natural and man-made disasters

MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. Russia’s Roscosmos state space corporation has launched the operation of its Kanopus-V satellite system to monitor natural and man-made disasters, Roscosmos announced on its website on Tuesday.

"The Kanopus-V space system has been accepted for service. The corresponding decision was made by the Roscosmos state space corporation on September 26, 2019," the space agency said in a statement.

The Scientific Center of the Earth’s Operational Monitoring of the Russian Space Systems Company has been selected as the operator of the Kanopus-V satellite system, the statement reads.

The grouping of Kanopus-V satellites helps promptly address the tasks of continuously monitoring man-made and natural disasters and promptly detecting forest fires and large discharges of pollutants. In addition, the system’s satellites monitor natural hydrometeorological phenomena and agricultural activity.

The Kanopus-V satellite system helps Russia renew topographic maps. The Kanopus-V satellites are making surveys of the territory of Russia with a periodicity of once or twice every twenty-four hours.

Kanopus-V satellite grouping

Russia started deploying its new satellite grouping with the launch of the first Kanopus-V space vehicle on July 22, 2012. The satellite was intended to operate for five years but has been up and running for the seventh year by now.

Russia continued deploying its new satellite grouping in July 2017 with the launch of a Kanopus-V-IK. On February 1, 2018, Kanopus-V No. 3 and No. 4 satellites joined the orbital grouping. On December 27, 2018, Kanopus-V No. 5 and No. 6 Earth sensing satellites entered their designated orbit and transmitted their first images.

Kanopus-V satellites weighing 465 kg are delivered into the sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of about 510 km. The satellites have an active service life of five years.

https://tass.com/science/1082086

Proton-M launches EUTELSAT 5 West B & MEV-1

Another successful launch of Proton, so thats 18 consecutive flights since the last failure (MexSat-1 in May 2015).  Hopefully the old girl can keep flying successfully until her final (well earned) retirement.  

In the larger picture, that's 17 flights this year without any feck-ups, so fingers crossed for a failure-free year.

Russia sees UAE as future site for space launches
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/general/russia-sees-uae-as-future-site-for-space-launches-

Cyberspec wrote:Russia sees UAE as future site for space launches
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/general/russia-sees-uae-as-future-site-for-space-launches-

I'm leaning to think that Russia should have built a Soyuz pad there instead of ESAs Kourou in French Guiana.... Eurotrash can't be trusted, and while neither can the Wahhabi-lite camel fondlers of the Emirates, I think they are smart enough not to bite hands that feed them (unlike Uncle Shams minions in Occupied Europe)

The second test of the Angara-A5 rocket was postponed to 2020

Apparently the 2nd Angara-5 flight will be postponed as the rocket delivery in Nov 2019 doesn't allow sufficient time for the military to prepare Plesetsk for a launch this year.

No great surprise I suppose, but annoying nonetheless. It would have been good to mark the 5th anniversary of the hand-built prototypes flight with the 1st flight of a serial production unit.

https://ria.ru/20191012/1559697209.html

(BTW typical stupid RIA journos use a stock photo of a Proton and call it an A-5...)

Big_Gazza wrote:

Cyberspec wrote:Russia sees UAE as future site for space launches
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/general/russia-sees-uae-as-future-site-for-space-launches-

I'm leaning to think that Russia should have built a Soyuz pad there instead of ESAs Kourou in French Guiana.... Eurotrash can't be trusted, and while neither can the Wahhabi-lite camel fondlers of the Emirates, I think they are smart enough not to bite hands that feed them (unlike Uncle Shams minions in Occupied Europe)

In this case it wasn't their call or their facility

It was European project, Russians just delivered the product in exchange for money

If there is any foreign launch site Russia should ditch ASAP it's Kazakhstan

As for UAE it's complete nonsense because Russians still have no usable launch infrastructure back home other than for basic light payloads and even that is barely working

PapaDragon wrote:As for UAE it's complete nonsense because Russians still have no usable launch infrastructure back home other than for basic light payloads and even that is barely working

As for Kourou it's complete nonsense because Europeans still have no usable launch infrastructure back home...

In any case, Russia has Plesetsk for national security payloads and Vostochny will supplant Baikonur as time goes on. There is no need to abandon the huge investment into Baikonurs infrastructure as long as it still fulfills a need. Engaging the Kazakhs and keeping them on side geopolitically is certifiably better than abandoning the facility and leaving them with a useless "asset" they can't support. Once in a while why not try looking at the big pictures over a longer timescale, cuz that's what the Ruskies and the ChiComs seem to do...

Big_Gazza wrote:

PapaDragon wrote:As for UAE it's complete nonsense because Russians still have no usable launch infrastructure back home other than for basic light payloads and even that is barely working

As for Kourou it's complete nonsense because Europeans still have no usable launch infrastructure back home...

Kourou IS home, that is French territory

Baikonur is abroad located in a county that has been trying to leech of Russia for years on the back of it and is constantly sabotaging projects (they are doing it as we speak with finding bullshittery)

PapaDragon wrote:Kourou IS home, that is French territory

Ahh...  yes, actually you are correct. I concede the point!

Agree with you BTW on the kazakhs as they have proved to be scumbags regarding Baikonour and "joint projects" that they decide they don't want to help pay for.  I'll never forgive them for the Buran debacle, how they insisted on taking ownership of the vehicles, only to leave them abandoned and rotting. Buran destroyed in a roof collapse, and a nearly complete man-capable Pitchka looted and wrecked by scumbags looking for a fast buck....

Despite all that Russia still needs to play the geoplitical game.  On the scheme of things, Kazakhstan is too important to Eurasian integration to allow relationships to fail over issues like this.

GarryB wrote:Lets see how SeaLaunch goes...

I'm expecting some Yankistani politician to advocate preventing the transfer of the launch platform to Russia, or even seizing the asset. Maybe invoking CAATSA or Magnitsky? Any pathetic contrived BS excuse will do for these congenital idiots...

Big_Gazza wrote:

GarryB wrote:Lets see how SeaLaunch goes...

I'm expecting some Yankistani politician to advocate preventing the transfer of the launch platform to Russia, or even seizing the asset.  Maybe invoking CAATSA or Magnitsky?  Any pathetic contrived BS excuse will do for these congenital idiots...

They can but it wont result in anything other than forcing S7 to move it to Russia anyway. They could move Sea Launch to the middle east as a measure of Russian foreign policy exchange in good will (which will lead from middle east further investments in Russia).

miketheterrible wrote:

Big_Gazza wrote:

GarryB wrote:Lets see how SeaLaunch goes...

I'm expecting some Yankistani politician to advocate preventing the transfer of the launch platform to Russia, or even seizing the asset.  Maybe invoking CAATSA or Magnitsky?  Any pathetic contrived BS excuse will do for these congenital idiots...

They can but it wont result in anything other than forcing S7 to move it to Russia anyway.  They could move Sea Launch to the middle east as a measure of Russian foreign policy exchange in good will (which will lead from middle east further investments in Russia).

How can Russia prevent US seizing both the Sea Launch vessels?

GarryB wrote:By refusing to sell them rocket motors for their space craft and Titanium to make the F-35s and Boeings.

Plus S7 can sue the US at WTO for theft of assets since S7 isn't sanctioned.

Yeah, US wont confiscated the assets.

George1 wrote:

Russia starts operating Kanopus satellite system to monitor natural and man-made disasters

\

"The Kanopus-V space system has been accepted for service. The corresponding decision was made by the Roscosmos state space corporation on September 26, 2019," the space agency said in a statement.


The grouping of Kanopus-V satellites helps promptly address the tasks of continuously monitoring man-made and natural disasters and promptly detecting forest fires and large discharges of pollutants. In addition, the system’s satellites monitor natural hydrometeorological phenomena and agricultural activity.

Right there the Russian Space agency ROSCOSMOS is suggesting some contries (America)
Is doing sabotage to nations provoking forest fires and drop of chemicals and pollution in a major
international scale..

it should be possible to deploy powerful Mirror like glass reflectors in Space ,
like magnifying glass ,to direct SUN light in a concentrated way in very dry zones..
and so produce forest fires that never ends.. And the goal of such operations could be
none that cause major economical damage to Russia economy.. which is what the COld
War really means.. a war on Russia economy and Russia image.

Just months ago RT released a report of a major pollution problem in Mexico tourism beaches ,
that was not natural , basically many of their tourism in coast in both side of Mexico coast
polluted by a phenomenon that at first looked natural made.. but it was man made.. And the
President of Mexico ,also told it.. in television , hinting that some foreign companies are
behind the major pollution of Mexico coast line.. RT in the other hand did not hinted and was
more direct and gave names of the US companies behind the sabotage of Mexico coast with
pollution. Such a thing could be easily done with american Submarines , to drop biological warfare  substances developed in a laboratory ,to create an imbalance on the maritime sea floor vegetation ,to generate pollution . that could look like Natural phenomenon  but is man made..

and just think about it .. US can damages the tourism industry o any nation ,not following the American
System ,targets its Tourism economy ,by polluting their beaches.. It also hinted the report that a foreign nation.. (likely US) is behind major forest fires in some nations.. The  CIA level of terrorism know no boundaries.. and this is only more information , that what kind of evil exist in the world today and
this should be another powerful reason ,Why Russia needs to stop underestimating their western NATO
partners. and to push forward for a Full Militarization of Russia space zone.. and deploy not only
advances cameras to monitor the planet regions.. but also to monitor any thing man made
in space. and destroy anything that threatens its satellites or that try to interfere with its Soyuz rockets
missions.. Not doing anything will be a catastrophic mistake.. since Russia could be denied space ,in ways
that it will be impossible for Russia to proof , American sabotage its space program..  You have drones
attacking Russian military bases in middle east..  and Russia knows who is behind  Alqaeda advanced drones
and they all the time hint who is behind it.. but like always do nothing.. remains passive ,and allows its enemies
to continue trying attacking Russian military bases..  

Vann7 wrote:...Right there the Russian Space agency ROSCOSMOS is suggesting some contries (America)
Is doing sabotage to nations provoking forest fires and drop of chemicals and pollution in a major
international scale..

Are you just dumber than usual or have you become illiterate as well?

Despite best efforts of Roskosmos to be laughing stock of the world this nonsense claim would be too much even for clowns like them

owais.usmani wrote:

miketheterrible wrote:

Big_Gazza wrote:

GarryB wrote:Lets see how SeaLaunch goes...

I'm expecting some Yankistani politician to advocate preventing the transfer of the launch platform to Russia, or even seizing the asset.  Maybe invoking CAATSA or Magnitsky?  Any pathetic contrived BS excuse will do for these congenital idiots...

They can but it wont result in anything other than forcing S7 to move it to Russia anyway.  They could move Sea Launch to the middle east as a measure of Russian foreign policy exchange in good will (which will lead from middle east further investments in Russia).

How can Russia prevent US seizing both the Sea Launch vessels?

https://ria.ru/20191008/1559527638.html

MOSCOW, October 8 - RIA Novosti. The launch pad of the Sea Launch project was prepared for transportation from the US to Russia, sources in the rocket and space industry and the government told RIA Novosti.
According to the agency’s interlocutor in the rocket and space industry, all American and Ukrainian equipment was dismantled from the Odyssey platform.
This information was confirmed by the source of RIA Novosti in the government. We are talking about information and communication equipment of Boeing and launch equipment for the Zenit rocket from Yuzhmash. It is stored at the Sea Launch home port - Long Beach.
According to sources, the platform is ready for the transition to the Far East, but permission for relocation from the US State Department is required. “Negotiations are ongoing,” the source said.
The press service of the S7 group (owner of the project) and the leadership of S7 Space RIA Novosti could not receive a comment. Roscosmos did not comment on the information, since the spaceport is owned by a private company.
Earlier, Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roskosmos, spoke about plans to deploy Sea Launch in the Far East. The port in Bolshoi Kamen near Vladivostok can become a place of basing.
The question of relocating the project to the Far East was already considered in 2013 and 2015. Then, Vladivostok, Sovetskaya Gavan, Crimea and Vietnam were called as the location of the launch platform and command ship. As a result, in 2016, the project was sold to the S7 group of companies, which intended to restore launch activity and ordered Zenit missiles in Ukraine.
In April last year, S7 became the full owner of the floating spaceport. As part of the deal, she got the entire property complex of the project: the Sea Launch Commander, the Odyssey platform with missile segment equipment, ground equipment in the port of Long Beach, and intellectual property rights owned by Sea Launch, including the trademark. The total transaction amount, including the withdrawal from conservation, is about $ 150 million. However, the company did not continue launching activities.
The last, 36th launch was made from the Sea Launch in 2014. After that, the floating spaceport was mothballed due to the deterioration of Russian-Ukrainian relations.

Russia, France draft agreement on deep space exploration

The observatory will study deep space objects and look for traces of extraterrestrial life, according to the scientist

MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. Russia and France are drafting an agreement under the program of launching the Spektr-M (Millimetron) observatory to study deep space objects and look for traces of extraterrestrial life, Deputy Director of the Lebedev Physical Institute within the Russian Academy of Sciences Larisa Likhachyova told TASS on Wednesday.

"We have started to draft an agreement with the French space agency," she said.

Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Nikolai Kardashyov said earlier when he was head of the Astro Space Center at the Lebedev Physical Institute that Italy, France, China and other countries were planning to take part in the Millimetron project.

The agreement on the Millimetron project is at the final stage with South Korea and Russia has already signed a document on cooperation with the Italian space agency, Likhachyova said. The Russian-Chinese space exploration program also envisages cooperation under the Spektr-M project, Likhachyova stated.

Efforts are currently underway to develop working design documentation for the spacecraft, she specified. "Simultaneously, work is ongoing to create design and technological mock-ups," she noted, adding that this stage would last until 2023.

The scientist said, however, that the Spektr-M observatory might be launched no sooner than 2030 due to cuts in financing under the Spektr-M program in 2019.

Spektr-M observatory

The Spektr-M observatory is designed to study deep space objects in the millimeter, sub-millimeter and far infrared bands of the spectrum. The space observatory will allow scientists to get data on the global structure of the Universe, the structure and the evolution of galaxies, their nuclei, stars, planetary systems, objects with the super-strong gravitational and electromagnetic fields and also data on organic compounds in outer space.

Scientists are planning to launch the Spektr-M observatory to a distance of 1.5 million kilometers, to the Lagrange L2 point of equal impact of the Sun-Earth system’s gravitational forces. The Lavochkin Research and Production Association is the main contractor for creating the spacecraft. The Astro Space Center of the Lebedev Physical Institute is the basic contractor for making scientific equipment while the Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems Company is its associate contactor responsible for designing the telescope and assembling and testing the onboard scientific equipment.

https://tass.com/science/1087130

Russia plans to have 20 remote sensing satellites by 2022 — Roscosmos

Besides, Russia plans to start creating a national remote satellite sensing center next year

MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. Russia plans to start creating a national remote satellite sensing center next year and, by 2022, the country is expected to have about 20 remote sensing satellites on the orbit, said Valery Zaichko, the deputy director of the navigational space systems department of Russia’s space corporation Roscosmos.

"By 2025, even starting from 2022, we plan to have about 15-20 spacecraft as part of Russia’s orbital group, including for hydrometeorological and radar survey, Zaichko said on Monday, during a conference, headlined ‘Modern challenges for remote sensing of the Earth from space.’

The official said that Russia’s current remote sensing orbital group has 11 satellites, mostly of the Kanopus family.

"We can get [imagery] of the same object on a daily basis, twice a day. In the course of one week, we make images of an area of about 17 million square kilometers," he said.

According to Zaichko, an Elektro-L satellite will be launched by the end of the year. Three more satellites, including Resurs-P and Meteor satellites, are to be put into the orbit by 2020. In the same year, Russia will start creating a space system headlined Arktika (Arctic).

In 2021, Russia plans to launch satellites of the Resurs-P, Meteor, Kondor-FKA, Obzor-R and Elektro-L series.
Remote satellite sensing center

In 2020, Russia plans to start creating its National Center for remote sensing of the Earth, similar to the existing National Defense Management Center of the Russian Defense Ministry and the National Crisis Situations Management Center of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Zaichko said.

"We have created an operator of remote sensing space systems, but we plan to go further. Today, at the basis of this operator, Roscosmos is establishing the National Center for Remote Sensing of the Earth from space," the official said.

He added that the center’s main facililty will be located in Moscow, and some of the auxiliary facilities - in the city of Kalyazin, on the basis of the deep space communications center.

The works are to begin in 2020 and are scheduled for completion in 2023.

Earlier this year, the Russian Space Systems holding company (a Roscosmos subsidiary) opened a ground center in the Antarctic for gathering and processing data from remote sensing satellites.

It became the first facility of Russia’s integral information system of remote sensing of the Earth in the southern hemisphere.

The full-scale operation of the integral information system of remote sensing of the Earth began in 2016. It consists of centers scattered over the whole territory of Russia - from the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad in the west to the Far Eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk, including the Arctic zone (an already operational center in Dudinka plus two planned facilities in Chukotka and Anadyr). The system ensures the centers’ cooperation with the cluster of remote sensing satellites, plans remote sensing, gathers and processes data and provides information to the end users.

https://tass.com/science/1088166