Russian Space Program: News & Discussion #5

Moscow. July 2. INTERFAX.RU - The launch of the first scientific and power module (SPM) for the Russian orbital station (ROS) is planned for the fourth quarter of 2027 using the modernized heavy launch vehicle Angara-A5M, according to Roscosmos materials.

According to the ROS construction schedule published in the state corporation's video, the first manned flight to the ROS is planned for the fourth quarter of 2028. The cargo mission on the Soyuz 2.1b rocket to the station is scheduled for January 2028.

Earlier on Tuesday, Roscosmos announced the signing of contracts for the creation of the ROS, and the CEO of the state corporation, Yuri Borisov, approved the general schedule for its construction.

He noted that Russia cannot allow a break in the manned space program, given the state of the International Space Station.

"Also today, government contracts were signed for the implementation of experimental design work on the creation of the ROS space complex and the space complex with a manned transport ship and a heavy-class launch vehicle "Angara" at the Vostochny Cosmodrome," Roscosmos said.

According to the state corporation, the deployment of the station is planned to begin with the launch of the scientific and energy module in 2027. Also, at the first stage, up to 2030, the nodal and gateway modules will be sent into space, then the base module will be launched, which will take over the functions of managing the station. The second stage provides for the docking of two more target modules in the period from 2031 to 2033.

Roscosmos reported that “the total planned funding volume for the project is 608.9 billion rubles.”

On April 17, Borisov announced that the first launch of the modernized heavy launch vehicle "Angara-A5M" with a ship in an unmanned version will take place in 2027, it will be carried out from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

On April 15, the head of the state corporation reported that the promising new-generation transport ship (PTK NP) "Orel" is in the final stage of construction. According to him, this ship will deliver crews to the ROS. The ship will be launched into orbit by the heavy-class rocket "Angara-A5M" from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

The scientific and testing complex of NPO Energomash successfully completed testing of the RD-191M development engines.

The single-chamber liquid engine is designed for the heavy-class launch vehicle Angara-A5M of the Amur space rocket complex. The RD-191M runs on kerosene and liquid oxygen.

When creating the RD-191M, the design and technological base of the RD-191, RD-171M, RD-180 and RD-181 engines was used to the maximum extent. This significantly reduced development costs and made it possible to create and conduct a full cycle of autonomous tests of its units in a shorter time frame. The first RD-191M development engine was manufactured at NPO Energomash at the end of 2023.

The RD-191M differs from the "base" RD-191 engine primarily in its thrust level - it is boosted by 10%. In the future, this will expand the possibilities for sending cargo for the new Russian orbital station being designed.

At the first stage, it is planned to manufacture about a hundred satellites per year.

Russia is planning to switch to serial production of satellites soon. Andrey Yelchaninov, First Deputy Director General of Roscosmos, spoke about the stages of the transition in an interview with Interfax.

The assembly line production of satellites is planned to be launched at two sites - Reshetnev in Zheleznogorsk and NPO Lavochkin in Khimki. They will produce different lines of satellites within the framework of the Sfera project.

Yelchaninov said "NPO Lavochkin is already implementing a pilot project to manufacture three satellites, which then potentially should be put on the production line. Two of them have an optical-electronic payload, one will have a radar."

Reshetnev will undertake industrial assembly of satellites providing the Internet of Things and broadband Internet access within the framework of the Skif and Marathon-IoT projects.

The top manager specified: "We calculated the volume of necessary investments, including equipment, realizing that this is a long and expensive process. For now, we have decided that it is advisable to switch to a conveyor in two stages. At the first stage, we reach the production of about a hundred satellites per year, then we expand the capabilities and fine-tune the technologies."

Industrial assembly of satellites within the first stage should begin in 2027. By 2030, construction of new sites may begin.

PARK "PATRIOT" /Moscow region/, August 13. / TASS/. NPO Energomash (part of Roscosmos) will transfer the first RD-191M engines for the Angara-A5M launch vehicle to the Khrunichev Center, the manufacturer of these rockets, by the end of 2024. NPO Energomash CEO Igor Arbuzov told TASS about this.

"This year," the head of the enterprise answered a corresponding question on the sidelines of the Army-2024 forum, adding that the next batch will arrive at the Khrunichev Center next year. According to him, ground-based experimental testing is in its final stage. "The entire main cycle of development tests has been completed, successfully confirming the relevant required parameters. The engine was also developed entirely in digital form. This once again confirmed the design technology, the possibility of creating reliable engines," he added.

The RD-191M engines will be used in the first stage of the upgraded Angara-A5M heavy-class launch vehicle. As Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov said in April, it is 10% more powerful than the version used in the regular Angara-A5 launch vehicle. According to him, the first launch of the upgraded rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome is planned for 2027.

NPO Energomash is also creating the "king engine" RD-171MV - it is the most powerful liquid rocket engine in the world - weighing 10 tons, its thrust is 800 tons. The engine will be used in the first stage of the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle, and previous modifications - RD-171 and RD-171M - were used in the Energia-Buran and Zenit programs.

Soyuz-5 is a promising Russian medium-class launch vehicle. It is being developed for launching unmanned spacecraft into near-Earth orbits. As Dmitry Baranov, CEO of the Progress Rocket and Space Center, reported last year, the first launch of the rocket is scheduled for 2024.

The Army-2024 forum is being held from August 12 to 14 at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center. During the event, participants will be shown, in particular, samples of weapons, military and special equipment. TASS is the forum's strategic media partner.

MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. The Progress MS-28 cargo spacecraft, which was launched on Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, has docked with the Zvezda module of the Russian segment of the ISS, according to a Roscosmos broadcast.

The ship docked to the station in automatic mode. The process was controlled from Earth by specialists from the Mission Control Center, and from the ISS by Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko (special correspondent for TASS), Nikolai Chub and Alexander Grebenkin.

Progress MS-28 delivered 2,621 kg of cargo to the ISS, including 950 kg of refueling fuel, 420 liters of drinking water, 50 kg of compressed nitrogen in cylinders, as well as about 1,201 kg of various equipment and materials in the cargo compartment: food for the crew, clothing, and kits for scientific experiments.

In particular, the Progress spacecraft has received the SPIN-Kh1-MVN X-ray spectrometer, which the cosmonauts will install outside the Zvezda module during extravehicular activity. It will allow scientists to conduct a periodic, almost complete survey of the celestial sphere in the X-ray range. In addition, the spacecraft contains kits for new scientific experiments, Forced (evaluation of lung function during a long flight) and Endothelium (study of the role of the Earth's geomagnetosphere in the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases).

Damn, The Russians must be far ahead to be able to cut steel so quickly from a distance, that american laser weapon they were boasting about could only manage to cripple a small motor boat.