Russian Space Program: News & Discussion #3

New space station

Hole wrote:

So they are intending to relocate Nauka and Prichal as part of the ROS?  Thats interesting, given the new ROS is apparently to be polar-orbiting with ~95 deg inclination.  Thats a significant change to the current orbital plane of 51.6 deg.  Altitude will be largely unchanged at 400kms.

If they do this I suspect they will use a custom Progress to dock with Prichal and detach Nauka from Zvezda, then boost it to new orbit.  Once there they will launch the first NEM on an A-5M and dock remotely.

Edit: This looks to be an old concept. Anatoly Zak rendered the same config 5+ years ago...

Some new official renders in the background here for a change (with actual components as well)

It apparently supposed to have not solely civilian purpose

As for Zak's little drawings you know it's bullshit the moment you see that inflatable fantasy crap

So plan would be to have all main modules based on NEM instead of doing boutique approach, this could actually speed things up for a change

First phase is in the second panel, second phase is on the third panel:

gbu48098 wrote:

Big_Gazza wrote:
So they are intending to relocate Nauka and Prichal as part of the ROS?  Thats interesting, given the new ROS is apparently to be polar-orbiting with ~95 deg inclination.  Thats a significant change to the current orbital plane of 51.6 deg.  Altitude will be largely unchanged at 400kms.

Even Mir was at 51.6 degrees I think, wonder why they are proposing 95 deg....comms aspects?

Russias northerly latitude is not well served with the conventional "equatorial" orbits as they don't provide good coverage of Russian territory.  Polar orbits will provide 100% coverage over sucessive orbits, and allow flyovers of any point on the planet (which is why they are sometimes referred to as military orbits).

Polar orbits require an inefficient launch profile that cannot take advantage of the planets spin to impart velocity, so impose a significant weight penalty to orbit.  Russia will need the extra lifting capacity of the A-5M to deliver DOS/ALMAZ/TKS-class modules direct to such an orbit, and AFAIK the Soyuz-2/Soyuz-MS/Progress will be unable to reach such a station,so Oryol/A5P will be needed.

The first phase of the deployment of the new Russian space station will begin in 2025-2026

Russia will use it simultaneously with the ISS, said Alexander Bloshenko, executive director of Roscosmos for advanced programs and science.

KOROLEV / Moscow region /, April 23. / TASS /. Russia will simultaneously use the International Space Station (ISS) and the new space station for several years. This was announced to reporters on Friday by the executive director of Roscosmos for promising programs and science, Alexander Bloshenko.

"The cross period will last for several years. It depends on the specific technical project," he said.

The scientific energy module (NEM) will be equipped with life support systems, Bloshenko said.

"The first stage [of the deployment of a new orbital station]: the beginning of work from 2025-2026," Bloshenko said.

According to him, the module will be equipped with "control systems, life support systems, everything to make it ready, so that it becomes a basic module." Within the first phase, several modules will be launched. The second phase will start from 2030-2035.

Node module

The nodal module, like the multifunctional laboratory module Nauka, which is planned to be launched to the ISS in 2021, will remain part of the station, Bloshenko said.

According to him, the resource of "Science" and the nodal module has been greatly depleted.

Earlier, the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin said that the Rocket and Space Corporation Energia was tasked with ensuring the readiness of the first base module for the new Russian orbital station in 2025. According to him, he is already at work. The head of the state corporation also published a video of the first module being created - it will be a scientific and energy module, which was previously supposed to be launched to the ISS in 2024.

On Sunday, the office of Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told TASS that the condition of the ISS leaves much to be desired. They explained that the ISS needs a technical survey in order to avoid any risks in case of emergencies, based on the results of which a decision will be made on the future fate of the station.

"We will form a new station in case of the president's support from other modules, not the Russian segment of the ISS," he said.

https://tass.ru/kosmos/11228989

Nauka and Prichal won't be re-used but at least we can be assured that those hole-drilling crack-propagating NASA nannites won't have a chnace to jump ship and carry out the Globalists wicked agendas.

I say that only partly in jest

The scientific and power module will be launched on the Angara from the Vostochny cosmodrome

KOROLEV / Moscow region /, April 23. / TASS /. The scientific energy module (NEM) will be launched to the Russian orbital service station on the Angara launch vehicle. This was announced to reporters on Friday by Vladimir Soloviev, Flight Director of the ISS Russian Segment (RS), First Deputy General Designer for Flight Operation, Testing of Rocket and Space Complexes and Systems of RSC Energia.

"[NEM] will fly not on Proton, but on Angara," Solovyov said, adding that the launch would be carried out from the Vostochny cosmodrome.

According to the first deputy general designer for flight operations, tests of rocket-space complexes and systems of RSC Energia, it will take 1.5-2 years to convert NEM into a new station.

NEM will be the first module of the Russian orbital service station, the base module will be launched in 2028, Solovyov said.

"We will start working on it [on the basic module] when the NEM is still on the ground," he said, adding that this module will be more modern than the NEM.

In turn, the chief designer of the scientific and energy module, Aleksey Videev, noted that the basic module will be launched in 2028.

source

2028?    The BS has already started??? FFS....

Edit:  Apparently the 2028 NEM refers to the 1st build NEM 1D/2D that was built for ISS. It will be refurbished to new design and will launch in 2028.  The 2nd build NEM 1L/2L will launch in 2025.  

Seeing is believing however, and I'll hold judgement until the reality becomes clearer.  

Edit:  First manned flight in 2026 source

Edit: Flights to ROS are planned to be from Baikonour & Vostochny, no plans currently to fly from military cosmodrome Plesetsk  source

gbu48098 wrote:

Big_Gazza wrote:
Russias northerly latitude is not well served with the conventional "equatorial" orbits as they don't provide good coverage of Russian territory.  Polar orbits will provide 100% coverage over sucessive orbits, and allow flyovers of any point on the planet (which is why they are sometimes referred to as military orbits).

Polar orbits require an inefficient launch profile that cannot take advantage of the planets spin to impart velocity, so impose a significant weight penalty to orbit.  Russia will need the extra lifting capacity of the A-5M to deliver DOS/ALMAZ/TKS-class modules direct to such an orbit, and AFAIK the Soyuz-2/Soyuz-MS/Progress will be unable to reach such a station,so Oryol/A5P will be needed.

So, they will launch this from baikanour due to Proton not available at Plestesk? Almost a perfect polar orbit, wonder what the high and low points are......should also give it plenty of sun in that orbit.....I think from higher latitude space ports from Vostochny or Plestesk, it may be possible to get to polar orbits but proton is only from kazakh port I guess.

By 2025 Proton will likely be retired, so first ROS units will be launched by Angara from either Vostochny if the pad is ready, or maybe Plesetsk if not.

Been thinking about this NEM module and it's even better idea than it seemed at first

They can use serially produced NEM modules to whip out entire new national space station and to use them as components for joint station project with Chinese without additional hassle, it has habitation area, power source and life support so they can plug it in literally anything no problem

It would work just as well for literally any new station that may pop up down the road (India, USA, EU, dedicated Russian Military, etc...)

gbu48098 wrote:...Frequency of A5 launches in the next 2 years should provide solid hints on replacing Proton. Proton is still good except for failures they had a while ago but looks like more qc is in place now although launch rates dipped recently...

Now that you mentioned it serial production of Angara A5 officially kicked off in Omsk, I guess assholes from Krunichev finally accepted the fact that they will have to relocate their overvalued asses from Moscow to boonies in Omsk, took them long enough...

4 Angara A5s in first batch which is 20 core modules in total

https://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/141045/

So hopefully good riddance to Proton and Baikonur

Sorry for double posting. I didn´t see your post, Papa.

Hole wrote:Sorry for double posting. I didn´t see your post, Papa.

No worries

gbu48098 wrote:....
About time....however no need to vacate kazakh port and no need to invest more either in that but makes sense to continue to get the ROI plus they still need kazakhs for soyuz landings until something else replaces it. As soon as they vacate, for sure it will be loaned out to Turkey or US or China or someone else....still as good as a location Russia can get to optimize some loads but that change in inclination for new station is a sign to remove the new dependencies on kazakh port. Ofcourse polar orbits give you more coverage at the cost of some other cons.

Ditching Kazakhstan is one of main benefits of Angara project

Those leeches have been shaking down Russia for decades

Sooner someone else is stuck dumping good money after bad on that disaster site the better

Only thing of any value left there is a location for memorial plaque for Gagarin's flight, everything else can go, it's been nothing but dead weight for decades

Baikonur and Proton were main excuses for Krunichev to sabotage Angara development all this time