Russian Space Program: News & Discussion #5

At the end of autumn, NPO Energomash (part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) assembled the second flight sample of the RD-171MV engine for use in the first stage of the Soyuz-5 medium-class launch vehicle.

Also in November, Energomash handed over to JSC RCC Progress work on the corresponding stage of development work. Currently, the assembly of the third flight model RD-171MV is being completed. The next stages of the program will be interdepartmental testing of the RD-171MV engine and serial production of engines for completing the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle.

RD171MV is the world’s most powerful liquid-propellant rocket engine developed and produced by NPO Energomash JSC. RD-171MV is a modernized version of the RD-171M engine, which was developed in 2001 on the basis of the Soviet RD-170 engine. The RD-171MV uses kerosene and oxygen as fuel components, and its thrust is 800 tons.

At the Vostochny Space Center on the launch pad for the Angara heavy-class rockets, comprehensive tests with the Angara-NZh product were completed.

Specialists from the enterprises of the Roscosmos State Corporation successfully carried out all the necessary checks as part of the first stage of testing. The temperature control system of the electric refueling mock-up operated normally, and electrical checks were successfully carried out. The calculation carried out partial and complete filling of the model with rocket fuel components  -  liquid oxygen and naphthyl. The refueling systems worked without any problems.

After completing all operations with Angara-NZh and draining the rocket fuel components, the product was transferred to a horizontal position and transported to a technical position in the installation and testing complex.

MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/. Launch vehicle "Soyuz-2.1b" with the Fregat upper stage and the hydrometeorological satellite "Arktika-M" No. 2 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The broadcast is onwebsite of Roscosmos.

Later, the head part of the rocket as part of the Fregat upper stage and the Arktika-M satellite successfully separated from the third stage. Injecting the spacecraft into the target orbit will take more than 4.5 hours.

Hydrometeorological satellites "Arktika-M" created on the basis of the unified platform "Navigator" produced by NPO named after S. A. Lavochkin. The satellites will provide round-the-clock all-weather monitoring of the Earth's surface and the seas of the Arctic Ocean, as well as constant and reliable communications. In addition, the satellites are capable of relaying signals from radio beacons of the international search and rescue system COSPAS-SARSAT.

The first such device was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on February 28, 2021. Initially, it was planned that the space system would include two Arktika-M satellites, but in December 2022, the NPO named after S.A. Lavochkin announced that the constellation would be expanded to four satellites. The company added that this will reduce the frequency of filming by half. Fully deploy the Arktika-M grouping planned by 2031.

The first image was taken from the Arktika-M No. 2 spacecraft.

The satellite is designed to provide information support for monitoring the hydrometeorological and heliogeophysical situation in the Arctic region and adjacent territories, and relay signals from the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite search and rescue system.

“Arktika-M” No. 2 is equipped with two MSU-GS-M, which back up each other - these are the main and most important target devices that allow continuous imaging of the Earth’s surface with a frequency of 15 to 30 minutes in ten spectral ranges (seven of them are infrared). The spatial resolution of the data ranges from 1 to 4 km, and the accuracy of measuring the temperature of the underlying surface reaches 0.1–0.2 °C.

Another important part of Arktika-M is the on-board equipment of the command and measurement system (CIS). This is a radio system that ensures interaction between the satellite and ground control stations. It receives and processes command and program information from the Earth, transmits it to other systems and devices inside the device itself, and from them, in response, the CIS receives and transmits telemetry information via radio to ground stations. The system also transmits signals to ground stations to measure the current navigation parameters of the spacecraft.

Two satellites of the Arktika-M space system (the first was launched on February 28, 2021), alternately replacing each other, provide consumers with data for round-the-clock monitoring of the Earth’s surface and the seas of the Arctic Ocean, relaying signals from emergency radio beacons of the international satellite search and rescue system COSPAS- SARSAT and information from automatic measuring platforms for data collection of Roshydromet, including those located in the Arctic region. Information received from satellites will allow Roshydromet departments and other departments to increase the reliability of long-term and short-term weather forecasts, help monitor emergency situations, carry out environmental monitoring of the environment, and provide scientists with a large amount of new data for studying global climate change.

Big_Gazza wrote:The first image was received from the Arktika-M spacecraft No. 2

The first image was taken from the Arktika-M No. 2 spacecraft.

The satellite is designed to provide information support for monitoring the hydrometeorological and heliogeophysical situation in the Arctic region and adjacent territories, and relay signals from the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite search and rescue system.

“Arktika-M” No. 2 is equipped with two MSU-GS-M, which back up each other - these are the main and most important target devices that allow continuous imaging of the Earth’s surface with a frequency of 15 to 30 minutes in ten spectral ranges (seven of them are infrared). The spatial resolution of the data ranges from 1 to 4 km, and the accuracy of measuring the temperature of the underlying surface reaches 0.1–0.2 °C.

Another important part of Arktika-M is the on-board equipment of the command and measurement system (CIS). This is a radio system that ensures interaction between the satellite and ground control stations. It receives and processes command and program information from the Earth, transmits it to other systems and devices inside the device itself, and from them, in response, the CIS receives and transmits telemetry information via radio to ground stations. The system also transmits signals to ground stations to measure the current navigation parameters of the spacecraft.

Two satellites of the Arktika-M space system (the first was launched on February 28, 2021), alternately replacing each other, provide consumers with data for round-the-clock monitoring of the Earth’s surface and the seas of the Arctic Ocean, relaying signals from emergency radio beacons of the international satellite search and rescue system COSPAS- SARSAT and information from automatic measuring platforms for data collection of Roshydromet, including those located in the Arctic region. Information received from satellites will allow Roshydromet departments and other departments to increase the reliability of long-term and short-term weather forecasts, help monitor emergency situations, carry out environmental monitoring of the environment, and provide scientists with a large amount of new data for studying global climate change.

source

Yesterday, during flight tests, the hydrometeorological spacecraft "Arktika-M" No. 2 received and transmitted to Earth the first images of the Arctic region and adjacent territories.

The satellite is in an operational highly elliptical Molniya orbit with an equatorial inclination of 63.3 degrees, an apogee altitude of approximately 38,900 km and a perigee altitude of approximately 1,400 km. All of its service systems are functioning normally.

The main milestones are the end of 2027, when the first scientific and energy module will be launched into orbit, and 2032, when the creation of the station in its basic configuration (six main modules) will be completed. In the first half of 2028, it is planned to launch the hub and gateway modules into orbit. They will be docked with the scientific and energy module, which will allow the first cosmonauts to fly to the station.

lancelot wrote:What happened to Kliper?

It was a more modern and more advanced design than that. They had built mockups and everything. They lacked a launcher and launch site. Soyuz doesn't have enough power to lift it. But now there will be Angara at Vostochny.

The first test of the development engine took place on January 17

MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. NPO Energomash is working to modernize engines for the Angara launch vehicle. This was announced by Deputy General Director - Chief Designer of NPO Energomash JSC Petr Levochkin at the plenary meeting of the XLVIII Academic Readings on Cosmonautics in memory of S.P. Korolev (“Royal Readings”).

“A modernized version is currently being created, <...> a ten percent boost of the RD-191 engine will lead to a significant increase in the payload of the Angara launch vehicle. In 2023, autonomous tests were completed, the first development engine was manufactured, and <...> January 17 passed the first test of the first development engine, this evening we have the second,” Levochkin said.

TMA1 wrote:... they have done thr space stations dmanit. They need to next make a space station with just one to two nodes orbiting the moon and develop shuttle transfer from there. The mars race is retarded. If we can get enough critical infrastructure on the surface of the moon we can then burrow tunnels in ideal locations around the south pole and once we have underground facilities on the moon we can start talking about legit self reliance and construction using largely moon based infrastructure.

Guys it would be vastly expensive but we absolutely could do this. If we got critical infrastructure on the moon imagine the possibilities. Screw mars. Think about moon and earth joint missions with nuclear tugs sending equipment, habitation, robotic vehicles and sensors and ultimately people to Ceres and the moons of Jupiter and beyond. The key is developing larger space stations and focusing on the moon.

Why just another space station like the others? We need to step ahead.