Russian Space Program: News & Discussion #4

Russia’s Shvabe to unveil unique Avrora spacecraft optical device at MAKS-2021 expo

https://tass.com/defense/1314339

US wants to buy new rocket engines from Russia, 16.07.2021.

US wants to buy new rocket engines RD-181M from Russia.

MOSCOW, July 16 - RIA Novosti. The Roscosmos enterprise, NPO Energomash , was allowed to negotiate with the American company Orbital Sciences on the supply of RD-181M rocket engines to the States . The government decree was published on the official portal of legal information.

The proposal was made earlier by Roscosmos. They want to use the RD-181M liquid-propellant rocket engine in the Antares launch vehicle, which delivers cargo to the International Space Station and launches research and commercial spacecraft.

As noted in the order, a contract for the supply of a new engine can be concluded if a number of conditions are met: including after receiving guarantees from the American side that Antares missiles with Russian engines will not be used "to launch military payloads."

There is no information on the RD-181M engine on the Energomash website.

Previously, Russia supplied the United States with two engines - RD-180 and RD-181. The RD-180 engine is used in the first stage of the Atlas-5 rocket. In total, according to Energomash, 122 engines have been sent to the States since 1999, of which 93 have already been used.

The last batch of Russian RD-180 rocket engines was delivered to the United States in April. Washington told RIA Novosti that it intends to end the operation of Atlas missiles with RD-180s in the mid-2020s. To replace Atlas, they create a Vulcan rocket with American BE-4 engines from Blue Origin.

The RD-181 engine is placed on the first stage of the Antares rocket (two each). In total, 22 engines have been delivered to the United States since 2015, of which 18 have already been used.

https://ria.ru/20210716/roskosmos-1741616585.html

Russia allocates nearly $ 50 million to create a Hubble-like telescope, 16.07.2021.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)-Russia allocated 3,680 million rubles, or almost 50 million dollars, to develop the Spektr-UF space telescope that is analogous to Hubble, according to documents published on the public tenders website.

According to the materials, on July 8 the Russian space corporation Roscosmos and its subsidiary NGO Lavochkin signed a contract to "develop effective design documentation for the components of the space complex, including spacecraft components, manufacture and testing of its components and scientific equipment in the years 2021-2025".

Construction must be completed by 2025.

The World Space Observatory - Ultraviolet, also known as Spektr-UF, is a telescope dedicated to observing the Universe in the ultraviolet range. Its capabilities resemble those of the American Hubble telescope.

Spektr-UF is expected to be launched into space on the Angara-A5M rocket from the Vostochny cosmodrome in eastern Russia in October 2025.

Yandex Translate

https://mundo.sputniknews.com/20210716/rusia-asigna-casi-50-millones-de-dolares-para-crear-un-telescopio-similar-a-hubble-1114153916.html

https://qr.ae/pGMQ5w Done another more but highly detailed cost comparison rocket launch estimates between Roscosmos and Space X and I am sure I will be accused here of giving Musk more credit than I gave him for. It explains the marketing of falcon 9 that if I used the same method the Amur would cost 33,333 dollars. Along with where is he pulling the 2 million dollar launches out of his ass when his own claimed super cheap expandable Raptor engines all together with Starship don't even equal 2 million, etc, etc.

The rocket with the Nauka module for the ISS was installed on the launch pad, 17.07.2021.

The Proton-M rocket with the Russian scientific module Nauka for the ISS was installed on the launch pad.

MOSCOW, July 17 - RIA Novosti. The Proton-M launch vehicle with the Nauka multifunctional laboratory module was removed and installed at the launch complex of the Baikonur cosmodrome , Roskosmos reported.

"After supplying the service unit, our specialists will start work according to the schedule of the first launch day," added the state corporation.

The launch itself is scheduled for July 21 at 17:58 Moscow time. This will be the first module that Russia will send to the ISS since 2010, when the Rassvet small research module docked to the station, and the first heavy domestic module since 2000, when the Zvezda service module was launched.

The Russian segment of the ISS now includes the Zarya functional cargo block, the Zvezda service module, the Pirs docking compartment, and the Poisk and Rassvet small research modules.

Docking of "Science" with the International Space Station is scheduled for July 29 at 16:26. The operation is planned in automatic mode, but it can be carried out remotely manually by Russian cosmonauts from the ISS.

Before the arrival of the laboratory unit on July 23 at 16:17 Moscow time, the Pirs module will be undocked with the help of the Progress MS-16 cargo vehicle and on the same day the Pirs module will be flooded in the Pacific Ocean. Now it occupies the docking station required for Nauka.

His example is "science".

Nauka is an almost complete copy of the first module of the ISS Zarya. It began to be built in 1995 as a ground backup for this module. In 2004, they decided to expand the Russian segment, and to save money, the "backup" was converted into a full-fledged flight module. Its launch was scheduled for 2007, but the production was not completed on time and for many years the start was postponed.

In 2013, when Nauka was practically prepared for shipment to the cosmodrome, foreign particles were found while checking the fuel system. This threatened with big problems, since after launching into orbit, the module had to reach the ISS on its own engines. In the event of a blockage, they could stall, and an uncontrollable 20-ton object would remain in near-earth orbit. However, if the unit had reached the station on its own, foreign particles could have disabled the station's propulsion system, since Nauka had to be connected to the fuel system of the Russian segment.

The module was returned to the manufacturer for revision. As part of the revision, its pipelines were replaced with new ones, the tanks were cleaned to the maximum, and an external platform was added for placing the scientific equipment outside. After modernization "Science" received a new name - MLM-U, where "U" is an improved one. In 2020, the segment was sent to Baikonur, where it passed all pre-launch tests.

https://ria.ru/20210717/raketa-1741642768.html

the tanks were cleaned to the maximum

Actually the tanks were replaced as cleaning efforts were deemed inadequate.  The tanks were an expandable bellows type and the original manufacturer had long been disbanded.  Unable to clean & repair and certify them for flight, it was decided to replace them entirely (leading to yet more delay).

Its been a long and winding path to get this far.  Lets wish for a successful launch and flight to ISS and to finally put this shitty, sad episode well into the rear-view mirror...

kvs wrote:The "rubber" stiffens and shrinks under freezing conditions.  Even a tiny air leak will result in the flame front burrowing in that direction.
The engineers had better recognized this in their design as it is hardly some obscure issue.   That is why they used these gaskets in the
first place.   It did not require an inquiry after deaths to determine operational parameters for these gaskets.   That was the job of
the engineers.   I am still not clear as to the chain of events.   Did they really never produce any guidelines on the operational atmospheric
temperature range or were they lost in the bureaucracy.   Managers are hardly going to look for such missing details and would probably
assume that Florida always is warm.   None of these people have any education in atmospheric physics and even realize that the temperature
drops quickly with height, especially at night when the surface boundary layer becomes very shallow or non-existent.    So the tower
that is the Shuttle sitting on its mobile launch pad will freeze late into the night through thermal radiation even in Cape Canaveral under
the right weather conditions.    

IIRC, the Morton Thiokol engineers who had the specialist knowledge advised that it was unsafe to fly, but their engineering managers chose to override their input due to pressure from their superiors (ie NASA flight managers).

So many disasters are caused when the people with authority chose to ignore the advice from the people with knowledge.

Prototype of new space suit will be presented on MAKS-2021

https://ria.ru/20210719/skafandr-1741782690.html



Also, scale model of Zeus from MAKS-2021:

Another piccie coutesy of Mr Zak:

kvs wrote:Nobody seems to notice, but this is the future of space vehicles and it is happening.   I guess since the way is not being paved by
the exceptional ones, then nobody cares.   Musk's starship masturbation is way more interesting.   Phobia of nuclear power is another
element.

You know I decided to give Musk another chance like maybe I have missed something the breakthroughs his company made, some have told me Russia does not have anything Starship related in technology.

sources have shown that he was lucky to get to 6 re-uses, hope to strive to 10, impossible for 100 and Roscomos is going for 300 re-uses on the amur 1st stage. It costs according to them 15 million dollars for marginal costs of Falcon 9 where 60% is to 1st stage and 20% is to upper stages but 50 million dollars fully for the rocket. 1st stage engine is 30 million dollars and 2nd stage engine is 10 million dollars but the re-usability for falcon 9 was 6 times that means 40+10+10+10+10+10 equaling 90 million divided by those 6 launches you get 15 million dollars. Amur has a profit margin of 22 million dollars. Than just for estimates the Amur would cost 10 million dollars remove the 20% with 60% for 1st stage and 20% for 2nd stage that means the Amur is 8 million dollars meaning they can re-use the engine 300 times more. Amur rocket is all 1st stage using same methane engines which will cost us 10 million dollars on the 1st launch(remember Amur rocket is all 1st stage)but add 299 zeros and divide it by 300 which means the Amur costs 33333.33 dollars per launch by using the Musk marketing of Falcon 9 and technically speaking I would be correct.

When he was asked for re-usable upper stages he laughed suggesting an air balloon when asked that question according to source, while russians are working on parachutes for upper stage return rocket engines including some with a 3000 second burn time.

Now he suggests it would cost 2 million dollars to use Starship for payloads to LEO and that it is more special than falcon 9 or heavy because the engines use methane instead of kerosene. Currently raptor engines cost 1 million and he hopes to get it to 250,000 dollars but the thing is the raptor engines unlike the merlin engines are expandable. The amount of raptor engines used with 1 million each would cost 32 million and with 250k each it would be 8 million dollars just to replace so them. in order to get to 2 million his engines are to cost less than 62,500 because methane fuel still costs money even though not alot.

Imagine getting your ass kicked more worse than what happened to you in South Africa in chemical rocket technology, that you suggest your starship is far better if they ever made any starship equivalent but they chose nuclear reactors/ MPD thrusters for long range trips. Even if Roscosmos did in fact chose to work on a starship equivalent they would have made far more progress than you would have reaching mars, but the reason they are sticking with nuclear reactors is probably to have a better chance getting there quicker.

kvs wrote:Nobody seems to notice, but this is the future of space vehicles and it is happening...

It will be happening when first section is on the launchpad

Let's not get ahead of ourselves lest we forget Rus-M and Klipper

I don't believe that Starship is intended to be an orbital vehicle, but a sub-orbital rapid reaction transport system for US military special forces.

Seriously, the idea that this large monstrosity is going to get into orbit and return safely is just nonsense. I simply cannot imagine how this wheat silo is going to survive an atmospheric re-entry with the comensurate level of friction heating. Shuttle was able to do so because of its highly engineering shaping and thermal protection systems, and yet it failed once with catastrophic (fatal) results. Only a fool would think that Musk can clad his silo in pissy little hexagonal tiles and survive re-entry. They will serve for a sub-orbital flight (more evidence that this is the intended service) but not a full orbital re-entry.

I think the Pentragram have rocks in their head if they will seriously entertain Musks nonsensical silo design and its absurd "tail-flip-make-it-at-all-costs-or-DIE" landing maneourve.

kvs wrote:Musk must BS 24/7 about...

Also can we go 3 posts without mentioning that clown?

I made a tread for that specifically to avoid this crap

kvs wrote:Nobody seems to notice, but this is the future of space vehicles and it is happening.   I guess since the way is not being paved by
the exceptional ones, then nobody cares.   Musk's starship masturbation is way more interesting.   Phobia of nuclear power is another
element.

This thing can be presented in an intro of any space sci-fi movie.
The future is now, lads.

Roscosmos Says US Greenlit Import of Russia’s New Space Rocket Engines, 20.07.2021.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States has approved the purchase of a new batch of the Russian-made RD-181M space rocket engines, a spokesman for the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Vladimir Ustimenko, said on Tuesday.

"The US government has approved the contract between NPO Energomash [Roscosmos subsidiary] and US Orbital Sciences LLC company. This means that there will be new supplies of engines and new launches of American rockets with Russian ‘hearts’," Ustimenko said on Telegram.

The deal gives hope for the possible normalisation of relations between the countries, where business and efficiency will play a more important role than momentary decisions, which are not related to cosmonautics, Ustimenko added.

The RD-181M engine is an export variant of the RD-191M used in Russian carrier rockets. The RD-181M is used in the first stages of the American Antares expendable launch systems aimed at transporting Cygnus cargo spaceships to the International Space Station.

https://sputniknews.com/world/202107201083422635-roscosmos-says-us-greenlit-import-of-russias-new-space-rocket-engines/

PapaDragon wrote:
Prototype of new space suit will be presented on MAKS-2021

https://ria.ru/20210719/skafandr-1741782690.html
.....

And here it is: