Russian Space Program: News & Discussion #4

Russia will use its remaining time on the ISS to demonstrate it's ready to proceed with its own orbital station, the Roscosmos chief says

Russia has decided when it will pull out of the International Space Station (ISS), and will give a year’s notice to its partners, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said on Saturday.

In an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel, the head of the space agency said that although a timeframe has been set, the authorities “are not obliged to speak about it publicly.”

Rogozin earlier said Western sanctions imposed over Russia’s military offensive on Ukraine are preventing Roscosmos from proceeding with “business as usual” when it comes to joint work with the US and other Western countries on the ISS. He also said that if he could he would already have cased cooperation.

In the interview he noted that the terms of Russia's activity on the ISS are determined by the government and the president, and that the agency is currently allowed to continue operations on the ISS through 2024.

“I can only say one thing: in accordance with our obligations, we will warn our partners a year in advance about the end of work on the ISS,” he said.

Rogozin also explained that during its remaining time on the ISS, Russia “will demonstrate its readiness to deploy the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS).” He said the ROSS will be multifunctional and that development plans are already underway.

“When it is presented… we will begin to create this ‘smart hardware’ and prepare its launch into space, the deployment of the station,” Rogozin said.

Earlier the Roscosmos chief predicted that the ISS, where NASA planned to operate until 2030, would “fall apart” by that time unless “huge amounts of money” are invested in its repair, but that in the current geopolitical environment, work on the ISS is no longer effective for Russia.

In mid-March Rogozin said the “hostile” geopolitical situation could force Russia to make ROSS “militarily applicable.” It will mean, according to Rogozin, that “there will be no one” on ROSS besides the Russian cosmonauts, who will “service the target equipment installed at this station.”

Since Russia launched its military offensive in Ukraine in late February, many countries have imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow, targeting its banks, finances, and the import of sensitive technology, among other things.

RSC Energia will create a draft design of a new Russian orbital station for 2.7 billion rubles

Moscow. 5 May. Interfax - Roskosmos has signed a contract with Rocket and Space Corporation (RKK) Energia for the development of a draft design of the Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS) for 2.7 billion rubles, according to the public procurement portal.
The contract was signed between the state corporation Roscosmos and PJSC RSC Energia as part of the development work on the topic: "Creation of the space complex of the Russian orbital station".
According to the portal, the contract price is almost 2.7 billion rubles.
According to Roscosmos ", the preliminary design of the national station will be carried out in two stages.
"The first one involves the analysis of scenarios for the deployment and inclination of the target orbit, the calculation of the cost of delivering 1 kg of cargo to the station, the deployment of the initial configuration of the station and the transition of spacecraft from the ROS orbit to the circumlunar orbit," the state corporation's website says.
The second stage includes the development of a draft design and technical specifications for station options, as well as consideration of the possibilities of providing the station with communications, issues of crew training, operation in unmanned and manned modes, the state corporation reports.
Russia, as reported, decided to build its own orbital station, is considering withdrawing from the International Space Station (ISS) project, and this is due to the deterioration of the technical condition of the Russian segment of the station.
In addition, against the background of the aggravation of Russian-American relations due to the situation in Ukraine, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, said that further continuation of cooperation on the ISS is possible only if sanctions are lifted from the Russian space industry. On April 2, Rogozin announced that the state corporation would prepare its proposals to the country's leadership on the timing of the termination of Russia's participation in the ISS project.
Rogozin reported that about 80% of the equipment of the Russian segment of the ISS has exhausted its resource and the cost of maintaining it after 2025 will be comparable to the cost of creating a new station.
It was reported that Russia could leave the ISS project from 2025, transferring responsibility for its segment to station partners. At the same time, it was noted that Russia could continue to support its segment with the financial participation of the United States.
An alternative would be the creation of a national orbital station, the first module of which is planned to be launched in 2025 and completed in 2035.
On July 31, the scientific and technical council of Roscosmos approved the creation of a new Russian orbital station.
The completion of the operation of the ISS is scheduled for 2028, by which time Roscosmos should launch a new Russian orbital station.
On September 21, the Scientific and Technical Council of Roscosmos and the Space Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences approved the concept of the new station and recommended that it be submitted to the Russian government.
Russia will be able to finance the construction of a new orbital station itself, but is also ready for cooperation, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said on April 19, noting that the station could be "a kind of intermediate point for flights and exploration of the Moon, lunar space."
The Russian Federation currently has plans to actively finance the project to create an independent orbital station until 2030, it could cost up to $6 billion, an informed source told Interfax in April.

The first launch of the flight model is scheduled for 2027, said the Director General of the Center. M. V. Khrunichev Alexey Varochko

MOSCOW, 4 May. /TASS/. The assembly of the first flight model of the oxygen-hydrogen upper stage (KVTK) for the Angara will begin in 2025. This was announced in an interview with TASS by the Director General of the Center. M.V. Khrunichev (part of Roscosmos) Alexey Varochko.

"Given the production cycles, the production of the KVTK flight model is planned to begin after 2025," Varochko said.

The general director of the enterprise noted that the contract for KVTK has already been concluded, and design documentation is being prepared at the moment. From next year, the Center. M. V. Khrunicheva plans to start manufacturing a number of components for bench products in order to complete ground experimental testing by 2025. "The first launch, according to the plans that we currently have, is scheduled for 2027," Varochko stressed.

The general director of the enterprise also expressed the hope that this promising program would retain full funding so that the launch could be completed in 2027.

According to the terms of the contract, the preliminary design of the national station will be carried out in two stages. The first one involves the analysis of scenarios for the deployment and inclination of the target orbit, the calculation of the cost of delivering 1 kg of cargo to the station, the deployment of the initial configuration of the station, and the transfer of spacecraft from the ROS orbit to the circumlunar orbit.

The second stage includes the development of a draft design and technical specifications for station options, as well as consideration of the possibilities for providing the station with communications, issues of crew training, operation in unmanned and manned modes, etc.

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