Russian Astronautics

 Russian Astronautics

News on Russia's space program has been rather inconsistent as of late (December 2005). Space News reports that the 17-nation European Space Agency (ESA) has opted out of Russia's Clipper program, which is a $60 million, two-year manned and winged spacecraft that was proposed as a substitute for NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle.

The Russian Federal Space Agency, which receives $800 million a year, aimed to downplay the significance of this unexpected change. Russian aerospace contractor RSC-Energia President Nikolay Sevastiyanov stated at a news conference: "We're starting to design this new transportation system to support the International Space Station (ISS) once it's complete." Parom, a space tug, will pull the Clipper to the International Space Station.

But this is just part of the story. Russia has restarted its efforts to land spacecraft on the moon and Mars, and the Clipper, a hybrid personnel and cargo ship, is essential to this effort.

A decade of development, research, and geopolitical manoeuvring—among many other things—has gone into creating the Clipper.

Put the "Volga" into consideration. The new booster rocket engine goes by that name since it is retrievable, uses liquid fuel, and can be reused up to fifty times. Two Russian missile factories will construct it for an aerospace partnership including companies from France, Germany, and Sweden. Over the course of ten to fifteen years, the European Space Agency (ESA) plans to pour one billion euros into this innovative plaything. This amount is insignificant in a market that generates $80 billion annually.

For decades, Russian rockets like the Tsiklon and Soyuz U have been sending satellites into space, and not just for Russia's defense ministry, which was their exclusive customer before. The military's observation, navigation, and communications satellites are being supplanted by commercial payload, such as Gonets D1 ("Courier" or "Messenger"), which carries commercial data. Russian business daily "Kommersant" estimates that between 1997 and 2009, the Strategic Rocket Forces earned over $100 million from commercial launches altogether.

However, a large number of civilian satellites are really just decommissioned military hardware. The Russian Military Space Forces were re-established in June 2001 and report to Rosaviakosmos, Russia's equivalent of NASA, as well as commercial operators. The military gets all the technology that is gained from working with the West right away.

The U.S. space leadership has Russia worried. According to space.com, Russia possesses 100 spacecraft, most of which are obsolete, while the United States has 600. Russian efforts to catch up are becoming more urgent because to the resurgence of US plans for an anti-missile shield and the impending, unilateral, and unavoidable exit of the US from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

Russian launchers are among the most dependable options available, despite several high-profile failures like the foreboding July 1999 disaster at Baikonur in Kazakhstan. Out of 59 attempts at launch last year, 57 were successful. When compared to that, in 1963, just 55 out of 70 launch attempts were successful.

Washington, DC-based aerospace companies work closely with Rosaviakosmos. To keep tabs on cooperative projects like the International Space Station and the commercial launch pad Sea Launch, Boeing keeps a design office in Russia. Numerous Russian experts, both within and outside of Russia, are employed by it.

Additionally, a partnership is taking shape with the French conglomerate Arianespace and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space (EADS) corporation. The Soyuz is now owned jointly by Russians and Europeans through Starsem, a joint company, and a common launch pad is being constructed in Kourou. The revivified European RLV (Reusable Launch Vehicle) project is another initiative that Russia plans to join.

In order to implement the European Union's decision to approve "Galileo" at the 2002 Barcelona summit, Russia would need to work closely with the EU. In Europe, "Galileo" is a $3 billion satellite network that functions similarly to the United States's GPS system. Using Russian launch facilities, incorporating Russian technology, and employing Russian engineers are all possibilities.

With almost $2 billion investment over the next decade, this partnership has a good chance of reviving Russia's space program, which is now financially strapped and, thus, inactive.

However, the United States and Europe aren't the only countries lining up to do business with Russia.

A deal was believed to have been finalized in May 2001 between the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and the Australian Ministry of Industry, Science and Resources by Stratfor, a strategic forecasting agency. Russia has granted exclusive rights to use the Aurora rocket outside of Russia to Australian businesses. Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean, is a suitable launch site, and in exchange, Russia will have access to it. Competitors like Brazil, China, South Korea, Japan, and India will take a direct hit from this.

Being based on current military R&D, Russian launch technology is both highly advanced and affordable. Additional space-hungry nations have acquired licenses to use it. Stratfor states that the GSLV, India's troublesome Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, is based on Russian technology. Russian services are commercially tempting to many private satellite launching enterprises, including those in Australia and others. Russia does not limit the kinds of cargo that can be sent into space on its rockets, in contrast to the United States.

Launch technologies, however, are uncomplicated issues. Russia continued to launch more payload per year than any other country until 1995, even though its budget had run dry (it was less than Brazil's). However, Russia's most recent major investment in research and development was the Energia-Buran space shuttle program. In 1988, it was laid to rest. Russia utterly bungled its $660 million ISS deal with NASA, and this may be the reason why. The re-planning expenses incurred by NASA amount to more than $3 billion.

The International Space Station's (ISS) residential quarters, codenamed "Zvezda," were launched two years later than scheduled and could not satisfy the stringent quality standards set by the United States. "The Economist" said it is noisy and not well shielded from meteorites. A Progress M1-8 cargo ship carrying 2.4 tons of food, fuel, water, and oxygen was recently launched from Baikonur, continuing Russia's supply of the astronauts.

The selling of missile technology to failing and rogue regimes worldwide is the shadow side of Russia's space industry.

In November 2001, the International Herald Tribune published an article by U.S. Center for Nonproliferation Studies' Timothy McCarthy and Victor Mizin:

The main issue that contributes to unlawful sales, which is the over-capacity in the Russian missile and space sector, and Moscow's refusal or incapacity to address the problem, remains unaddressed by U.S. policy up till now. Too many businesses in Russia are competing for an inadequate supply of real money, rubles, or euros. To prevent Russian missile companies from selling their "excess production" to individuals who shouldn't have them, downsizing and restructuring must be core components of any effort to do so.

The official space industry can only stay afloat by increasing the number of missiles in the sky. When it comes to efficiency, technology, and venture capital, the Russian home market is severely lacking. As a result, it can't encourage creativity and recognize pioneers in the space sector for their contributions. Government and budget-funded agencies, its largest clients, are notoriously slow payers. Market realities are not reflected in the prices of space-related services.

Investment in the replacement of capital assets declined from 9% in 1998 to 0.5% in 1994, according to fas.org's extensive analysis of the Russian space sector. During that time, the price of raw materials climbed by 382, the price of hardware services by 172, and the price of labor by 82. The average pay in Russia has dropped below that of the space sector, which was formerly a multiple of it. Devastating brain drain ensued. Not only did 35% of the workforce depart, but so did 50% of the specialists.

But privately held businesses are holding their own. In March 2002, a space tourist reusable vehicle was unveiled by a Russian firm. A three-minute journey will cost you $100,000. Already, 100 tickets had been sold. At a Russian aviation base, the public could see the mockup.

Kazakhstan isn't trying to be anything more than a convenient launching pad, unlike Russia, which is plagued by grandiosity. Baikonur, its primary location, is resentfully rented out to Russia for $115 million per annum. Russia is notorious for its tardy payments, even tardier accident reports, and regular pollution in the region. There are a handful of civilian launch sites, including Baikonur, Kapustin Yar, and Plesetsk. Supposedly, Russia will be leaving it for the new (1997) site Svobodny.

The Sodruzhestvo, a carrier rocket developed by Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, has garnered interest from Kazakhstan. The Russian-Kazakh space program budget for 2000–2005 even includes funds for this. Unfortunately, the project was put on indefinite hold because neither Russia nor Ukraine could come up with the required finances.

Kazakh Institute for Space Research director Umirzak Sultangazin expressed his displeasure in a 2017 interview with the Russian-language "Karavan":

"We urgently require our own satellite. Information has been "received" from Russian and American satellites so far. We don't have to pay for some of the information we use, but there are others that we do. We have world-class experts, but they are fleeing to private companies for incomes that are multiple times higher. Russia pays a significant lot to lease Baykonur—roughly $115 million per year—so I've asked before why we shouldn't use some of that money on space exploration. We missed an opportunity to become a true space power by not investing in the space sector.

The cosmonauts of Kazakhstan run their own earth profiling program. It carries out physical and biological studies while in orbit. The "tokhtar" potato was originally produced by Kazakhstan's first astronaut, the eponymous Tokhtar Aubakirov, and is now known as a space potato.

Upon seceding from the USSR, nearly all of its satellites vowed to never again rely on the goodwill of other countries by launching their own space projects. In 1991, Romania established the Romanian Space Agency, also known as ROSA. It was the Hungarian Space Office that Hungary established.

As part of BALTNET, the Baltic republics collaborate closely with NATO on military satellite applications, much to the vociferous dismay of many Baltic civilians. Several space-related commercial and civic projects have been conducted in collaboration with ESA by the Czech Republic (1992), Poland (1994), Hungary (1991), and Romania (1992).

Kiev is trying to protect its interests. In January, a bilateral pact pertaining to the space sector was inked with Brazil. It and Russia inked five space-related bilateral agreements a month later.

A number of Western organizations, including universities and businesses, have laid the groundwork for future partnerships with space researchers in Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and NIS. In 1990, the University of Maryland established the East-West Space Science Center, which was the first of its kind.

The space sector, and more specifically the new domain of launch technologies, is one of the few places where the countries who were once communist may still have an advantage. The West should support efforts to make this information commercially available. The other option is for Western countries and their civilian project partners to work together on missile technology, which might lead to its proliferation and subsequent military use. By being kind initially, the West can spare itself a great deal of money and suffering.

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