Daily Archives: December 16, 2014

Russia's space agency Roscosmos is currently looking at plans to create a national space station that may be included in the new Federal Space Program, Roscosmos head Oleg Ostapenko said Monday. "I confirm that we are looking at this variant as a likely direction," Ostapenko said.

Ostapenko added that the high-altitude station is also being considered as a base for Russia's lunar program. "There is also this variant, we are currently considering it," he said.

In September, Roscosmos said it was planning to launch a full-scale moon exploration program in 2016-2025. According to the reports, the new orbital station will also be used to test manned spacecraft for the lunar mission. Spacecraft will first be delivered to the station, and then continue to the Moon.

In May, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that Russia was considering dropping out of the ISS program, and re-direct its funding into more promising space projects.

A Russian space engineering source close to matter told Russian media in November that the country was looking to build its own orbital station, with the project set to begin in 2017. The station will use modules constructed for the International Space Station (ISS), the source added.

Roscosmos Will Decide on New Super-Heavy Rocket Design in January 2015 Russia's space agency Roscosmos will decide on the design of the country's new super-heavy rocket in January 2015, Roscosmos chief Oleg Ostapenko said Monday.

"We have already received blueprints from three leading space rocket enterprises. A panel of experts has already started considering them, and we will select the winner <...> in January," he told reporters.

Roscosmos is looking to develop a super-heavy carrier rocket to be used in Russia's lunar program. Andrei Mazurin, who heads one of the space agency's departments, told RIA Novosti in October the launch vehicle would be able to lift up to 80 tons of cargo into space. In the long term, a rocket capable of carrying 130 to 160 tons could be developed, he added.

Russia's largest existing rocket, the Proton, can launch payloads of up to 20 tons. The modular Angara rocket is also under development and comes in several versions, the largest of which is planned to send up to 35 tons into orbit.

Russian Space Agency's 2015 Budget Unchanged Despite Economic Downturn Despite the current downturn in the Russian economy, the government has no plans to cut the 2015 budget of the national space agency, Roscosmos chief Oleg Ostapenko told reporters Monday.

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Plans to Create Russian National Orbital Station Confirmed

The International Space Station is a great example of how different nations can work together to create something pretty awesome. In this case a habitable location orbiting the Earth. And it was made possible by the combined efforts of the US, European, and Russian space agencies. However, growing political tensions could mean we get a second space station, only this one would be a purely Russian affair.

Russias actions with regards to Ukraine has seen relations with the West stretched to breaking point and trade sanctions put in place. The crumbling relationship is impacting all areas of government, including those departments working on space tech. With that in mind, the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) is starting to view its own alternative to ISS as a real possibility.

Russias Mir manned space station orbited the Earth from 1986 to 2001.

Oleg Ostapenko, head of Roscosmos, has confirmed that a Russian space station is currently being considered, and it would likely form a key part of a mission to visit the Moon. Its not as simple as just greenlighting the project, however. With Russia under trade sanctions and having an economy expected to go into recession in 2015, there may not be enough money available to fund such a project.

Even if a station cant be built by Russia alone, the Russian government may block plans to extend the life of ISS from 2020 to 2024. Although, its unclear what they could actually do beyond protesting if the other parties with an interest in the station decide to ignore them.

ISS has been a success and is widely viewed as a positive creation of man. Space doesnt belong to any one nation, and it seems right that any future developments of this nature should continue to be collaborations regardless of whats happening back on Earth. Hopefully that means an eventual, multi-national ISS v2.0.

Now read: Stunning video of Earth from space made from 80GB of images

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Russia may build its own space station to rival ISS

Russian state space agency Roscosmos is considering building its own space station, RIA news agency quoted its chief as saying on Monday, underlining how international tensions are affecting space co-operation.

Such a project would rival the International Space Station, an orbiting laboratory that involves 15 nations including Russia and the United States. Moscow has cast doubt on the ISSs long-term future as ties with Washington plummet over Ukraine.

I confirm we are considering such an option. This is a possible direction of development, RIA quoted Roscosmos head Oleg Ostapenko as saying when asked about whether Russia has plans to develop it own space station.

He said such a space station could become a key part of Russian missions to the moon.

It is not clear how such a project would be financed as Russia is widely expected to enter recession next year and the economic crisis is aggravated by Western sanctions over Russias policy in the Ukraine crisis.

Washington wants to keep the $100-billion ISS in use until at least 2024, four years beyond the previous target. But a Russian government official said in May that Moscow would reject Washingtons request to prolong its operations.

The Russian space station Mir, launched by the Soviet Union in 1986, operated until 2001 and President Vladimir Putin is now seeking to reform Russias once-pioneering space industry after years of budget cuts and a brain drain that led to a series of embarrassing and costly failed launches in recent years.

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Russia considers building its own space station to rival ISS: report