Space Tourism … and Much More
RIA Novosti has a very interesting article about the Kazakhstan government’s apparent intention to invest about $100 million in bankrupt Sea Launch.
The article quotes Talgat Musabayev, head of the Kazak space agency Kazkosmos, as saying the government wants to acquire shares in the rocket company, which is a joint venture of Boeing (US), RSC Energia (Russia), Kvaerner (Norway), and Yuzhnoye Design Bureau (Ukraine).
Continue reading ‘Kazakhstan Investing in Sea Launch?’
Malaysia has been gradually developing its space capabilities during the last few years. These efforts have included sending the first Malaysian in space, Sheikh Muszaphar, to ISS aboard a Russian Soyuz vehicle in 2007, and conducting microgravity crystal experiments:
Continue reading ‘Malaysia’s Space Efforts Beginning to Pay Off’
In an interview with Malaysia’s Daily Express, Dr Igor V. Sorokin of the S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia said that the Soviet Union was in the advanced states of planning a human Mars mission before the country collapsed:
Continue reading ‘Energia Official: Soviet Union Had Viable Human Mars Plan in Late 1980’s’
International Space Station
BOEING PRESS RELEASE
The Boeing Company and Russian aerospace company RSC-Energia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Moscow on Oct. 2 to work together on a future common docking system for advanced space exploration vehicles.
The two companies will complement each other’s extensive knowledge in International Space Station (ISS) design, assembly and operation to produce an international standard for docking mechanisms.
Continue reading ‘Boeing, Energia to Build Common Docking System’
ROSKOSMOS PRESS OFFICE
Rocket Space Corporation Energia continues development and design activities with two new Russian modules to be docked to the International Space Station – MRM-1 and MRM-2.
Continue reading ‘Energia Continues Work on Two Russian ISS Modules’
Russia mulls rocket power ‘first’
BBC News
Engineers are considering a rocket-powered landing system for the successor to Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.
Continue reading ‘Russia Considers Rocket-Powered Landing for New Spacecraft’
RIA-Novosti reports:
Flight tests of Russia’s new cargo spacecraft will start in 2016-17, the general designer of the RSC Energia rocket manufacturer said on Monday.
Continue reading ‘Russia to Begin Flight Testing Soyuz Replacement in 2016′
Roskosmos signs contract for new rocket and space complex
ITAR-TASS
Russia’s Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) has signed a contract for the creation of a new rocket and space complex at the Vostochny spaceport.
Continue reading ‘Roskosmos Signs Pact for New Spaceport’
Space News has some additional details on Russia’s program to create a successor to the Soyuz transport:
The Russian Federal Space Agency, Roskosmos, awarded a pair of contracts totaling nearly 1.2 billion rubles ($37 million) to begin designing a next-generation spaceship and rocket capable of carrying cosmonauts to the Moon.
Continue reading ‘Contractors Chosen for Russia’s Soyuz Replacement’
PRESS RELEASE
Astrotech Corporation, (NASDAQ: SPAB – News), a leading provider of commercial space services, released today that the RSC Energia agreement in principle with the Company’s SPACEHAB Orbital Transportation, Inc. subsidiary, which was announced late last year, has now been formalized into a $1.8 million contract.
Russia’s largest manufacturer of aerospace and space equipment will utilize Astrotech’s Cape Canaveral, Florida payload processing facilities and receive support services from Astrotech to prepare its Mini Research Module (MRM1) for flight aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle during the STS-132 mission.
Continue reading ‘Astrotech to Support Energia on MRM1 Station Launch’
Rob Coppinger of Hyperbola blog points to a presentation (PDF) that explains why ESA and Roskosmos recently ended an 18-month study on whether to jointly build a new Crew Space Transportation System (CSTS).
The presentation by Marco Caporicci of ESA’s Human Spaceflight Directorate indicates the two sides were unable to agree on a division of work that allow them to get what they wanted out of the CSTS project.
Continue reading ‘ESA, Russia Go Their Own Way on New Human Space Vehicle’
RIA Novesti reports that Sberbank has loaned Energia 2.9 billion rubles ($106 million) to allow the company to continue production of the Soyuz and Progress vehicles required for the International Space Station (ISS).
Meanwhile, the news agency says that Kazakhstan will be paying a commercial rate to send a cosmonaut to ISS. “‘The only way a Kazakh astronaut can fly to the ISS is as part of a Russian expedition on a commercial basis for a period of 10 days,’ Talgat Musabayev, head of Kazakhstan’s National Space Agency, was quoted as saying by Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency.”
European and Russian space companies are studying designs for a new crew vehicle for possible launch aboard an Ariane 5, Rob Coppinger reports over on his Hyperbola blog.
The study involves a group of European companies headed by Thales Alenia Space and EADS Astrium that is working with Russia’s Energia and S. P. Korolev. A number of designs are being considered, including one similar to NASA’s Apollo and Orion capsules.
One particularly intriguing aspect is that engineers studied building a lunar version of the Russian Soyuz crew transport. However, they rejected the idea because problems arose with the vehicle’s thermal protection system and other changes required to fly to the moon.
Virginia-based Space Adventures is planning to use a Soyuz variant to fly tourists around the moon. Coppinger’s report raises some interesting questions about just how much modification the vehicle will require and what that might cost.
The Russian News and Information Agency Novosti has an interesting analysis of the country’s space program that indicates Energia may soon unveil a design for a replacement of the venerable Soyuz spacecraft.
“In early February, Vitaly Lopota, the newly appointed Energia CEO, told respected daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta that the R&D effort still continued. He said that the spacecraft design would be unveiled before August and that it would take at least six to seven years to develop a new spacecraft,” Andrei Kislyakov reports.
Kislyakov says that the new design would be an alternative to the winged Kliper vehicle, which was the favored Soyuz replacement until August 2006. Kliper was rejected due to high R&D costs. The three-person Soyuz is now in its fifth decade of service, having first flown in 1967.
New Mexico Spaceport Authority Seeks Deputy Director
NMSA PRESS RELEASE
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) is accepting applications for a Deputy Director to oversee the daily operations of Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport. This position announcement marks another significant milestone as the historic project transitions from a construction site to an operating spaceport.
The Deputy Director will be responsible for [...]
Wyle to Play Key Role in New FAA Commercial Space Transportation Center
WYLE PRESS RELEASE
Wyle is part of an academic-industry team that has been selected to support a new Federal Aviation Administration Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation.
The center is a partnership of academia, industry, and government, developed for the purpose of creating a world-class consortium that will address current and future [...]
Space Tourism Insurance Could Be Next Big Growth Area
Space Tourism Sector A Good Opportunity For Insurance Firms
Space Travel
As space tourism matures, it holds tremendous opportunity for insurance companies to offer risk coverage to those on-board, similar to what they do for passengers of airlines, industry officials said.
At an international conference on space business, organised as part of Bengaluru Space Expo 2010, speakers noted [...]
