Russia is moving the Americans

Blogger denis-balin writes about our space successes: The Antares rocket launched tonight in the galaxy far, far away in Virginia. Not only did it launch a mock-up of the currently under construction Signus spacecraft into orbit, but it also delivered three small NASA satellites and one commercial nanosatellite. Ordinary, it would seem, an event, and besides, it was also a test flight. But in fact, it is of great importance both for Americans and for us. Creating your own launch vehicle is now the most urgent task in the US space program. For us, this event is important for one simple reason: the engine for the rocket was developed by Russian scientists. So the success of the American launch is also our success.

(Total 4 photos)

1. Launch of Antares

Antares is equipped with NK-33/AJ26 engines manufactured by Kuznetsov (part of the United Engine Corporation - UEC, which is part of Rostec Corporation) and modernized by Aerojet. And in this you can see a kind of sign: the countries that once fiercely fought for supremacy in space are now working closely together. However, it is hardly possible to speak about the decline of space competition. Now it just takes on more elegant and calm forms.

2. "Antares" before the start

Space competition continues within the framework of cooperation. The technical complexity and cost of projects is constantly growing, so even the richest countries are forced to join forces. The ISS (International Space Station) has become a symbol of this friendship. Its operation is carried out by 15 countries of the world, although the share of their participation is proportional to the technical capabilities and financial costs of each of the countries. The station is operated from two centers: in Korolev near Moscow and in Houston. So, in essence, no one can challenge the hegemony of Russia and the United States in space, not even China.

A couple of years ago, Russia and America shared the main burden of responsibilities for servicing the ISS. Naturally, this gave them much more scope for research. But after the Columbia shuttle crash, more than $1 billion in flight safety programs made space shuttle launches too expensive. The price of one launch gradually exceeded $420 million. In addition, it turned out that the engines and hulls of the shuttles wear out much faster (initially they were calculated for a hundred launches). Therefore, until a new space program is implemented, the Americans decided that it was cheaper to fly into space on foreign ships. The Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. Since then, there are only two countries left in the world that, in principle, are capable of carrying out manned space flights: Russia and China.

3. Famous American shuttles. They don't fly anymore.

The closure of the Space Shuttle program led to the fact that the United States lost the ability to deliver into orbit not only astronauts, but also cargo for the ISS. That is, one of the strongest space powers paradoxically turned out to be completely dependent on its partners. And for two years now, the Americans have been flying into space and delivering cargo to the ISS on our ships. Of course, this does not reflect very positively on the international prestige of the megapower, and America is trying to create a new spacecraft. Due to the global economic crisis and a truly astronomical external debt of the United States, the NASA budget has recently been reduced, so the new funding model involves attracting private American companies to deliver cargo (and in the future, people) into orbit. It is they who are engaged in the development of vehicles for space.

4. Signus in orbit. Model.

But, oddly enough, even in these developments, the United States does not manage on its own. After all, Signus (one of the future cargo ships currently being developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation) will be launched into orbit by the same Antares launch vehicle, the engine of which, as we remember, is our merit. This is how the interests of the two leading space powers intertwine in our time, each of which once kept its scientific secrets behind seven locks.