Tag: Russia

Progress 63 Lifts Off to ISS, SpaceX CRS-8 is Next

Progress 63 Lifts Off to ISS, SpaceX CRS-8 is Next

The second of three tightly paced supply missions to the International Space Station has lifted off from Baikonour, Kazakhstan. The Soyuz booster carrying the Progress 63 cargo ship lifted off at 11:23:57 CDT (10:23 PM local) carrying 3 tons of food, fuel and supplies. After a 2 day transfer, it will dock with the aft […]

Posted in: Russian Space
Sea Launch May Sail Again

Sea Launch May Sail Again

Russia has found a buyer for Sea Launch, the innovative but troubled launch consortium which combines an ocean going platform with Zenit boosters built in the Ukraine to loft satellites to GTO from the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Following the suspension of operations in 2014, Russia had been looking to sell Sea Launch in order to […]

Russia Will Conduct First Launch From New Spaceport in April

Russia Will Conduct First Launch From New Spaceport in April

The world’s oldest space power will soon be inaugurating its newest space port.  After a long and troubled development which has frequently drawn the ire and intense scrutiny of Vladimir Putin, Russia is planning to conduct the first launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome in the nation’s far east in late April. From TASS: MOSCOW, March […]

Posted in: Russian Space
Russia to Slash Space Budget By 30%

Russia to Slash Space Budget By 30%

From playing a vital role in building, staffing, and operating the International Space Station over the last 15 years, to launching the ExoMars probe this week, there is no doubt the Russian space program is a vital, and even indispensable component of the global space exploration infrastructure. According to a report in Reuters with quotes […]

Posted in: Russian Space
After NASA Backs Out, Russia’s Proton Lofts ExoMars to the Red Planet (Update)

After NASA Backs Out, Russia’s Proton Lofts ExoMars to the Red Planet (Update)

Update: Europe’s Exo-Mars mission is successfully on its way to the Red Planet following successful completion of all four burns of the Briz-M and stage separation which took place at 20:13 GMT. At 21:29 GMT, ESA’s control center in Darmstadt, Germany received signal confirmation that spacecraft is in good health and the solar wings have unfolded. […]

Posted in: Mars
Aiming for Armageddon:  Russia Scientists Want to Shoot Asteroid Apophis in 2029

Aiming for Armageddon: Russia Scientists Want to Shoot Asteroid Apophis in 2029

Apparently some Russian scientists have been watching the SYFY channel’s horrendous Saturday night movies, and would like to make their own contribution to the “What could possibly go wrong? ” category. From TASS: “Russian scientists have developed a project of upgrading intercontinental ballistic missiles to destroy near-Earth meteorites 20-50 meters in size, leading researcher of […]

Posted in: Asteroids
A Joint Russian/American Lunar Misson

A Joint Russian/American Lunar Misson

The possibility of a joint U.S./Russian lunar program coming together in the late 2020’s is beginning to look like a viable options for the post ISS era. If by chance national space ambitions are not trumped by NewSpace accomplishments sometime in the next ten years, which is a distinct possibility, budget realities and changing fortunes […]

“3.5 Times Cheaper the US Dragon” Russia’s Space Plan Amid Budget Cuts

“3.5 Times Cheaper the US Dragon” Russia’s Space Plan Amid Budget Cuts

It is far from the best of times for the Russian space program, as budget realities conflict with that nation’s lunar ambitions. Following optimistic projections last year that it was working towards a 2025 launch date for a lunar circumnavigation mission to be carried out by the planned Angara A5B heavy lift vehicle, a draft […]

Posted in: Russian Space
Russian Soyuz 2.1V Fails to Separate Payload

Russian Soyuz 2.1V Fails to Separate Payload

Russia’s Soyuz-U booster, the version which launches crew to ISS may be one of the most reliable rockets in the world, but the other versions bearing the Soyuz name continue to suffer a series of mishaps. On Saturday, Russian conducted the second test launch of a Soyuz 2.1V rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome just under […]

Posted in: Russian Space
Russia’s Lunar Ambitions Following an American Path Not Taken

Russia’s Lunar Ambitions Following an American Path Not Taken

Is Russia following a path the American space program could have taken? A story in the Russian news agency TASS outlines a lunar exploration program which seems to draw on many of the lessons recently learned, but not applied by NASA for its own “Journey to Mars.” The program, which has yet to be funded, […]

Posted in: Moon, Russian Space
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