“How about this, Elon Musk?”: in Roscosmos told, what will SpaceX
MOSCOW, 11 APR — RIA Novosti. Enterprise “Roscosmos” intend to return the lost positions in the market of space launch services. For this parallel designed several technical solutions, which should help domestic carriers to compete with American reusable Falcon 9 rocket and attract new customers.
Developments of domestic enterprises, read the review, RIA Novosti, prepared on the eve of the cosmonautics Day.
A few years ago almost every second space launch in the world was Russian. Since then, Russia’s position has seriously deteriorated. Due to a succession of accidents “Roscosmos” has lost almost all commercial orders, and the subsidizing the us government private company SpaceX has allowed her to capture unused space and occupy 60% of the market of commercial launches. Now she spends one start every two weeks and in 2017 almost bypassed Russia in the total number of rocket launches.
Double blow
Space center named after Khrunichev, which with their rockets “proton” before the arrival of SpaceX dominated the market for commercial launch services, prepares for a rival just two response — removes heavy launchers “proton” third step, reducing the cost of missiles, and is developing a reusable version of light missiles “Angara”.
In 2016, the Khrunichev Center made the decision on creation of two versions of the rocket “proton-M” “proton the proton Light”. In the “medium” versions of media will be removed the third step. This solution is quickly achievable and does not require substantial alteration of the rocket, because in the 1960-ies that is exactly what the original looked “proton”.
Main objective: to reduce the cost of startup and to adjust the carrier under palacassa in recent years, communication satellites. The first launch of the upgraded rocket is scheduled for 2019. In the “light” version is planned in addition to remove the two block of the first stage, which should further reduce the price of the start. Now launches into a three-stage heavy “Protons” are slightly larger than their Falcon 9 rocket asks Elon Musk — in the region of $ 65 million against 61,5 million dollars.
The new modification of “Proton” will not compete with the basic version “proton-M”. They will all be at the same time to serve different market segments of telecommunication devices international satellite operators, told RIA Novosti in the Center of Khrunichev.
“Decision on the establishment of a two-stage modifications of the carrier rocket “proton” was adopted in response to market needs. A two-stage rocket-carrier proton” will be able to compete with the rocket-the Falcon 9 SpaceX and to restore Russia’s position in the launch services market, — assured RIA Novosti in the company.