Russia announces no more space tourists, new launch facility, new heavy-lift rocket

William Atkins
Monday, 14 April 2008 22:59

Science - Space

On December 12, 2007, the first stage for the Angara rocket was successfully tested with respect to its flight hydraulics and steering actuators under near-flight ready conditions.
 
Currently, Russia purchases many of its Zenit launch vehicles from the Ukraine, another former satellite of the U.S.S.R.

A series of Angara rockets will be designed and built. They will lift payloads ranging in weight from 2,000 to 24,500 kilograms into low Earth orbit.

The fuel used for the launch vehicles will be liquid oxygen (LOX) and rocket propellant-1 (RP-1), a type of kerosene similar to jet fuel. Its upper stage can carry LOX/RP-1 or LOX and liquid hydrogen (LOH).

The first launch of an Angara rocket is expected to be in 2010 or 2011.


Space Tourists in Russia

RSA head Anatoly Perminov announced that Russia will likely stop selling tourists rides to the International Space Station beginning in 2010.

At that time, the number of crewmembers of the ISS will be increased from three to six (possibly even nine crew members). With the added number, there will not be enough room to ferry space tourists (or spaceflight participants) on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Perminov stated, "We will continue flying tourists to the international space station in accordance with the existing programs, but we may have problems with it starting from 2010 because of planned increase of the ISS' crew.” [FoxNews: “Putin: Russia Will Spend More on Space Industries, But Not Space Tourism”]