MOSCOW. (Yury Zaitsev, expert, Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences) - Russia and the European Union have made considerable headway in the field of space exploration over the last few years.
Work is proceeding apace to build a launch facility for Russia's Soyuz-2 rockets at the Kourou space center in French Guiana. Project Volga, which involves seven agencies, including three Russian ones, is another example of fruitful cooperation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia. Notably, as part of this project, the Keldysh Center is developing a reusable rocket engine which may usher in a new era of space exploration.
The ESA will finance the lion's share of this project, which will require an estimated one billion euros to complete.
This summer, Russia and the EU agreed to jointly develop an advanced manned transport system based on the revamped Soyuz and Progress spacecraft and the new-generation Kliper reusable shuttle. This transport system will require a new elements base and digital flight-control systems. The new Soyuz will eventually fly to the International Space Station (ISS) and the Moon and will reenter the terrestrial atmosphere at 25,000 miles per hour. There are plans to upgrade the Soyuz spacecraft by 2010. The EU has supported Russian proposals to launch revamped Soyuz rockets from the Kourou space center as well as from Baikonur.
The Kliper would fly relief crews and consignments to the ISS and return astronauts and experiment results to Earth. It could also promptly evacuate ISS crews in case of emergency. Moreover, the Kliper can be used for lunar missions and for flying to Mars, either crewed by astronauts or operating in automatic mode.
The Kliper, a unique Russian invention, embodies numerous engineering solutions in its design and onboard systems. These solutions evolved during the creation of the manned Soyuz spacecraft and Progress cargo craft and their subsequent operation. The Buran (Snow Storm) reusable space shuttle program also contributed greatly to the Kliper's development. Moreover, the new shuttle's onboard systems will be tested extensively aboard Soyuz spacecraft.
Unlike the disposable Soyuz, which can only fly once, the Kliper can fly 25 missions. 80% of the Kliper's components and 95% of its descent module are reusable and have a ten-year service life. Turnaround time would not exceed five to six months.
The Kliper reusable space system will become part of the existing ground infrastructure of the transport system. This infrastructure includes complexes for assembling Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, as well as facilities for launching revamped Soyuz-2 rockets and the more advanced Angara launch vehicles, a mission-control center, the Buran airstrip and cosmonaut-training centers.
There are plans to build an entire Kliper fleet for the ISS and other missions. These shuttles will lift off from Baikonur, Plesetsk and possibly Kourou.
Nikolai Sevastyanov, president and general designer of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, said the Kliper project should recoup all of the manned transport system's expenses by reducing launch costs and providing transport services to Russian and foreign customers.
The ESA, which is developing its own Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) program, understands that it cannot seriously contribute to mid-term space exploration without Russian assistance. Russian specialists now develop and supply docking modules, refueling systems, control systems and other key elements for the ATV program. The Russian side is also doing its best to make the ATV an integral part of its ISS program.
The ESA has its own idea of manned space missions, and its concept does not always coincide with that of Russian scientists. Nevertheless, the ESA recognizes Russia's leading role in future joint manned missions.
The Russian part of the ISS, currently under construction, should provide for maximum technical and economic efficiency. The plan is to link a multi-purpose laboratory module with the station in late 2008. That module will feature up-to-date service systems and versatile workstations for scientific and applied experiments and will provide paid services to Russian and foreign users. Russia would therefore receive substantial extra-budgetary profits which could be used for financing the construction of new modules.
The Russian part of the ISS will eventually be used to assemble an inter-orbital space complex bound for the Moon. The crew of that spacecraft will then fly back to the Earth directly. Sevastyanov said this approach will help make it possible to conduct manned lunar missions in the next several years, streamline the organizational and production principles of such flights and considerably reduce various risks, including economic ones.
A permanent two-way reusable transport system will link the Earth and the Moon during the lunar program's second stage. This system will be comprised of manned Kliper-type spacecraft and relatively slow inter-orbital tugs with liquid-propellant rocket engines for transporting bulky loads. A permanent trans-shipment station featuring a reusable launch/landing facility will be placed in lunar orbit.
A permanent orbital base for exploiting the Moon's resources will be created during the next stage.
In addition, a three-stage manned mission is envisioned for exploring the Red Planet. A Martian expedition vehicle will be tested during lunar flights and will subsequently orbit the Moon during the first stage. During the second stage, the manned vehicle will reach the Red Planet and orbit around it. However, its crew will not land on the Martian surface but will instead send automatic probes to study future landing sites and to test descent modules' rocket engines. The latter aspect is extremely important for failsafe launches.
Space crews may fly to Mars during the third stage and return to the inter-orbital vehicle. The latter will then reach a near-Earth orbit and dock with a Kliper spacecraft for returning the astronauts to Earth. Incidentally, Russian cosmonauts flying aboard the Soyuz-7 and Mir stations proved this was possible.
The ESA is quite interested in expanding these projects. An official ESA representative in Russia said Europe and Russia should expand their close-knit cooperation still further. The Russians are implementing projects which Europe finds very difficult to develop; this is quite useful for the latter because they will not have to reinvent the wheel and can use top-class inventions, he said.
Europe is striving to explore space together with Russia because it finds it very difficult to vie with such a powerful rival as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States. By joining hands with Russia, which has extensive experience in space exploration and technologies, the ESA will considerably expand its own potential.
Russia must consolidate its leading position in the field of international manned missions. At the same time, European involvement will make it possible to use other countries' financial, industrial and intellectual resources.
