China News Service, July 28 (Reporter Meng Xiangjun) On July 26, local time, Roscosmos announced a big news: Russia has decided to withdraw from the International Space Station project in cooperation with the United States and Europe after 2024, and start Build your own space station.
Judging from the response of the United States, this news, which was originally considered to be secret, came a little suddenly.
Of course, from the moment when sanctions were imposed on the Russian aerospace industry, the United States should have expected this day, from a partner to a competitor, the next space race will be more intense!
Data map: Russian and American astronauts took the Russian "Soyuz" MS-17 manned spacecraft to the International Space Station.
[Russia is ready to fly Putin alone: very good]
It was Borisov, the newly appointed president of Roscosmos, who reported relevant decisions to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Borisov pointed out that the Russian space industry is in a "difficult situation" and he will seek to raise standards to provide "necessary space services" for the Russian economy, including navigation, communications and data transmission.
He said Russia would honour all its obligations but had decided to withdraw from the space station after 2024.
By then, the main priority of the Russian space program will be the formation of its own Orbital Service Station (ROSS).
Data map: The Russian "Soyuz" spacecraft was launched.
Roscosmos has disclosed a sketch of the orbital station, which will be fully operated by Russia, consisting of three to seven modules, as well as a spacecraft maintenance platform.
The new orbiting station could be used as a lunar base, possibly housing a lunar spacecraft and monitoring the entire Earth's surface, including the North Pole.
In addition, a module that can accommodate four tourists may be installed in the station, enabling commercial space travel.
Putin said that these plans and decisions are "good".
Data map: Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) observes the launch of a Russian carrier rocket, with Rogozin on the left.
Borisov was only appointed in mid-July to replace Rogozin, who had been in the position for four years.
Foreign media described the appointment of Borisov as "surprising", because from 2011 to 2018, Rogozin had been the deputy prime minister overseeing the aerospace industry, when he was "relegated" to the president of the aerospace group four years ago. , when Borisov became Deputy Prime Minister overseeing the military industry and aerospace.
In both positions, Rogozin did not finish, and Borisov is repeating the path of his predecessors.
Having two former deputy prime ministers sit in the space agency one after another, including Borisov with a military background, is enough to illustrate the position of the space industry in Putin's mind.
[Western "thorn in the eye" has stepped down]
To go back to the history of grievances between Russia and the United States in space exploration, we have to mention Rogozin again. He is a famous hawk towards the United States and an absolute "troublemaker" in the eyes of the West.
When Crimea joined Russia in 2014, Rogozin was sanctioned by the United States, and he was completely ruthless against NATO and the United States.
On the occasion of Russia's successful test-launch of the "Sarmat" intercontinental missile and the 73rd anniversary of the founding of NATO, Rogozin posted pictures on social media to send "big gifts" to NATO.
The former picture shows a soldier holding a bomb with the words "Gift to Hitler" written on it; the latter picture is an aerial view of the NATO headquarters taken by a Russian spacecraft in space, with the caption "We are monitoring you" .
A satellite image of the NATO headquarters building in Brussels taken by Russia's "Resource-P" Earth remote sensing satellite.
Image source: Roscosmos
Rogozin accused the United States of launching sanctions, which prevented Russia from entering the international microelectronics market and lost commercial orders, grossly trampling on the principle that "space is not politics".
He has suggested that the United States "use trampolines" or "distribute brooms" to send astronauts to the International Space Station.
Because since the historic retirement of the U.S. space shuttle in 2011, all American astronauts must take a Russian spacecraft to travel to and from the International Space Station.
In addition, after the United States launched sanctions on Russia, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), under pressure from Congress, bought a sky-high seat on a Russian manned spacecraft for American astronauts and paid for it in rubles.
This is exactly the effect Rogozin wanted, and he personally announced the news of the "slap in the face" of the American.
Rogozin's strong personal style has brought the relationship between Roscosmos and NASA to freezing point over the years.
The most unbearable thing for NASA is that Rogozin once warned that Western sanctions will affect Russia's control and correction of the orbit of the International Space Station, which may eventually lead to the "uncontrolled deorbit and fall" of the 500-ton space station.
On March 30, local time, Kazakhstan, the Russian "Soyuz" spacecraft carrying American and Russian astronauts returned to Earth.
The picture shows NASA astronaut Mark Vanderhaie exiting the capsule.
The US media once questioned whether Russia would refuse to send American astronauts back to Earth because of sanctions.
But that's an underestimate of Rogozin.
On March 30, Roscosmos safely returned an American astronaut and two Russian astronauts, helping 55-year-old NASA astronaut Mark van der Hey successfully set the record for the longest single spaceflight in the United States .
Mark Vander Hey is the one NASA "buys the seat" for.
After Rogozin stepped down, the US media applauded, and the US "Capitol Hill" ridiculed with the title "Dmitry Rogozin's dismissal cannot save the Russian space program". Facts have proved that Rogozin's threat not to provide the United States with a spacecraft is " Empty", because they will be able to travel to and from the space station in the future on the spacecraft of private American companies.
Some analysts say that since the Russian army entered Ukraine, many combat movements have been captured by the West and secretly notified to the Ukrainian army, causing the Russian army to be passive on the battlefield, and Rogozin's Roscosmos does not seem to have played its due countermeasures.
In addition, the hacker group NB65 allegedly successfully invaded the Russian Aerospace Corporation and the satellite communication control system for a time.
Could these be the reasons for Rogozin's departure?
[It will last 8 years, and the United States does not want to split up early]
The International Space Station, which started operation in 1998, is an example of a rare, long-term and deep cooperation between Russia and the United States and their allies.
It stemmed from a diplomatic initiative to improve U.S.-Russian relations after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the U.S.-Soviet Cold War space race.
Data map: A bird's-eye view of Earth from the International Space Station.
The American and Russian modules that make up the International Space Station:
·Spans the size of a football field
· Orbiting about 400 kilometers above the earth
·The various parts of the space station are technically interdependent and cannot be separated from each other
American gyroscopes provide control of space orientation, and solar arrays provide power for Russian modules
Russian device provides propulsion to keep space station in orbit
This project will not last long as the equipment ages, but the Biden administration has decided to keep the space station in operation until 2030 and then decommission it.
On New Year's Eve 2022, NASA promised to continue research with Russia on the space station in the next 10 years.
However, as the United States announced sanctions on Russia's aerospace industry, the cooperation between the two sides fell apart, and Russia's rebound exceeded expectations.
The United States is not willing to "separate" with Russia so early. As early as February 25, the day after the Russian army entered Ukraine, NASA quickly stated that the sanctions had nothing to do with the International Space Station and would continue to work with Russia to ensure the safe operation of the space station.
Data map: Roscosmos staff work in the control room.
Image source: Sipaphoto copyright works are prohibited from reprinting
All the way up to now, Moscow has chosen a relatively safe time to withdraw this time, not immediately, but two years later, because the current US Congress approves the funding for the International Space Station until 2024.
That softened the blow somewhat, but even so, Washington appeared to be caught off guard.
Robin Gattens, director of NASA's International Space Station, said that Russia has not communicated information as required by the agreement between the two governments, and the United States "has not received any official statement from Russia."
When asked if she wanted to end the U.S.-Russian space partnership, she responded: "No, absolutely not."
The White House expressed "surprise" at Russia's public news, saying it would seek other options to mitigate the potential impact.
【Future track "alternative options"】
At the current stage, the astronauts of the United States or its allies can't "go to the sky" without the Russian spacecraft?
it's not true.
NASA now relies more on private companies and has allocated more than $400 million to three U.S. aerospace companies to symbolically fund private development and operation of commercial space stations, hoping to dominate the commercial economy in low-Earth orbit.
The companies receiving grants are: ↓↓
1. Blue Origin, the billionaire Bezos company.
The company has been awarded $130 million to develop the Orbital Reef space station in partnership with Sierra Nevada Group's aerospace subsidiary, Sierra Space, and Boeing.
Its goal is to create a comprehensive space center for industrial and commercial uses such as manufacturing, entertainment, sports, gaming and exploration, with operations scheduled to begin between 2025 and 2030.
Second, space hardware and services company (Nanoracks).
The company, which has been awarded $160 million, will work with Lockheed Martin and Voyager Space to build the "Interstellar Laboratory" space station, which is scheduled to operate in 2027.
The space station will have inflatable habitats, docking points, robotic arms for cargo and lift, and laboratories.
3. Northrop Grumman Corp.
This is an aerospace and defense technology company with a $130 million grant.
The company will develop the space station for sustainable commercial missions, with NASA as one of many customers.
American billionaire Elon Musk.
As for the most widely known SpaceX company of the world's richest man, Musk, it is not because it has deep pockets and does not need funding, but because its mission is different, and it has been controversial before.
SpaceX has successfully used its own reusable manned "Dragon" spacecraft four times so far to transport multinational astronauts to and from the space station, reducing the United States' dependence on the Russian "Soyuz" spacecraft and turning NASA into one of its most loyal customers. one.
Therefore, when NASA got SpaceX's $2.9 billion offer, which was much lower than other companies, it gave SpaceX the contract for the lunar lander of the "Artemis" moon landing program.
A rendering of the commercial space station "Orbital Reef" planned by Blue Origin.
Competitors such as "Blue Origin" are not satisfied. A complaint has been brought to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, forcing NASA to open the bidding and share the profits with others. Otherwise, the manned moon circumnavigation will be carried out by 2024. The grand plan of flying will definitely be dragged down.
But in the future, American astronauts will definitely "go to the sky" on SpaceX's spacecraft.
Although the former Cold War rivals of the United States and Russia face each other, the two sides just signed a crew exchange agreement in July, allowing the astronauts of the two countries to share each other's spacecraft to and from the International Space Station in the future.
The relationship has deteriorated, but the cooperation has not been cut off, and the bottom line is still there. This is the unique and exciting aspect of the game of great powers.
(Finish)