Russia drags NASA: Enjoy your expensive SpaceX capsule, our Soyuz is the cheap Kalashnikov of rockets
(2020/06/10)
- Reference: 1591827230
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/06/10/russias_space_agency_spat/
- Source link:
The big cheese at Roscosmos has claimed a launch to the International Space Station using good ol’ fashioned Russian Soyuz rockets still costs less than SpaceX’s offering.
In an opinion article shared on the Russian agency's website in English, Dmitry Rogozin also accused NASA of being unprofessional, and slammed the Americans' "spiteful" remarks about a failed 2018 Soyuz launch. He also claimed Russia remained dominant in the global space industry, and hinted that future cosmonauts would live in space without any help from NASA.
The scathing criticism comes shortly after NASA and SpaceX [1]successfully sent Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the orbiting station aboard an American-made rocket that took off from American soil. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said partnering with a private company like SpaceX was necessary as it had become too expensive to purchase a journey to the floating space lab using Roscosmos’ Soyuz rockets. SpaceX, on paper at least, works out millions of dollars cheaper than using Soyuz.
“In the same manner the paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Titian are priceless being unique and are common heritage, the same is true about the chance given to the Americans by Roscosmos to retain an opportunity to deliver their astronauts to the space station — it is priceless,” Rogozin [2]wrote .
Still, there is a price, and that number is $55m for a seat on SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, compared to roughly $90m for a seat on Roscosmos’ Soyuz rocket. Rogozin, however, was adamant that a Russian launch is, in fact, cheaper. He said that the American spacecraft was more than double the weight of its Russian counterpart, meaning less freight could be delivered into orbit.
“Given that, the cost of our launches is substantially lower than the American. The sirs seem to confuse launch cost price and launch service price that is formed by the market. Hence, I insist that Soyuz MS spacecraft with the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket was and still remains unchallenged — whatever our competitors say.”
They've only gone and bloody done it! NASA, SpaceX send two fellas off to the International Space Station [3]READ MORE
“Contrary to common belief, the head of SpaceX built the spacecraft not on his dime, but at the expense of the American taxpayers,” Rogozin continued, helpfully reminding us that SpaceX was indeed under NASA contract. While the US space agency saved SpaceX's bacon, when it was in dire straits financially, with a contract to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, bear in mind if the rockets hadn't worked, SpaceX wouldn't have been paid all that taxpayer cash. It's also worth noting the Soyuz was developed by Russian state funding.
Rogozin also accused the Americans of mocking Roscosmos after one of its Soyuz rockets, in 2018, was [4]forced to abort its launch mid-flight with American Tyler “Nick” Hague and Russian Alexey Ovchinin onboard. They were shaken but unharmed.
"We returned him [Hague] and less than in six months we successfully delivered him to the destination point, the ISS. And when our partners finally managed to carry out a successful test of their spacecraft, we didn't get anything but jokes and mockery, although it would not be out of place to thank our Soyuz, its Soviet developers and Russian engineers who continued modernizing this most reliable spacecraft in the world,” Rogozin thundered.
He said the Soyuz rocket was analogous to a “space Kalashnikov rifle” – cheap, durable, and in “high demand” like the Russian weapon over the years. “The fact that some country now has its own spacecraft does not mean we do not have one anymore. Our country was the first to send a man into space, and we remain dominant,” he added.
Not to be outdone by NASA, the Roscosmos boss went on to list a number of new technologies it was working on. These included the Oryol spacecraft and the Angara rocket that also aims to be reusable like the Falcon 9.
Finally, he warned that Russia wants to build its own space stations so its own astronauts could continue scientific research in zero gravity conditions, a step towards “independence from [its] partners.” At the moment, the US and Russia share the ISS' facilities and work together.
Rogozin is known for being outspoken. In 2014, after the US announced economic sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Crimea, he hit back and [5]suggested America could deliver its astronauts to the ISS with a “trampoline” instead.
The Register has asked NASA for comment. ®
Sponsored: [6]The Forrester Wave™: Streaming Analytics, Q3 2019
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/30/nasa_spacex_manned_launch/
[2] http://en.roscosmos.ru/21511/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/30/nasa_spacex_manned_launch/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2018/10/31/sensor_failure_led_to_soyuz_launch_failure_says_roscosmos/
[5] https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s1irff
[6] https://go.theregister.com/tl/1956/-8460/the-forrester-wave-streaming-analytics-q3-2019?td=wptl1956
In an opinion article shared on the Russian agency's website in English, Dmitry Rogozin also accused NASA of being unprofessional, and slammed the Americans' "spiteful" remarks about a failed 2018 Soyuz launch. He also claimed Russia remained dominant in the global space industry, and hinted that future cosmonauts would live in space without any help from NASA.
The scathing criticism comes shortly after NASA and SpaceX [1]successfully sent Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the orbiting station aboard an American-made rocket that took off from American soil. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said partnering with a private company like SpaceX was necessary as it had become too expensive to purchase a journey to the floating space lab using Roscosmos’ Soyuz rockets. SpaceX, on paper at least, works out millions of dollars cheaper than using Soyuz.
“In the same manner the paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Titian are priceless being unique and are common heritage, the same is true about the chance given to the Americans by Roscosmos to retain an opportunity to deliver their astronauts to the space station — it is priceless,” Rogozin [2]wrote .
Still, there is a price, and that number is $55m for a seat on SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, compared to roughly $90m for a seat on Roscosmos’ Soyuz rocket. Rogozin, however, was adamant that a Russian launch is, in fact, cheaper. He said that the American spacecraft was more than double the weight of its Russian counterpart, meaning less freight could be delivered into orbit.
“Given that, the cost of our launches is substantially lower than the American. The sirs seem to confuse launch cost price and launch service price that is formed by the market. Hence, I insist that Soyuz MS spacecraft with the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket was and still remains unchallenged — whatever our competitors say.”
They've only gone and bloody done it! NASA, SpaceX send two fellas off to the International Space Station [3]READ MORE
“Contrary to common belief, the head of SpaceX built the spacecraft not on his dime, but at the expense of the American taxpayers,” Rogozin continued, helpfully reminding us that SpaceX was indeed under NASA contract. While the US space agency saved SpaceX's bacon, when it was in dire straits financially, with a contract to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, bear in mind if the rockets hadn't worked, SpaceX wouldn't have been paid all that taxpayer cash. It's also worth noting the Soyuz was developed by Russian state funding.
Rogozin also accused the Americans of mocking Roscosmos after one of its Soyuz rockets, in 2018, was [4]forced to abort its launch mid-flight with American Tyler “Nick” Hague and Russian Alexey Ovchinin onboard. They were shaken but unharmed.
"We returned him [Hague] and less than in six months we successfully delivered him to the destination point, the ISS. And when our partners finally managed to carry out a successful test of their spacecraft, we didn't get anything but jokes and mockery, although it would not be out of place to thank our Soyuz, its Soviet developers and Russian engineers who continued modernizing this most reliable spacecraft in the world,” Rogozin thundered.
He said the Soyuz rocket was analogous to a “space Kalashnikov rifle” – cheap, durable, and in “high demand” like the Russian weapon over the years. “The fact that some country now has its own spacecraft does not mean we do not have one anymore. Our country was the first to send a man into space, and we remain dominant,” he added.
Not to be outdone by NASA, the Roscosmos boss went on to list a number of new technologies it was working on. These included the Oryol spacecraft and the Angara rocket that also aims to be reusable like the Falcon 9.
Finally, he warned that Russia wants to build its own space stations so its own astronauts could continue scientific research in zero gravity conditions, a step towards “independence from [its] partners.” At the moment, the US and Russia share the ISS' facilities and work together.
Rogozin is known for being outspoken. In 2014, after the US announced economic sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Crimea, he hit back and [5]suggested America could deliver its astronauts to the ISS with a “trampoline” instead.
The Register has asked NASA for comment. ®
Sponsored: [6]The Forrester Wave™: Streaming Analytics, Q3 2019
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/30/nasa_spacex_manned_launch/
[2] http://en.roscosmos.ru/21511/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/30/nasa_spacex_manned_launch/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2018/10/31/sensor_failure_led_to_soyuz_launch_failure_says_roscosmos/
[5] https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s1irff
[6] https://go.theregister.com/tl/1956/-8460/the-forrester-wave-streaming-analytics-q3-2019?td=wptl1956
Re: Foot in mouth
IGotOut
To be fair, if Russia had pulled the plug in 2014, the US would have no astronauts up there for 6 years.
MajDom
The size of that chip on his shoulder is cosmic. What a bunch of drunken ramblings. This clown is the epitome of incompetence. As if he did anyone a favour with his Soyuz ferry service. Without its fat returns, Roscosmos would be a trampoline playground by now. Instead of investing that money in innovation, I'm sure it all went into dachas, women, and cars.
Stuart Halliday
Nice to see someone knocking the shine off SpaceX and NASA.
The Americans don't care that the overall cost of a SpaceX launch is more expensive.
They just love wallowing in patriotic slime.
I've never seen a country so up its Ass with false Pride. Let's remember it's citizens enjoy killing each other over the slightest thing.
Foot in mouth
"Rogozin is known for being outspoken. In 2014, after the US announced economic sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Crimea, he hit back and suggested America could deliver its astronauts to the ISS with a “trampoline” instead."
Funny looking trampoline, that Dragon Crew Capsule and the rocket that launches it - and can land itself for re-use, innit?
Steven R
(I'm no SpaceX/Musk fanboy, but I bet those words proper sting today)