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The 'Russian Federal Space Agency' (Russian: Федеральное космическое агентство России, commonly known as "'Roskosmos'") or 'RKA', formerly the 'Russian Aviation and Space Agency' (Russian: Российское авиационно-космическое агентство, commonly known as "'Rosaviakosmos'"), is the government agency responsible for Russia's space science programme and general aerospace research. Roskosmos' headquarters are located in Moscow and its main operational center is located in a town nearby known as Star City. Since his appointment as General Director in March, 2004, Anatoly Perminov has led Russia's efforts to consolidate its space program.

Contents

History

Initial progress

Renewed activity in 2005-2006

Current programs

ISS involvement

Science programs

Rockets

Kliper

Russian spacecraft upgrade program

Launch control

Historic Russian space gallery

People

Spacecraft

Launch vehicles

References

External links

History

The RKA was formed after the breakup of the former Soviet Union and the dissolution of the Soviet space program. The RKA uses the technology and launch sites that belonged to the former Soviet space program. The launch sites are located mostly in the country of Kazakhstan and are maintained and utilized in cooperation with the government of Kazakhstan. The RKA has centralized control of Russia's civilian space program, including all manned and unmanned non-military space flights.

Initial progress

Like the Soviet space program before it, the Russian Space Agency has constantly had a lack of funding. This complicated efforts, such as the Soviet attempt at a moon mission, and later cooperation with the International Space Station. The 1990's saw a decreased cash flow, which encouraged Roskosmos to improvise and seek other ways to keep space programs running. This resulted in Roskosmos' leading role in commercial satellite launches and space tourism. While scientific missions, such as interplanetary probes or astronomy missions during these years played a very small role, Roskosmos managed to operate the space station Mir well past its lifetime, contribute to the International Space Station, and continue to fly additional Soyuz and Progress missions.

Renewed activity in 2005-2006

The Russian economy boomed throughout 2005 from high prices for exports, such as oil and gas, the outlook for future funding in 2006 appeared more favorable. This resulted in the Russian Duma approving a budget of 305 billion rubles (about 11 billion USD) for the Space Agency from 2006-2015, with overall space expenditures in Russia total about 425 billion rubles for the same time period.^[1] The budget for 2006 was as high as 25 billion rubles (about 900 million USD), which is a 33% increase from the 2005 budget. Under the current 10 year budget approved, the budget of the Space Agency shall increase 5-10% per year, providing the space agency with a constant influx of money. In addition to the budget, Roskosmos plans to have over 130 billion rubles flowing into its budget by other means, such as industry investments and commercial space launches.

Current programs

ISS involvement

The Russian Space Agency is one of the partners in the International Space Station (ISS) program, it contributed the core space modules Zarya and Zvezda, which were both launched by Proton rockets and later were joined by NASA's Unity Module. Roskosmos is furthermore responsible for expedition crew launches by Soyuz-TMA spacecrafts and resupplies the space station with Progress space transporters. After the initial ISS contract with NASA expired, RKA and NASA, with the approval of the US government, entered into a space contract running until 2011, according to which Roskosmos will sell NASA spots on Soyuz spacecrafts for approximately $21 million per person each way (thus $42 million to and back from the ISS per person) as well as provide Progress transport flights ($50 million per progress as oultined in the ESAS study [1]). RKA has announced that according to this arrangement, manned Soyuz flights will be doubled to 4 per year and Progress flights also doubled to 8 per year beginning in 2008.
RKA also provides space tourism for fare-paying passengers to ISS through the Space Adventures company. Currently three space tourists have contracted with Roskosmos and have flown into space, each for an announced fee of $20 million. Despite the price, the space tourism venture has proven to be very popular and all tourism flights are fully booked until 2009.^[2]
Roskosmos has committed itself to further provide two additional modules to the ISS. The first, the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, would launch aboard a Proton Rocket in 2009, and the second, the Docking Cargo Module (which replaces the Russian Research Module), following in 2010 aboard the STS-131 Shuttle mission.

Science programs

RKA operates a number of other programs for earth science, communication, and scientific research. Future projects include the Soyuz successor, the shuttle Kliper, scientific robotic missions to one of the Mars moons as well as an increase in Earth orbit research satellites.

★ Luna-Glob Moon orbiter with penetrators

★ Venera-D Venus lander

★ Phobos-Grunt Mars mission

Rockets

Roskosmos is using a launch family of several rockets, the most famous of them is the R-7, commonly known as the Soyuz rocket, capable of launching about 7.5 tons into low Earth orbit (LEO). The Proton rocket (or UK-500) also developed in the 60s but still flying, has a lift capacity of over 20 tons to LEO. Smaller rockets include Cosmos-3M, the German-Russian cooperation Rockot and other launchers.
Currently rocket development encompasses both a new rocket system, Angara, as well as enhancements of the Soyuz rocket, Soyuz-2 and Soyuz-3. One modification of the Soyuz, the Soyuz-2a has already been successfully tested, enhancing the launch capacity to 8 tons to LEO, with the Soyuz-2b to follow this year with a launch capacity from Baikonur of 8.5 tons.
RKA manages by far the most commercial launches per year, in 2005 it performed nearly 50 % of all commercial satellite launches into space.

Kliper

One of RKA's projects that has made a large impact on the media in 2005 is Kliper, a small lifting body reusable spacecraft. While Roskosmos has reached out to ESA and JAXA as well as others to share development costs of the project, it also has stated that it will go forward with the project even without support of other space agencies. This statement was backed by the above-described approval of its budget for 2006-2015 which includes the necessary funding of Kliper.
Information on Kliper's entry into service and development status vary. Some sources state 2010 as the target year of first orbital test flight, others, 2012. In January, 2006, the final decision on Kliper was anticipated to be made from among three proposals from several Russian contractors with a decision to be announced in February. Later, the result of formal bidding on the project was expected to be revealed in July. However, RKA reportedly issued a statement in late July that bidding for the Kliper program had been cancelled due to the insufficiency of the bids tendered. It was believed that there would a two-year period within which the future direction of the program would be determined.

Russian spacecraft upgrade program

It has recently been reported that Kliper and Parom will be developed as part of Russian manned and cargo spacecraft "overhaul". It also appears that the joint spacecraft development study with ESA will be the inaugural stage of this overhaul program. According to the article, the spacecraft upgrade program stages are: ^[3]

★ '' 'Stage one:' Starting in 2007, upgrade of Soyuz space vehicles. As a rule, each Soyuz crew consists of two professional astronauts and one space tourist. The revamped Soyuz, due to lift off in 2011, will carry two professionals and two passengers. Most importantly, it will be able to dock with the International Space Station, fly around the Moon and return to Earth at speeds of about 25,000 miles per hour, the equivalent of its escape velocity. (Note the similarity to ESA requirements - this may effectively make CSTS development redundant)''

★ '' 'Stage Two:' Development of the Parom (Ferry) reusable transport system, which will replace the Progress cargo craft. The Parom system will comprise a reusable orbiter and expendable 12-metric-ton freight containers. This is a remarkable achievement because Progress spacecraft can now deliver just 2.5 metric tons of dry and liquid cargo to the ISS.''

★ '' 'Stage Three:' This stage will witness the launch of a Kliper-type reusable space shuttle featuring technologies that will be streamlined during the first and second stages.''

Launch control

The military counterpart of the RKA is the Military Space Forces (VKS). The VKS controls Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome launch facility. The RKA and VKS share control of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, where the RKA reimburses the VKS for the wages of many of the flight controllers during civilian launches. The RKA and VKS also share control of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

Historic Russian space gallery

People

Spacecraft

Launch vehicles

References

1. http://www.forbes.com/finance/feeds/afx/2005/07/15/afx2141304.html
2. No more space for space as tickets sell out
3. http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20061220/57396095.html

External links

★ Российское авиационно-космическое агентство - RKA home page in Russian

★ Official website - RKA home page in English

★ 2006-2015 RKA Fundamental Space Research Program

★ Russian Space Program