Star Ambition

The Russian space industry was fairly dynamic last year, increasing the total number of space launches as well as the number and share of domestic satellites placed into orbit. These results were achieved against the backdrop of the global economic crisis, which makes them all the more valuable. In fact, the international space market has been weathering the recession much better than many other sectors. This is largely due to the long lead times involved in space projects, the industry’s close ties with government agencies, and the constant need to expand and replenish national constellations of navigation and telecommunications satellites. Another explanation offered by experts is that demand for communications naturally peaks in times of crisis. This ensures the stability of the satellite services market, which caters to hundreds of millions of customers.

Leading in launches
Russia last year retained its world lead in the number of space launches — 32 rockets lifted off from the country’s cosmodromes, inserting 50 spacecraft in a variety of orbits. This compares well with the previous year’s 27 launches and 43 spacecraft, but is lower than the 47 launches originally planned for 2009. All launches were successful except the one on 22 May, when a Soyuz-2.1a rocket inserted the Meridian-2 military communications satellite in a much lower orbit than expected.
Eight launches were carried out from the Plesetsk cosmodrome; the remaining 24 missions lifted off from Baikonur in Kazakhstan. The following rocket types were used: Soyuz-U/FG family (11), Proton-K/M family (10), Rockot (three), Zenit-3SLB (three), and one each of Soyuz-2.1a, Soyuz-2.1b, Kosmos-3M, Dnepr and Tsiklon-3. The Tsiklon-3 and Kosmos-3M launches became officially the last ones for the respective rocket types, although production of Kosmos-3M may yet be resumed at the Omsk-based Polet production association, which is a subsidiary of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. At the same time, the number of Zenit-3SLB and Rockot launches grew in 2009.
There were 20 spacecraft launched for foreign customers, constituting just 40% of the total satellites orbited - against 51% the year before. The rest were orbited in the interests of various Russian agencies: nine in the framework of the national manned space flight program; 10 communications satellites; two reconnaissance satellites; one astrophysics satellite; two experimental students’ spacecraft; three navigation satellites; one meteorology satellite; one passive laser retroreflector satellite (BLITS); and one IRIS (Inflatable and Rigidizable Structure) experimental panel.
The spacecraft launched in the framework of Roskosmos Federal Space Agency’s manned space program included five Progress-M resupply vehicles and four Soyuz-TMA manned ships. The frequency of crew and cargo flights to the International Space Station (ISS) was increased last year to accommodate the expansion of the permanent station crew from three to six.
Other Roskosmos-sponsored payloads included the Express AM44 and Express MD1 telecom satellites; two Sterkh search-and-rescue beacon relay satellites of the COSPAS-SARSAT system, and the Meteor-M (1) meteorological satellite.
The Russian Defense Ministry funded the launches of one Kobalt-M optical reconnaissance satellite and one Lotos-S electronic reconnaissance satellite. It also ordered the launches of one Raduga-1 (Globus-1), one Meridian-2, two Strela-3, one Rodnik and one Parus communications satellites. The Glonass constellation of positioning/navigation satellites was further expanded through the addition of three Glonass-M spacecraft.
The two student satellites launched in 2009 were the Tatiana 2 technology demonstration microsatellite, developed with the participation of students at Moscow State University, and the UGATUSAT experimental Earth remote sensing microsatellite built at Ufa State Aviation Technical University.

Key events
Some of the most prominent space events in 2009 were the launch of a Koronas-Foton solar space observatory on 30 January and the orbiting, on 17 September, of the new-generation Meteor-M (1) meteorological spacecraft. It has been a while since Russia last launched such kind of vehicles.
Another major achievement was the doubling of production output for manned and resupply craft under the ISS program, allowing for seamless support of the ISS permanent crew expansion.
One more highlight of 2009 was a series of hot-fire tests performed on the URM-1 Universal Rocket Module, to be used in the first stage of the all-new Angara family of launch vehicles. Work is currently underway to prepare similar tests on the URM-2 module, which is to be used in the rocket’s upper stages. Of no less importance to the Angara development team last year became the first commercial flight of a South Korean KSLV-1 launch vehicle, with an URM-1 as the first stage. Despite the fact that the rocket failed to deliver Korea’s first indigenous satellite to orbit, the Russian module performed flawlessly.
Other important developments in the Russian space program were the Roskosmos tenders to create the Advanced Crew Transportation System (ACTV) and associated launch vehicle. In March last year, the contract to develop the conceptual design of the Rus-M launcher went to Samara-based TsSKB Progress (to be in charge of the rocket in general and its second stage), the Makeyev design bureau (first stage) and Korolev-based Energia Rocket and Space Corporation. In April 2009, Energia won the contest to design a new spacecraft for the system, known as the Advanced Crew Vehicle. Khrunichev’s proposals lost in both tenders. Scale models of the winning spacecraft and launch vehicle were demonstrated at the MAKS 2009 international aerospace exhibition in Zhukovsky.
Roskosmos saw its budget grow last year to reach $2.5 billion, making it the world’s fourth wealthiest space agency after NASA, ESA and the China National Space Administration. Work sped up considerably to re-equip the country’s space sector, particularly the enterprises involved in the Angara program: the Polet production association, Voronezh Mechanical Plant and Proton-PM. A facility currently being erected in Omsk will have the capacity to build up to 120 URM-1 modules a year; the Voronezh plant and Proton-PM are preparing to launch series production of components for the module’s RD-191 engine.
On the other hand, a number of high-profile space missions planned for 2009 had to be postponed. The launch of the Phobos-Grunt sample research lander was delayed from last autumn to October or November 2011. The orbiting of a Kondor-E radar Earth observation satellite, originally planned for 2009, has been put off until 2010. Koronas-Foton, Russia’s first orbital observatory launched in so many years, broke down in late 2009 — most likely due to substandard quality of auxiliary components. In effect, an otherwise perfectly functional payload was lost in orbit.
The Glonass constellation still has not reached its design functionality — this program milestone has now been moved to 2011-12. Insufficient funding from the Defense Ministry has disrupted the construction of the Angara launch pad and associated infrastructure at Plesetsk. As a result, the beginning of Angara flight tests has slipped from 2011 to 2012 — all the more vexing as the program is otherwise firmly on schedule.
The program to build the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East is also lagging behind. The relevant decision was made back in November 2007, but all that has been done to date are a design study and a preliminary survey at the potential construction site in Amur Region. Nevertheless, the first funds under the program were allocated, and the land plot allotted, in late 2009.

Short-term prospects
The government’s political and financial support remains the main source of hope for the future of Russia’s space sector. Over the past several years, the amounts of federal funding for space programs industry have remained sufficient, if not as high as the industry would prefer.
A total of 43 space launches are planned to be carried out in 2010, including 17 launches under contracts with foreign customers. The year’s highlights will include the launches of the Kanopus-B, Kondor-E and Resurs-P Earth remote sensing satellites, of an Elektro-L meteorological satellite, of the Spektr-R observatory and several other spacecraft. The 2012 plan calls for 40 launches, including one of the newest Soyuz-1 lightweight rocket.
The steadfast development of Russia’s space industry is prompting customers to come up with ever more challenging projects. One such proposal — to use nuclear energy in space — was first made by Roskosmos head Anatoly Perminov in October 2009. He said there were plans to create a spaceship powered by a megawatt-class nuclear reactor for such missions as a manned expedition to Mars, other types of interplanetary flights and setting up stations at other planets.
If successfully implemented, the project could help considerably increase the functionality of new-generation space vehicles and halve the cost of inserting spacecraft into high-energy orbits.
President Dmitry Medvedev praised to the idea as promising, and instructed the cabinet to take care of the financial aspect. The project should be jointly carried out by Roskosmos and the Rosatom state corporation, with the Keldysh research center as the lead developer. Some of the workload may be outsourced to Energia. The preliminary design phase is to begin in 2010 and will last until 2012. The program may take nine years and 20 billion rubles (about $670 million) to complete, including 17 billion to be allocated from the federal budget.
This ambitious project has provoked heated debates in the country’s professional space community. One must admit, however, that the very fact of its existence signifies the revival of Russia’s space industry.