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Federal Space Program for 2016-2025

The Federal Space Program for 2016-2025 years, lost a quarter instead of the initially planned two trillion rubles. Roskosmos will receive almost five hundred billion rubles less. The reasons for this reduction are clear, the effects of the yet to understand.

Lunar program became, if not the main, one of the most notable victims of sequestration. The initial version of the software assumed a manned flight to the moon by 2030, which meant the need to create within the PCF 2016-2025 superheavy carrier rocket class. An abbreviated version provides for the transfer of a manned flight to an indefinite period - after 2035. Studies of the Moon by automatic stations, however, have left: the abolition project "Luna-Resource" and "Luna-Glob" Roscosmos has not yet reported, but starts under these programs also carry over periods ranging from two to five years from the date originally planned.

Transfer of a manned flight to the period after 2035 (ie six to ten years from the planned 2029), however, the program automatically displays the limits for most of the cost of the rocket superheavy class. In general, this approach is rational (that is reflected in the designation of an abbreviated program as "a rational variant"), given the lack of practical problems for the extra heavy missiles at the main working orbit, where the lion's share of the Russian Space Agency activities will be concentrated. To solve these problems are generally the same rocket as in the original version of the program, but certain projects are changing. So, beyond the period under review is shifted first launch "Angara-A5V" - enhanced version recently begun testing carrier payload which must be raised at the start from the cosmodrome East with 24.5 to 38 tons.

Planned and new projects: for example, the original version of the BDS 2016-25 called for avoiding the use of launch vehicles "Zenith" Ukrainian production without any replacement (it was assumed that their functionality will be distributed between the modernized "Soyuz" and "Angara"). The rational option would be to develop over the next ten years and the launch of a series after 2025 a new launch vehicle "Phoenix", is fully produced in Russia, using the same as the Ukrainian "Zenith", Russian engines RD-171 production Khimki JSC "Energomash". The "Phoenix" run will allow to work out universal acceleration modules are the first superheavy rocket stage. Apparently, for the development of "Phoenix" is expected to transfer part of the savings due to the "rightward shift" project "Angara-A5V" and may reduce the volume of production of basic variants of the rocket - "Angara-A5" and "Angara-1.2" .

Seriously software development boosters will be reviewed, including the interorbital tugs (in particular, the program disappeared projects MBP-DM and SSP KVTK, which were to provide flights to the Moon). Family RB-KVTK (oxygen-hydrogen heavy class) boosters in versions for different variants of "Angara" rocket also shifted by a few years. Most likely, due to the reduction on the program "Angara" costs options such as lightweight RB-RCAF (middle class) for "Angara-A3" and weighted KVTK-A7 KVTK2-A7V and KVTK2B-A7V for "Angara-A7" and "Angara-A7" would not be realized.

Another victim of the reduction will be manned program costs. Start "Angara-A5V" with a new upper stage, which should become the carrier for future spacecraft "Federation" is transferred abroad in 2025, and apparently sent to the manned flight of the new ship. Unmanned launches "Federation", the development of which began in the second half of the 2000s, to be held in the first half of the 2020s. The "Federation" term will be used for flights into orbit, and the moon as part of the complex.

Before entering a new ship role of the main space cab will continue to play a bunch of "Soyuz-FG" with "Soyuz", the improvement which continues - so already in 2016 will take place the first flight of "Soyuz-MS", which is a last renovation "Soyuz-TMA" series. He plans to use up to the development of the production of "Federation", that is, until 2025, as well as space truck "Progress". In total, the options under consideration involves the PCF 20 starts "Soyuz" in the years 2016-2025 and 28 - "Progress".

Cost optimization will inevitably affect and the construction of long-term Russian cosmodrome East: financing of development programs spaceports will be reduced from 900 to 600 billion rubles. The most significant is the rejection of the second construction of the launch complex "Angara" - all the versions of this missile to the East is offered to send in flight with a single complex, which will serve the carrier launches and automatic vehicles, and manned.

The new Russian cosmodrome in the Amur region is almost completed work on the launch complex for the family of rockets "Soyuz-2", first start with him is scheduled for April 2016. Build carrier "Soyuz-2.1a" in the assembly and test complex began on January 20 this year. The first launch of the new platform will bring into orbit scientific spacecraft "Lomonosov" and "Stork" and nano-satellite from the launch unit "Volga".

The well-known saying "the crisis means new opportunities" fair does not always, but in this situation it is. More than two-time devaluation of the ruble sharply added competitiveness of Russian proposals on the launch market: the cost of running tested "Proton-M" exceeds one hundred million dollars before the crisis, in the spring of 2015 has dropped to 69-70 million and has scope for further reduction, which allows maintain optimism about the industry's capacity utilization. It should not be reduced and the national launcher program - in any case, for the military, which remains the main customer of launch services in Russia after the Roskosmos. Capacity constellation remains a priority even in the face of budget cuts.

Unlikely to undergo changes and which has proved its effectiveness GLONASS navigation system, which can be called one of the most if not the most successful of the Russian space program, the last twenty years. Apart from its military importance (and it is difficult to overestimate), it is one of the real ways to fit into a very lucrative market for space services sector and related activities in the field of navigation.

The ruble devaluation had a positive impact on competitiveness and other Russian space projects, including the problem area spacecraft national development. The grouping of remote sensing satellites in the next ten years is expected to grow three times, including increased revenues from the provision of specialized services to commercial customers. This has become conventional wisdom in recent years comparing the current situation with the 1990s look is not quite correct: while Russia was built in the commercial sector of space services at virtually collapse in the Soviet scientific and industrial potential. Today, there's nowhere to fall. However, the inevitable growth too, no one can guarantee.