Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome (updates)

[BetaguyGZT]

I'll be the first one to say that there are some things that "just happen" -- cost overruns that can't be avoided, fabrication and equipment delays, engineering problems that need more time, etc. That's part of what makes Aerospace difficult. Making things work correctly every time is difficult. 

 

Cutting corners, embezzlement, bribery, back-room politics, and mishandling the products are not meant to be a part of it. We have those problems here as well to one degree or another, and they're all bad.

 

Things will get back on-track, @Mirumir. You folks in Russia have our full support.

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

There was a talk about the delivery of RD-180 engines to the U.S. in this thread before I believe, so I'm just gonna post a little update here too:

 

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Pentagon Faces Delays in Shift Away From Russian Rocket Engines

 

Technical and funding challenges will force the Pentagon to rely on Russian-manufactured rocket engines at least through the middle of the next decade, several years longer than originally anticipated.

 

 

[BetaguyGZT]

It is what it is.

[DocM]

Another exaggerated anti-commercial article by Andy Pasztor,  which most of us toss into the trash can unread.

 

The Atlas 5, and therefore the RD-180's, replacements, are flying now or very close to it. The only Air Force qualified launcher that will be replaced as late as the mid-2020's is Delta 4-Heavy and it does not use Russian engines.

 

 

[BetaguyGZT]

Wonder how progress is going on the new platform?

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

 

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Sixty years ago the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, marking an important milestone in the history of space exploration. 

 

Sputnik 1 was launched on October 4, 1957, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a modified R-7 Semerka, the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile. This epochal event became the triumph of Russian science and marked the dawn of the space age.

 

 

 

 

[DocM]

 

 

Commercial Crew can't happen fast enough.

 

http://spacenews.com/soyuz-capsule-suffered-partial-depressurization-during-april-landing/

 

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Soyuz capsule suffered partial depressurization during April landing

 

WASHINGTON  A Soyuz spacecraft returning three people to Earth in April experienced a partial loss of pressure during the final stages of its descent, but did not put the crews lives in danger.

The incident, revealed during an Oct. 16 meeting of NASAs International Space Station Advisory Committee, is one of a series of events that have raised questions about the reliability of Russian vehicles supporting the station.

During the committee meeting, chairman Thomas Stafford, a former astronaut, said the incident took place when the main parachute of the Soyuz spacecraft deployed about eight kilometers above the landing site in Kazakhstan. A buckle that is part of the parachute system struck the capsule.

The buckle struck a welding seam and, as a result, there was a depressurizing event that resulted in some air escaping the capsule, he said.

Stafford didnt identify the specific mission where this took place, other than to say that it happened in April of this year. The only Soyuz spacecraft to return to Earth that month was Soyuz MS-02, which landed April 10. It carried NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko, who spent nearly six months on the ISS.
>

 

[BetaguyGZT]

Whoa ... it seriously can't happen fast enough. Accidents are accidents, and that's not something that could have really been foreseen, but holy #### if that's not a problem. Damn ....

 

They'll likely be redesigning those straps to prevent that in the future. Old design or not, they aren't gonna let that sit as-is.

[DocM]

That, or put a shield over what is clearly a critical weld. Or both.

 

 

[BetaguyGZT]

Yep. That's gotta be something they missed during critical review ... sheesh. Seems like they go over the design regularly -- tracking down potential problem/failure points, for instance ... and this can't be the first time this particular thing has happened. And weld points are just one of those things that nothing should impact, ever.

 

They'll get it sorted now that they know it can happen.

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

Four more people have been convicted, making a total of six, for stealing billions during the construction of Vostochniy.

 

They are going to spend the next 8-10 years living at "a colony", a remote village.

[BetaguyGZT]

That's what happens with embezzlement. Serves them right, and I'm surprised it wasn't longer.

 

Have fun in Siberia, idiots ... as if they wouldn't be caught.

 

Anything more pending on that matter, @Mirumir?

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

12 hours ago, Unobscured Vision said:

That's what happens with embezzlement. Serves them right, and I'm surprised it wasn't longer.

 

Have fun in Siberia, idiots ... as if they wouldn't be caught.

 

Anything more pending on that matter, @Mirumir?

I think all those "dishonest" subcontractors have been dealt with already.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Getting back on track here...

 

Voids in between a few rebar structures were found under the mobile service structure platform...now filled...

 

Vostochny spaceport prepared for launches after cavities filled in launch pad’s casing
 

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MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/. The launch pad for Soyuz rockets has been prepared for launches after the uncovered cavities under the reinforced concrete of the mobile service tower were filled, the press office of the Center for the Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure said on Friday.

 

"A special solution was injected into the cavities under the launch pad’s casing. The condition of the launch pad’s casing along the track of the mobile tower’s movement has been restored to meet the requirements of the design documentation. Now the compound has been prepared for the launch campaign. The mobile tower will move along the rail track according to schedule," the press office said.

 

http://tass.com/science/1026852

 

 

Angara pad already started...

 

Roskosmos to break ground at the new Angara pad

 

 

 

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/vostochny-angara-2018.html

 

 

Construction of launch pad for Angara rocket begins at Vostochny spaceport

 

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MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/. The chief of the space rocket corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin has declared construction work has begun at the Vostochny spaceport for the heavy space rocket Angara.

 

Earlier, Roscosmos said a contract with PSO Kazan for building a second unit of the Vostochny spaceport would be signed at the end of August and construction work would commence in early September.

 

"We are beginning the construction of a second launch pad for the heavy rocket Angara," Rogozin tweeted on Friday.

 

According to earlier reports, the Angara launch pad is to be completed by December 31, 2022. Construction costs are estimated at nearly 39 billion rubles ($565 million).

 

The first launch pad for Soyuz rockets was built in 2012-2016 and the first launch from Vostochny was carried on April 28, 2016.

 

The launch pad for the Angara-A5 heavy rockets was designed for ten launches as year, according to the Roscosmos website. It will consist of the launch pad proper, the fueling tower, the transportation unit, fueling and firefighting systems and other facilities.

 

 

 

http://tass.com/science/1020415

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Roskosmos kicks off work at Angara pad in Vostochny

 

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On October 3, Roskosmos finally confirmed the signing of a contract between its Vostochny Directorate and PSO Kazan, the prime developer of the launch pad. Ironically, the long-delayed ceremony almost coincided with a lawsuit against PSO Kazan from Russia's state-run housing authority, GosZhilFond, which demanded the return of a loan, plus interest and fines totaling more than one billion rubles ($15.8 million).

 

In the meantime, the latest satellite photos showed new signs of tree-clearing activities at the site of the Angara pad in Vostochny. By October 8, the entire area of the future launch facility appeared to be cleared. According to Dmitry Rogozin, quoted by the Interfax news agency on October 5, the clearing at the site started at the end of August and the digging of the flame deflector for the pad, for which the earth-moving equipment had already been dispatched, would begin within days. "It would be a small exaggeration to say that the construction is de-facto underway," Rogozin said. The pouring of concrete was planned to begin at the site at the end of Spring 2019, according to Rogozin.

 

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/vostochny-angara-2018.html#1006

 

 

for reference...

 

 

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/vostochny.html

[DocM]

😄

 

Ars...

 

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Russian space leader suggests engineers test spacecraft Stalin's way

 

During a meeting this weekend at RSC Energia, the prime contractor for Russia's crewed spaceflight program, the discussion turned toward development of the Federation spacecraft....

Dmitry Rogozin, the leader of Russia's space program, Roscosmos, was apparently not pleased with ongoing delays to the program. First initiated more than a decade ago, the Federation spacecraft now is unlikely to fly humans before 2023.

Rogozin made the following comments after one of the Federation engineers suggested that, perhaps, time could be saved in the spacecraft's development by reducing the number of tests of its emergency escape system.

In response to this suggestion, Rogozin reminded the two rows of men sitting at a long conference table how Joseph Stalin would ensure the reliability of a new armored vehiclewith a PPSh-41 submachine gun in his hand. "He would put a constructor inside and shoot at the vehicle with the automatic weapon," Rogozin said. "If  the constructor survived, it was a good machine. I suggest writing an order to put constructors on the ship during tests."

This comment was met with laughter, some of it nervous, in the conference room. One of the engineers then asked, "Of the SAS (Emergency Escape System)?" 

Rogozin nods a response: "SAS." 
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Edited November 14, 2018 by DocM

[BetaguyGZT]

Heh ... similar systems that just prevented an international tragedy. Yup. Those need to be there. In spades. 

[Beittil]

Well, can say what you want about Rogozin. But it is never a dull moment with him around =D

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Information message on the situation at the Vostochny space center

 

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There are no comments for the organization of regular work on the launch pad of the Vostochny cosmodrome.

 

Due to the forces of the Roscosmos subdivisions, the remark regarding the expansion joint was eliminated on October 25. At the moment, there are no comments for the organization of regular work on the launch pad.

 

Planned work is underway to prepare for the launch of the Kanopus-V remote sensing spacecraft No. 5 and No. 6. On November 27, 2018, at 08:20 Moscow time, the spacecraft were delivered to Vostochny space center . The launch is scheduled for December 27, 2018.

https://www.roscosmos.ru/25782/

 

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Satellites Kanopus-V No. 5 and No. 6 arrived at Vostochny space center

 

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On November 27, Russian satellites for remote sensing of the Earth and monitoring of emergencies Kanopus-V No. 5 and No. 6 were delivered to the Amur Region. The plane with the equipment to be launched arrived at Ukrainka Airport. On the same day, the space vehicles were transported by road to the Vostochny cosmodrome. In the near future, specialists of the enterprises of the rocket and space industry will begin to conduct pneumatic and electrical tests.

 

"Kanopus-V" number 5 and number 6 - the main payload for the fourth launch from the spaceport. The Earth remote sensing and emergency monitoring satellites will provide monitoring of man-made and natural emergencies, will allow to quickly detect areas of forest fires, large emissions, predict natural hydrometeorological phenomena in advance.

 

The launch of the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle with the Earth remote sensing and emergency monitoring satellites is scheduled for December.

https://www.roscosmos.ru/25781/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All images courtesy of ROSCOSMOS

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

When one signs a contract for work...background checks are always in order...most places...

 

Potential troubles loom for Angara pad

 

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Ink was barely dry on a contract for the development of the future Angara launch facility in Vostochny, when serious questions came up about the finances of the primary player in the multi-billion-ruble project. On November 28, the Russian federal tax service filed a lawsuit demanding bankruptcy of the PSO Kazan construction company, which had just closed a deal with Roskosmos to build the Angara pad. The tax authority alleged that PSO Kazan owed 1.95 billion rubles ($29.5 million) in previous projects, the Regnum news service reported. Due to paperwork problems, the court in Tatarstan, where PSO Kazan is based, asked the government to resubmit its complaint, which it did on November 30 and the court then allowed the case to proceed and promised the decision on December 20.

 

According to the local press in Tatarstan, PSO Kazan failed to complete a number of major projects in the republic and elsewhere in Russia and barely met deadline for a high-profile stadium in the city of Samara by the opening of the FIFA's 2018 football cap championship in June.

At the beginning of December, representatives of PSO Kazan told Russian media that their company had settled the case and avoided bankruptcy. Still, according to the Kommersant newspaper, Roskosmos expressed concerns that the prime contractor might not be able to complete the project and explored its urgent replacement. Obviously, the situation threatened to delay the introduction of the critically needed facility.

 

At the time, the construction of the launch site was in the initial stage and was not expected to reach full steam until 2019. Still, a satellite photo taken on November 25 revealed a considerable excavation work near the expected locations of underground facilities and around the foundation of the launch pad. However, as of October 5, the 31st State Design Institute, traditionally responsible for ground infrastructure for the Russian rocket industry, had only begun developing the working documentation for the construction and, according to the official schedule, would not complete the paperwork until Sept. 30, 2019. The same schedule also called for the completion of temporary infrastructure, including roads, buildings and aerial power lines at the construction site by November 30. The tree clearing had to be completed by Feb. 15, 2019.

 

In the meantime, Tyazhmash, a company in the city of Syzran, announced that on November 17 its specialists had begun mechanical processing of structural components for the first section of the fueling and umbilical tower, which would be the key element of the Angara's pad. Each section of the tower, made of two types of lattice pipe elements, has a mass of 30 tons and height of three meters. A total of 44 components will comprise the 17-level dual tower, with three levels of access bridges and two connecting cross beams. The tower would have to be partially assembled at the Tyazhmash campus for tests, before being taken apart again, so its components could be shipped to the launch site and re-assembled at their final location, the company said.

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/vostochny-angara-2018.html#1213

 

 

 

 

[DocM]

I hardly know where to begin... 🙄 😵

[Draggendrop Veteran]

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#ВосточныйNEWS: At the cosmodrome the #Восточный refueling of the "frigate" booster block was completed by fuel components, it was transported to the assembly-test building and installed in the stand of the Cosmic head part. The launch is scheduled for December 27 — https://www.roscosmos.ru/25869/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dec. 26/27   Soyuz • Kanopus-V 5 & 6

Launch time: 0207 GMT on 27th (9:07 p.m. EST on 26th)
Launch site: Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia

A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the Kanopus-V 5 and 6 Earth observation satellites. The two spacecraft will assist the Russian government in disaster response, mapping and forest fire detection. Multiple secondary payloads from international companies and institutions will also launch on the Soyuz rocket. The Soyuz 2-1a rocket will use a Fregat upper stage. Moved forward from Dec. 26. Delayed from Dec. 25. [Dec. 7]

https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

[Draggendrop Veteran]

 

 

 

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a cavern and only the assembly section...check out this thread in the early going to get a grasp of how huge this site is....it would be a treat to work in a modern place like this.

[Draggendrop Veteran]