In June 2011 cooperating countries agreed to finance the International Space Station (ISS) Program until 2020 with the possibility to operate it until 2028. ISS represents the beginning of a new space era and an excellent example of international peaceful cooperation for the advancement of scientific knowledge. The future of this piece of space history remains unclear. The ISS program, [...]
Post Tagged with: “Russian segment”
ATV Entering Final Preparations for June Launch
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is undergoing its final preparation phase for the planned Ariane 5 launch from Guiana Space Center (CGS) in June 2013. “After fueling has finished (towards end of April) ATV-4 will depart for the ‘Batiment Assemblage Finale’ for the final stage of preparation,” said ATV Operations Interface Manager and Launch Campaign [...]
ISS to Host Earth Observation Equipment
Observing Earth has always been intrinsic to International Space Station operations, but like crew photography, it did not begin as a formal or scientific exercise. Now ISS crews are requested to take images of certain locations at certain times out of ISS’ window and since 2007 have particularly monitored the polar regions. Other protocols for Earth observation exercises followed. Soon, the atmosphere may be [...]
Russian Energia Won $11 Million Contract for Unmanned Space Lab
RSC Energia (РКК «Энергия»), the largest Russian space corporation has won a 350 million ruble (about $11 million) contract to design the orbital laboratory Oka-T-MKS. The tender was announced by the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) in October and it only received one bid from Energia Corporation. RSC Energia manufactures manned and unmanned spacecraft and it is the principal contractor [...]
Cut Cable Severs Russian Link with International Space Station, Satellites
Shortly after the successful November 14 launch of their sixth Meridian dual use communication satellite, Moscow Mission Control lost contact. With everything. Construction workers had severed a communications cable outside the building, resulting in a Mission Control unable to send commands to any of its satellites or the Russian segment of the International Space Station. State news agency RIA Novosti originally [...]
Russian Space: Big Picture, Advancement, and Failures
By: Dr. A.Zhalko-Tytarenko When trying to understand the realities of the Russian Space Industry one needs to keep in mind that in Russia “Space is big, really big,” to paraphrase the 2005 film The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Probably this is why there is no middle ground when it comes to opinions on the condition of the Russian Space [...]
ATV-3 Departs as ISS Russian Segment Issues Come to Light
On September 28, the European Space Agency’s robotic cargo ship ATV-3 undocked from the International Space Station. The ship’s departure followed a series of delays that pushed it from its original date of September 25. “Today, everything has worked to perfection,” NASA spokesman Rob Navias said during the agency’s live broadcast of the undocking. That was not the case on [...]
