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Russia

Roscosmos States The Obvious

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
April 22, 2021
Filed under
Roscosmos States The Obvious

Russian cosmonautics under huge financial restraints — Roscosmos chief, TASS
“Russian cosmonautics lacks the funds that were available during the Soviet period and thus is under huge financial restraints, Roscosmos Chief Dmitry Rogozin said at a general meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Wednesday. “There is a big difference between the spending on the Soviet and Russian cosmonautics. We are under huge financial restraints,” the Roscosmos chief said. This prompts the Russian space agency to set priorities and choose those that will yield a big effect. And it should not in any case engage in those ‘championships and competitions’ where Russia is bound to get only second or third places from the very outset, he stressed.”

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

12 responses to “Roscosmos States The Obvious”

  1. Todd Austin says:
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    It would be great to see Russia leverage its knowledge of operations at Venus, along with its skills in metallurgy and hypersonic vehicles, to execute a sample return from the Venusian atmosphere. That would seem to meet all of Rogozin’s criteria.

    While Russians are justly proud of Gagarin’s flight 50 years ago, one cannot live only in the past. A unique effort to return samples from Venus would inspire far more pride among the Russian people than yet another foreign military adventure or violent operation to suppress points of view not shared by the current leaders.

    • SouthwestExGOP says:
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      The chance that Russia could run a mission to Venus and return anything is very slim.

      By the way, Isaac Asimov wrote a very good article years ago and pointed out that the “best” way to refer to parts of Venus was the “Venerian”. So he contended that it should be the Venerian atmosphere (that Russia can’t get a sample of).

      Back to the topic at hand – but the expertise in almost everything has departed Russia, they need to stick to the very basics and rebuild. We are all holding our breath to see if the Nauka module actually launches (some day).

      Yes I just wrote this comment so I could work in the opinion of Isaac Asimov about the Venerian atmosphere.

      • fcrary says:
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        I’m not sure about that, when it comes to a Venus sample return mission. The Russian ability to do any sort of planetary limited (to be charitable.) But there have been concept studies for US missions to return samples from Venus’ upper atmosphere, and they aren’t very challenging in terms of the required technology. NASA could do with a SIMPLeX mission ($50 million budget). India or the UAE might be able to pull such a mission off, and both of those nations have put spacecraft in orbit around Mars. Russia, as much as its spaceflight capabilities have diminished, is at least that capable. If they have the money, want to spend it for such a mission, and the money doesn’t disappear into graft and corruption. Which, I admit, are some big ifs…

  2. JJMach says:
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    Can we get another picture of the Swarovski crystal-coated Mercedes? (http://nasawatch.com/archiv

    I can totally understand that they’re not being funded like they were in the Soviet era, but they also need to deal with how they spend the money they still have.

  3. Jonna31 says:
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    If only they had invested in a more cost effective trampoline….

    Rogozin will _never_ live that down. Russians have trashed talked the United States since the start of the Cold War, but rarely has it so squarely bit them in the hindquarters as that trampoline remark.

    • Winner says:
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      Funny, you beat me to it. I was going to comment that they could always use a trampoline to keep costs down.

      Or, of course, they could buy flights from SpaceX!

    • fcrary says:
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      To be honest, the comment about the trampoline isn’t Mr. Rogozin’s most offensive statement. Before he was placed in charge of Roscosmos, he was a minister in charge of Russian military weapons production. Since that job tied him to weapons supplies to rebels in eastern Ukraine, he was personally sanctioned by many western governments. Including bans on travel to the nations which put him on a no-entry list.

      His response was typical for him. He said that senior government officials don’t use tourist passports, so why should he care about the sanctions. And then he doubled down by saying that, “Tanks don’t require visas.” That’s pretty much saying that he’s fine with invading another country, and he doesn’t really care that other countries would object. Far more than the trampoline comment, that tells me a whole lot about him. And describing what that tells me about Mr. Rogozin involves language Keith would not allow on his NASA Watch website.

  4. savuporo says:
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    Well, who’s bankwupt now

  5. Sam S says:
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    Interesting that Rogozin, and Russian state-owned media, are being so frank about the issue. I guess it’s so obvious that there’s no point in pretending that things are anything but what they are.

    I think it all boils down to Putin’s personal priorities, and it doesn’t seem like he has a personal interest in maintaining Russia’s leadership role in space activities. I guess that leaves China as the main potential contender against the US, but China’s actions also do not match their words, they do not appear to be progressing at any great speed.

    I’m torn about this situation. I unabashedly want the USA to “win” the next phase of space exploration, setting up permanent outposts on the moon, etc. But real competition would make us move faster, to the eventual benefit of all humanity.

  6. Michael Spencer says:
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    It’s a shame, really, what’s happened to a once quite capable and justly proud space program. Only the pride remains, really.

    In fairness, the Russian HSF program, such as it is,
    remains…reliable; but it’s decades old tech with no future.

    It’s sad for Russia, and indeed for all of us.