US astronaut’s spaceflight to be financed by Russian corporation as debt repayment, TASS
“U.S. astronaut Joseph M. Acaba will fly to the International Space Stations (ISS) as a third crew member of the Soyuz MS-06 spaceship. His flight will be financed by Russia’s Rocket and Space Corporation Energia as debt repayment to US’ Boeing under the joint project Sea Launch, a source in the Russian space industry told TASS on Monday. … According to earlier reports, under an amicable agreement reached by Energia and Boeing as part of debt repayment under the Sea Launch project, the Russian corporation will give the American side five seats aboard Soyuz spacecraft, in particular one seat in 2017, one seat in 2018, and an option on three seats in 2019. Energia’s debt to Boeing was 330 million US dollars, as was ruled by a California court in 2015. In the summer of 2015, the sides reached an amicable agreement where Energia undertook to repay its debt by means of works and new projects.”
NASA Uses Bait and Switch Tactics To Buy Soyuz Seats, earlier post
Keith’s note: How sneaky. Neither SpaceX or Boeing are going to have their crew services ready in time to replace Soyuz in the near term. So NASA uses Boeing to buy more Soyuz seats. Its not the first time that they have bought Soyuz seats. But NASA omits mention of the word “Soyuz” in the title of the presolicitation notice. No one will notice, right NASA? But wait – there’s more – RSC Energia gave Boeing 5 Soyuz seats to settle a business deal gone sour (Sea Launch) – and Boeing can charge NASA whatever whatever they want for these seats. And if CST-100 flights are delayed further and more Soyuz seats are needed then Boeing can sell extra seats to NASA. Boeing makes money from NASA one way – or the other – unless SpaceX gets into space with their crewed Dragon.
I think this is to add another crew to ISS. More science they say. ISS has a SpaceX CC launch, no crew, Nov. 28 ’17. NASA says it will carry cargo. This is also backup. SpaceX will not launch a 4 crew mission until 2019 as GAO says. Since there are only 2 crewed missions a year and Boeing is first in ’18 and will stretch into ’19. Subject to change of course.
Energia didn’t “give” these to Boeing. It was a trade vs. $330 million in debt relief.
How is this not illegal?
This is brilliant – Boeing gets paid by cash starved Russia and NASA gets to launch crew without sending dollars to Moscow and the ISS gets crew assurance despite slips in the commercial crew program; what’s not to like?
The actual finances behind Sea Launch remain murky, but apparently Boeing and Energia have decided a debt exists. They are free to settle the debt as they wish. if Energia gives Boeing a manned launch, and Boeing sells it to NASA, or hands it over as compensation for the delay in Commercial Crew, that portion of the deal seems legal as well, at least as far as I can tell.
But had Commercial Crew been fully funded from the start of the Obama Administration, it seems likely both teams would be much farther along and would likely have already completed at least one manned launch.