The flight of Russian cosmonauts to the moon can cost from 400 billion to 1.7 trillion rubles. Earlier it became known that Russia plans to build a lunar base together with China.
In Russia, there is more and more talk about a possible flight of astronauts to the Earth's satellite. Now Roscosmos has announced the possible amount that this event will cost.
"This figure is 1.7 trillion (rubles), " [...] RIA Novosti quotes Alexander Bloshenko, Executive Director for Advanced Programs and Science at Roscosmos. This includes the creation of a super-heavy rocket and a lunar landing module, ground complexes, a rescue system, and much more. The price of specifically creating a super-heavy-class rocket is 0.8 trillion rubles.
A "budget" option is also possible. If this scheme is chosen, the Orlyonok spacecraft (a lightweight version of the Eagle spacecraft, which is being created to replace the Soyuz), the lunar take-off and landing complex, and two tugboats will be launched separately. They can use the launch vehicle "Angara-A5V". The complexes are planned to dock in orbit. This option is estimated to cost 400 billion rubles.
A new-generation Russian spacecraft
Image source: RIA Novosti
Such a scheme, despite all its attractiveness, does not allow you to fully achieve your goals. According to Bloshenko, if Russia wants to continue to develop deep space, it will still have to create a super-heavy carrier.
The representative of Roscosmos also announced the expected date of landing on the moon: as before, they want to implement this by 2030.
Regardless of the chosen scheme, Russia is actively working on key aspects of the lunar program. Recently, the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences completed an experiment aimed at testing a flight to an Earth satellite. Six people took part in the experiment: four men and two women.
It is also important that the country has a strategic partner — China. Russia and China are discussing the creation of a base on the moon.
Recently [...], the main stages of its construction became known. They want to implement the first of them by 2025. It can be conditionally called "intelligence". They want to start construction of the station at the second stage of the program, which is designed until 2030. The preliminary terms of the third stage are 2030-2035. By that time, Russia and China plan to put into operation a new type of spacecraft and superheavy rockets, which will open up fundamentally new opportunities for satellite research.