Moscow. December 26. INTERFAX - Executive Director of the Roscosmos State Corporation for Manned Space Programs Sergey Krikalev, in an interview with Interfax correspondent Artem Rukavov, spoke about the possibility of extending participation in the International Space Station project, designing a new Russian orbital station, the future of cross-flights and prospects for Russian-Chinese relations in space.
- Sergey Konstantinovich, has a request been sent to the government regarding the continuation of Russian participation in the ISS project after 2024?- There is a certain procedure how it is done.
The Americans, as integrators, offered to extend the ISS flight to all partner countries. In order to make a decision about this, we have identified the technical possibility of extending the flight of the Russian segment of the station. The documents for approval of the continuation of the ISS have been sent to the government. Then there are their consideration and approval.
- Until what year does Roscosmos propose to extend the operation of the Russian segment of the ISS?- We are still talking about 2028.
Historically, extensions have been carried out in segments of four years: we had an agreement until 2020, now it is until 2024. It can be extended until 2028, and then look at the situation and the analysis of technical and programmatic feasibility.
- It was reported that other agencies may be included in the new agreement on cross-flights to the ISS between Roscosmos and NASA…- This was not discussed.
We have two parties participating in these negotiations: we and the Americans. The possibility of delivering people into space, except for the Chinese, who are not included in the ISS program, is available only to us and the Americans. The crossover lies in the fact that we cross-use only the means of delivery, but each member of the ISS crew works in its own segment.
Another thing is that quite a large number of countries are involved in the work on the American segment - these are the European, Canadian and Japanese space agencies. They have their own internal relationships on the balance of deposits, on the rights to a place as part of different expeditions. That is, anyone from the American segment can be an astronaut, not necessarily NASA. But now there is a conversation on cross-flights between the Russian and American sides.
- So the astronauts of the European Space Agency will be able to fly on Russian Soyuz again?- Theoretically they can.
As professionals working in the American segment, they can fly on our ship. The question is whether the Americans will make such a decision. We don't just fly to ride on each other's ships. This is done to fend off an emergency situation - the non-arrival of one of the ships, ours or the American one. So that none of the segments is left without a crew.
If the Americans think that one of the European astronauts will be able to perform functionality on the American segment, being there alone, then this is probably possible. By the way, we already had Europeans flying in the quota of the American segment, and they were crew commanders. So theoretically everything is possible. Whether it will be American astronauts is a matter for NASA, they decide who to land from their partners.
- In August, a mock-up of a new Russian orbital station was presented. Is this the final version?- The layout is a kind of vision.
This is not the final version, but one of the options for the development of the station. Much will depend on the results of the preliminary design. At the first stage, the flight path was chosen, how we would fly, how the rescue of the crews would be provided, how much it would cost approximately. That is, all the assessments of the first stage are not the final decision on the formation of the station. After the preliminary design, the next stage of the ROS creation will be the development of working design documentation. What will the station look like in hardware? Life will show.
- What changes are planned at the second stage of design?- It is incorrect to talk about changes now, we are only creating a station, comprehending what it should be, conceptually defining its parameters and a list of tasks.
The version of the layout that you saw on the Army forum is like Tsiolkovsky's drawings. That is, it is quite a normal vision, as it can be. This does not mean that later we changed the Tsiolkovsky project. When Korolev built his rockets, he built them in his own way, based on the knowledge that was accumulated at that time.
Therefore, the layout that you saw should be treated as a concept, it is in many ways ideologically similar to the idea of the Mir station, where the modules were also docked and could theoretically change. The presented layout is just one of the possible options for further creation of the station.
- Is the scenario of using the Russian segment of the ISS in the new orbital station still being considered?- So far, in the concept that the rocket and space corporation Energia showed and solidified after the first stage, it is assumed that the station will fly in a new orbit that does not have the ability to interact with the orbit in which the ISS is currently located.
The ROS should be completely autonomous from the existing ISS infrastructure.
- At what stage of creation is the first ROS module - the Scientific and Energy Module?- As you know, initially NEM was conceived as the last module of the Russian segment of the ISS, but, taking into account the prospects for the completion of operation of the station in the coming years, the question arose about the expediency of sending the module to the ISS and the possibility of its use as part of the ROS.
Now this issue is being discussed. The module itself is in a high state of readiness at RSC Energia, and we must determine how it can be used as efficiently as possible in the interests of Russian cosmonautics. This will be done based on the results of the preliminary project, the completion of which is scheduled for the second half of next year.
- In what year will the flight tests of a promising new generation transport ship take place? Will a mock-up of the ship be used for them?- The timing of flight tests will depend on how the start date of financing the creation of ground infrastructure for it at the Vostochny cosmodrome is determined.
Therefore, it is too early to say anything now.
The creation of a mock-up of the ship for flight tests is not supposed and was not supposed before.
During the first tests, the ship may have incomplete equipment, because the first flights are planned to be conducted in unmanned mode. Therefore, a complete set of life support systems is not as necessary for this ship as for the one that will be made already in the manned version.
During flight tests, the ship should be used already in almost full configuration, which should carry temperature loads and overloads, and be controllable.
- Is the flight of this ship to the Moon considered, as the American Orion flew?- Not at the first stage.
The first stage includes tests in low Earth orbit: the first two flights are unmanned, the third must be manned. A mission to the moon will be possible when a heavier-class rocket appears, which will be able to take out not only the ship itself, but also the upper stage.
By the way, it was the same with the Orion ship. First, it was flight tested in near-Earth orbit, and a flight to the Moon became possible with the advent of the superheavy SLS class rocket.
- Is it possible to integrate a promising new generation Russian transport ship with a Chinese superheavy rocket?- Theoretically it is possible, but practically it is a rather difficult question.
It is much more likely that ships will interact already in space, just as Soyuz and Apollo docked here at one time, as shuttles docked to the Mir station, and so on. Because in order to put the ship on the rocket, you need to have all the ground equipment in the place where the rocket is in order to technically prepare the device for launch. Probably, it is possible, but the expediency is still unclear. And such conversations have not even been conducted yet. There was a conversation about possible interaction already in space with both the American program and the Chinese one.
- Are issues of cooperation in manned space exploration being discussed with China?- Not yet, although it is possible in the future.
The current Chinese station flies at a different inclination, different from the one to which we launch ships from Baikonur and plan to launch from the East.
Discussions of possible cooperation in low Earth orbit have been conducted, but so far everyone is going their own way. In the future, probably, especially for long-distance flights, this cooperation will be more technically feasible. Maybe we will interact in low orbit, but for this we need to solve quite a lot of both technical and organizational issues.
