Record series
In 2022, 22 launches of Russian space launch vehicles took place: 13 from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, seven from Baikonur and one each from the Eastern and Guiana Space Center. Among them are 19 launches of Soyuz-2 rockets (eight Soyuz-2.1a and Soyuz-2.1b, two Soyuz-2.1b and one Soyuz-ST-B), two Angara-1 rockets.2" and one - Proton-M rockets. All of them were successful.
Thus, the record-breaking series of trouble-free launches of Russian space launch vehicles, which began in October 2018, has continued, which has now reached 98 launches.
In November 2022, the Director General of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, in the face of the need for a significant increase in the domestic orbital grouping, demanded that the heads of the main enterprises of the State Corporation ensure 100% success of space launches next year.
In August, 16 Russian small scientific and educational spacecraft were launched simultaneously from Baikonur - a record number in the history of Russian cosmonautics. They were created within the framework of the Space-Pi project, organized by the Innovation Promotion Foundation with the support of Roscosmos, the Russian Movement of Schoolchildren and other organizations.
It is also worth highlighting the implementation in 2022 of two successful launches of the Angara-1.2 rocket as part of flight tests of the Angara space rocket complex at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, the refinement of the systems of the launch complex of the Soyuz-2 space rocket complex at the Vostochny cosmodrome under naphthyl fuel and the first launch of the Soyuz-2 rocket from it2.1b" completely on "naphthyl".
Tests of "Sarmat"
In April 2022, the first launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile was conducted from the Plesetsk cosmodrome under the state test program. Its combat training units arrived in the designated area of the Kura training range on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Sarmat is the most powerful missile with the largest target range in the world and was created exclusively by Russian industrial cooperation. It will replace the Voevoda missile complex, developed in the Soviet Union in the 1980s.
In August, the Academician V.P. Makeev State Missile Center (part of Roscosmos) and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation signed a contract for the supply of Sarmat missiles at the Army-2022 International Military-Technical Forum.
Satellites for Iran and Angola
In August 2022, the Iranian Khayaam Earth remote sensing spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome by a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with a Fregat upper stage, and in October, the Angolan Angosat-2 telecommunications satellite was launched from the same cosmodrome by a Proton-M carrier rocket with a DM-03 upper stage.
Both devices were created by Roscosmos enterprises — and, as the head of the State Corporation Yuri Borisov later noted, Russia will continue to create and launch satellites for friendly countries.
Increasing cooperation with China
In 2022, the intensification of cooperation with the Chinese side in the exploration of outer space continued.
On November 25, a program for the development of cooperation in space activities between Roscosmos and the Chinese National Space Administration for 2023-2027 was signed. On the same day, an agreement was signed between the Governments of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on cooperation in the creation of an International Scientific Lunar Station (MNLS), which is a serious step in the study of the Earth's natural satellite.
In February, Roscosmos and the Chinese Satellite Navigation System Commission signed an agreement on cooperation in ensuring complementarity of the global navigation satellite systems GLONASS and Beidou in terms of system time scales. And in September, contracts were signed for the mutual placement of GLONASS and Beidou ground stations, according to which it is planned to build three Russian measuring stations in the Chinese cities of Changchun, Urumqi and Shanghai and three Chinese ones in the Russian cities of Obninsk, Irkutsk and Petropavlovsk—Kamchatsky.
Preparation of the legal basis for international cooperation
In 2022, the ratification of the following agreements has been completed:
- between the Governments of the Russian Federation and the United Mexican States on cooperation in the exploration and use of Outer space for peaceful purposes of September 28, 2021 (the President of the Russian Federation signed the corresponding federal law No. 380-FZ of October 7, 2022);
- Between the Governments of the Russian Federation and the United Arab Emirates on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes dated October 26, 2021 (the President of the Russian Federation signed the corresponding federal law No. 527-FZ dated December 19, 2022);
- Between the Governments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of India on measures to protect technologies in connection with cooperation in the field of exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes and in the creation and operation of launch vehicles and ground-based space infrastructure dated December 1, 2021 (the President of the Russian Federation signed the relevant Federal Law No. 526-FZ dated December 19, 2022).
Designing a new stationIn April 2022, Roscosmos signed a contract with S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia to develop a draft design for a new Russian orbital station.
Preliminary design is carried out in two stages. The first stage has already been completed, which provides for an analysis according to various criteria and the choice of the deployment scenario and the inclination of the target orbit of the station.
The second stage includes the development of a preliminary design of the station, taking into account the selected deployment scenario, including the development of technical specifications for its components, as well as conducting a feasibility study of the cost of the station.
The main purpose of the station is to deploy and ensure the targeted use of a new generation of manned orbital infrastructure in low—Earth orbit, ensuring the realization of Russia's national interests in the field of manned space activities, the development of domestic science and economics.
The first satellite of the Sphere project
In October 2022, three personal satellite communication spacecraft Gonets-M and a demonstration satellite Skif-D were launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome by a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with a Fregat upper stage.
"Skif-D" is the first spacecraft of the federal project "Sphere", which in the future will include five satellite communications groups and five satellite groups of remote sensing of the Earth. The experimental spacecraft "Skif-D" is designed to protect the orbital frequency resource of Russia and to test the communication technologies of the satellite communication system and broadband Internet access.
In the interests of the Sphere project, the development of two Marathon-D Internet of Things demonstrator satellites and four Express-RV high-elliptical communication spacecraft has also begun.
New industrial model
The main priority for the domestic rocket and space industry, the head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, outlined a significant increase in the Russian orbital grouping, which requires the introduction of a new industrial model for the production of spacecraft based on unification and standardization.
We are talking about a radical restructuring of the main processes of the technological cycle — development, production, testing, increasing the duration of active existence, as well as the deployment of serial production of satellites and modernization of capacities for mass production of their service equipment.
In the future, this will allow the production of satellites in larger quantities — one device per day instead of the current 15 per year — and high quality. And along with the expansion of the orbital grouping, the number of space services provided in the country will increase — communications, broadcasting, retransmission, broadband Internet access, the Internet of Things, navigation and remote sensing of the Earth.
Cross-flights to the ISS
In July 2022, the Roscosmos State Corporation and NASA signed an agreement within the framework of the International Space Station program, which provides for the implementation in 2022-2024 of three flights of Russian cosmonauts on American Crew Dragon manned spacecraft and three flights of American astronauts on Russian Soyuz MS manned spacecraft.
In accordance with the contract, in September, NASA astronaut Francisco Rubio was delivered to the station on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, and in October, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina was delivered on the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
The agreement will allow for the cancellation or significant delay of the launch of a Russian or American spacecraft to ensure the presence on the ISS of at least one Roscosmos cosmonaut and one NASA astronaut to service, respectively, the Russian and American segments of the station.
© Roscosmos State Corporation
