Russia And Europe Announce Possible Future Lunar Mission
Posted on: Wednesday, 14 May 2008, 21:00 CDT
Russian federal space agency Roskosmos could combine forces with the European Space Agency to develop a spacecraft that will take astronauts to the moon, according to officials in Russia.
"The European Space Agency (ESA) and Roskosmos both have the technologies and unique experience in designing various space systems to be able to create jointly a hi-tech vehicle," Roskosmos said on its website.
"(This would) enable us to carry crews of up to six people to near-earth and lunar orbits."
However, while Roskosmos was quick to announce that the first test flight would launch in 2015, and the first manned flight would occur in 2018, the ESA was more reluctant to make any solid plans.
“This is factually correct in the sense that indeed this is the outline of the system," ESA spokesman Franco Bonacina said.
"But we haven't decided upon anything yet ... It's too premature. It's still at the level of studies.
"In November, at a ministerial meeting, it's not taken for granted this option will be the one that finally takes shape."
The new spaceship would be launched by a Russian booster rocker from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia's Far East region of Amur, Roskosmos said.
Russia's Soyuz manned spacecraft has been suspect to risky landings lately while carrying crews to the International Space Station.
The Soyuz-TMA capsule with South Korea's first astronaut Yi So-yeon, U.S. commander Peggy Whitson and Russian flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko made a rough landing hundreds of miles off target on April 19.
"It was really very serious and dangerous," a Russian space industry source said.
"One of the two modules attached to the capsule failed to separate from it on re-entry, and for quite a while the capsule was plummeting upside down and its hatch -- normally on top of the capsule -- was exposed to extremely high temperatures."
"As they were falling, Peggy saw the unseparated module dangling by the capsule. Then it fell off somehow."
US officials are also concerned about the Soyuz program.
"They (Russians) understand the risk of what's going on. They're as concerned as we are about this event," Congressional Quarterly quoted NASA administrator William Gerstenmaier as telling a House of Representatives hearing on the ISS program last month.
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Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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