Russia lowers its Proton launch plans for 2017
Though they are about to resume Proton launches, Russia today revealed that they only intend to launch the rocket five times in 2017, not seven as announced earlier.
Russia plans five Proton-M carrier rocket launches this year, including three commercial launches, Khrunichev Space Center CEO Andrei Kalinovsky told TASS on Wednesday. “Our plans for this year also additionally include four Proton-M carrier rocket launches. These are two commercial launches with Amazonas 5 and AsiaSat 9 satellites, and also two federal launches,” the chief executive said.
Even more interesting, the article notes that Russia only has contracts to launch 15 commercial satellites through 2023. That’s a launch rate of only about 2.5 to 3 commercial Proton launches per year, a rate that seems much less than in the past. Moreover, while they say they haven’t lost any customers in the past year, it also appears they haven’t gotten any either.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Though they are about to resume Proton launches, Russia today revealed that they only intend to launch the rocket five times in 2017, not seven as announced earlier.
Russia plans five Proton-M carrier rocket launches this year, including three commercial launches, Khrunichev Space Center CEO Andrei Kalinovsky told TASS on Wednesday. “Our plans for this year also additionally include four Proton-M carrier rocket launches. These are two commercial launches with Amazonas 5 and AsiaSat 9 satellites, and also two federal launches,” the chief executive said.
Even more interesting, the article notes that Russia only has contracts to launch 15 commercial satellites through 2023. That’s a launch rate of only about 2.5 to 3 commercial Proton launches per year, a rate that seems much less than in the past. Moreover, while they say they haven’t lost any customers in the past year, it also appears they haven’t gotten any either.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Winter is coming.
“Enemy at the Gates”
-Nikita Khrushchev Scene
https://youtu.be/2IQJY5SsJ64
(3:21)
(“I have to report to the Boss, perhaps you’d prefer to avoid the red-tape?”)
One of Bob Hoskins’s best roles. I miss him.
It seems that, along with pretty much everything else in Russia these days, the supply of Vasily Zaitsevs has run out as well.
And yet it still flies
Geez, wayne. I hope it is not that bad.
That is a nice example. Stalingrad was one of the most amazing battles of all time. The defense dug in and made so much trouble for the Germans that it affected the outcome of the Nazi strategy in that whole area: capture the oil fields a few hundred kilometers south. Taking Stalingrad would protect the German flank. Keeping Stalingrad was a major victory for the Soviets and a major defeat for the Nazis. The movie clip even suggested that Stalingrad was such a symbol to the people of the Soviet Union that a Soviet loss would have been such a blow to morale that the Soviet Union would have collapsed.
In a similar way, spaceflight is a symbol to many, most, or all the nations of the Earth. This is why so many nations are starting up their own space agencies or are otherwise trying to do space related activities. The world sees that the Russians are having severe difficulties in space, yet they were once the leaders in being the first to do new activities in space; Sergei Korolev helped see to that. Robert has noted the result: fewer commercial launch contracts than in the past. The quality control problem in the Russian space industry is similar to the struggle at Stalingrad. To lose the QC battle is to lose their leadership role in the space industry and to lose the reputation for technical leadership.
There is another battle with corruption, but that has less effect than the loss of paying payloads.
As the hero in “Enemy at the Gates” says, the Russian space industry needs hope, pride, courage, and modern heroes — cosmonaut and engineer. Right now, their space heroes are from half a century ago. In the US, there are at least two modern national space heroes: Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. (I include Peter Diamandis as a personal hero for his boldness in making the X Prize a success, and Robert Bigelow for his efforts to bring space stations to the common country. Paul Allen shows great potential.)
Renaissance
“Mother Russia”
https://youtu.be/I39oV-xaVxY