Russia to lower launch price of new Angara rocket
Capitalism in space: According to its 2019 financial report, the Russian manufacturer of that country’s new Angara rocket intends by 2024 to lower launch price from about $100 million to about $57 million.
The high cost price of the latest Angara carrier rocket before the start of its serial production is due to the need for the Khrunichev Space Center to work at two sites, the press office of the State Space Corporation Roscosmos told TASS on Monday. “Before the production process is fully moved to the site of the Polyot company in Omsk, the Khrunichev Space Center has to work at two production sites, which creates additional overhead costs,” a Roscosmos spokesman said.
As part of its trials, the Angara rocket is being produced singly instead of serially, he said. “After the serial full-cycle production is launched, the item’s cost price will decrease,” the spokesman said.
Essentially they are claiming that the cost will drop once they start full production.
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 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
Capitalism in space: According to its 2019 financial report, the Russian manufacturer of that country’s new Angara rocket intends by 2024 to lower launch price from about $100 million to about $57 million.
The high cost price of the latest Angara carrier rocket before the start of its serial production is due to the need for the Khrunichev Space Center to work at two sites, the press office of the State Space Corporation Roscosmos told TASS on Monday. “Before the production process is fully moved to the site of the Polyot company in Omsk, the Khrunichev Space Center has to work at two production sites, which creates additional overhead costs,” a Roscosmos spokesman said.
As part of its trials, the Angara rocket is being produced singly instead of serially, he said. “After the serial full-cycle production is launched, the item’s cost price will decrease,” the spokesman said.
Essentially they are claiming that the cost will drop once they start full production.
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 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
So far they have only two launches of this rocket, both in 2014, one sub-orbital and one to GEO. Still one more test flight to go. The payload capacity is similar to the Falcon 9 and it is to replace the Proton-M.
So I saw a website that is also carrying this story: https://www.kxan36news.com/rocket-angara-was-three-times-more-expensive-proton There are some grammar and spelling errors, but the numbers look good. So the current price for the Angara-A5 is three times that of the Proton-M and will be one and one-half times the cost once in production.
Just some notes on the two:
The Proton-M uses UDMH as fuel vs. Angara with its LOX/RP-1 engines. Angara can lift more than the Proton. The Proton-M has had 109 launches with 98 successes and 11 failures.
Rocket technology has been developing since the 40s. You would think with all the advancement of technology, Successful rockets would become commonplace by now. Apparently it’s not so simple… It’s funny that space X makes it seem effortless in comparison. Futuristic vision of private investor, combined with tenacity and capabilities unshackled by government handcuffs. Free enterprise is awesome.
Any clue yet as to what the Iranians put in space? It seemed to surprise everyone.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-iran-successfully-military-spy-satellite-israel-should-worry-revolutionary-guard-corps-1.8798308
“a small orbiting satellite with a payload of up to 50 kg (110 lbs) to low Earth orbit. “It’s military use is limited,” Rubin explains, adding that its altitude is too low to be used for communication. “It can be us only for reconnaissance, but with limited performance.”
There’s a lot of concern that a rogue country such as this could be used as a tool. A nuclear weapon launched to take down the grid with an EMP. In theory 90% of the population could be dead before power can be restored. (that’s not including any counterattacks)
A recent evaluation of our vulnerabilities concluded that “nine” key transformers is all it would take from a terrorist action to take down the grid and our economy as well as military installations which have become dependent on external power sources.