Monday 3 September 2007

Russia's Space Plans

From Novosti :
Russia plans to send cosmonauts to the Moon by 2025 and establish a permanent manned base there in 2027-2032, the head of the space agency said Friday.

Anatoly Perminov said that in accordance with Russia's space program through 2040, a manned flight to Mars will be carried out after 2035.

He said that toward the end of this year, Russia will have 103 satellites in orbit, up from the current 95.

There are plans for a new space center in the country, but a site has not yet been selected, he said. Russia currently launches all manned flights from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. Perminov said previously that construction of a new launch facility would only begin after a new type of spacecraft was built.
They have the technology: but do they have the cash?
A major source of revenue for the agency in recent years has been space tourist flights from Baikonur to the International Space Station (ISS), with tickets currently priced at around $30 million. Russia has put five wealthy foreign tourists into space since 2001.
Maybe they do...

Perhaps the The Man Who Sold The Moon might be one of Russia's Mafya. Or Businessmen. It's difficult telling the two apart, assuming you can be one without the other.
Perminov said the first Russian space tourist, who will fly to the ISS in 2009, is a businessman and politician.

"He asked me not to disclose his name yet. I can only say that he is a serious young Russian businessman and politician. He is currently undergoing medical tests."
Well, it's one way to finance a Space Programme.

1 comment:

Autumn Sandeen said...

I believe Russia's plans to build a permanent base on the moon is to mine for isotope helium-3, an isotope billed as a promising fuel for greener nuclear energy.