Russian floating cosmodrome “Sea launch”, previously used by a Ukrainian missile “Zenit-3SL” can run created with the participation of the space and Rocket center (RCC) “Progress” vehicle “Soyuz-7”, RIA Novosti reported with reference to the letter of the Roscosmos, sent to the enterprises of state Corporation.
According to the document, launches from Baikonur can resume as early as 2024. To this end, the operator “glavkosmos launch services”, responsible for the promotion of Russian missiles on the international market, is mandated to assess the competitiveness of the “Sea launch” compared to Baikonur (Kazakhstan) and East.
The RCC responsible for the creation of “Soyuz-7”, is mandated to assess the value development of medium-scale production and the cost of its preparation for the launch.
The center for exploitation of ground space infrastructure is mandated to assess the cost of repair of the “Sea launch”, the cost of infrastructure and maintenance of the complex. Organization “Agat” should be a feasibility study for the resumption of work of the project.
In March the head of the space policy Institute Ivan Moiseev said that the “Sea launch” because of its uselessness will be cut for scrap.
In the same month launch platform floating spaceport has arrived in the Russian territorial waters of California. Earlier in the same month in the seaside port of Slavyansk arrived command ship “Sea launch”. The ship left the US in February.
The work on creation of floating cosmodrome began in 1995. Founders of the company became Boeing’s Rocket and space Corporation Energia, the Norwegian shipbuilding company Kvaerner (Aker Solutions modern), Ukrainian design Bureau “southern” and the plant “Pivdenmash”. In 2009, Sea launch filed for bankruptcy. After the reorganization a leading role in the project has received “Energy”. In 2018, the S7 group of companies closed the transaction on purchase of the property complex of the project, becoming the full owner of the floating spaceport. The total transaction, including the withdrawal of conservation, amounted to approximately $ 150 million.
Vehicle “Soyuz-7” (“Volga”) it is planned to develop the project for a superheavy rocket “Yenisei”. The first stage of “Soyuz-7” will be the Central unit of super-heavy carrier, while the first tier created another rocket “Soyuz-5” (“Irtysh”), will serve as the side accelerator. Rocket “Soyuz-5” and “Soyuz-7” will be different first stage engine. The first rocket will be the power unit RD-171МВ, and the second RD-180.
In November 2018 on the development of the rocket “Soyuz-7”, said the S7 Space (the owner of the cosmodrome “Sea launch”). But then in private Russian companies under the “Soyuz-7” implied version of “Soyuz-5” with a reusable first stage.
