The collapse of the "Union": what happened and what to do next
On October 11, 2018, Russia's reputation as a leading space power was dealt a severe blow. Once again.
The launch vehicle in the Soyuz-FG modification, which had made 64 successful launches before, failed on the 65th, almost killing two cosmonauts flying on the ISS. Alexey Ovchinin and Nick Haig survived only thanks to the highly reliable emergency rescue system, but experienced 6g overloads during the landing. According to preliminary data, the booster crashed either due to a pyro cartridge that did not work, or due to a jammed fastening of the second and third stages:
Space flights are a dangerous occupation, and accidents periodically occur in everyone. But for the modern "Roskosmos" state of emergency has become the norm. This is a hole in the Soyuz, and a rocket’s fall due to the fact that a part was placed upside down at the plant, etc. However, the Soyuz-FG accident is clearly beyond the scope for a number of reasons:
At firstThe 65th launch was timed to coincide with the centennial of the manufacturer of the Soyuz itself, which is very symbolic.
Secondly, for the first time since 1983, the accident occurred with a manned launch, where astronauts could actually die.
Thirdly, Russia for the first time failed to fulfill its obligations to deliver the crew to the International Space Station. It is also unclear what to do now for those astronauts who remained on the ISS.
Fourthly, all this disgrace happened in the presence of the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin and the head of NASA Jim Brandenstein. The bitter irony is that the day before the American told reporters that Russians can be trusted in space.
Fifthly, whatever the cause of the Soyuz accident, the fact is that it was not detected in advance, despite the total check mode that was introduced after the discovery of recent drill holes in the Soyuz. This can directly testify to the real level of professionalism of inspectors.
Today, Roscosmos is beginning to be associated steadily with holes in the casing, falling rockets and general incompetence at all its levels - from the leadership of the corporation, which does not even have a specialized education, to a locksmith with a drill, for whom it is easier to glue an excess hole than to admit to its “jamb” »To the authorities. I would like to ask a legitimate question, how does this state structure intend to compete with capitalist predators such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, as well as with the ambitious space programs of the European Union and China?
It is obvious that the domestic space industry has long been in a serious systemic crisis. Tough personnel decisions are required, as well as the restructuring of the entire structure under the maximum control of the state and supervisory authorities. However, there is an opinion that soon proposals will come from some “experts”, on the contrary, to privatize the domestic space program, they say, the state is showing its inefficiency, look at a successful American one. They will say that “one state needs three private rubles.” Roscosmos quickly corporatize under this business, and its management will cut everything that does not bring profit here and now, and will begin to squeeze all the juices out of what still brings money. And when, under his leadership, everything will fall apart completely, the next "experts" will tell you that Chinese or Arab investment is needed, and you can forget about Russian space forever.
The launch vehicle in the Soyuz-FG modification, which had made 64 successful launches before, failed on the 65th, almost killing two cosmonauts flying on the ISS. Alexey Ovchinin and Nick Haig survived only thanks to the highly reliable emergency rescue system, but experienced 6g overloads during the landing. According to preliminary data, the booster crashed either due to a pyro cartridge that did not work, or due to a jammed fastening of the second and third stages:
One of the blocks did not move. He went back and hit the second stage in flight. Sudden overloads began, and automation turned off the engines of the second stage.
Space flights are a dangerous occupation, and accidents periodically occur in everyone. But for the modern "Roskosmos" state of emergency has become the norm. This is a hole in the Soyuz, and a rocket’s fall due to the fact that a part was placed upside down at the plant, etc. However, the Soyuz-FG accident is clearly beyond the scope for a number of reasons:
At firstThe 65th launch was timed to coincide with the centennial of the manufacturer of the Soyuz itself, which is very symbolic.
Secondly, for the first time since 1983, the accident occurred with a manned launch, where astronauts could actually die.
Thirdly, Russia for the first time failed to fulfill its obligations to deliver the crew to the International Space Station. It is also unclear what to do now for those astronauts who remained on the ISS.
Fourthly, all this disgrace happened in the presence of the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin and the head of NASA Jim Brandenstein. The bitter irony is that the day before the American told reporters that Russians can be trusted in space.
Fifthly, whatever the cause of the Soyuz accident, the fact is that it was not detected in advance, despite the total check mode that was introduced after the discovery of recent drill holes in the Soyuz. This can directly testify to the real level of professionalism of inspectors.
Today, Roscosmos is beginning to be associated steadily with holes in the casing, falling rockets and general incompetence at all its levels - from the leadership of the corporation, which does not even have a specialized education, to a locksmith with a drill, for whom it is easier to glue an excess hole than to admit to its “jamb” »To the authorities. I would like to ask a legitimate question, how does this state structure intend to compete with capitalist predators such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, as well as with the ambitious space programs of the European Union and China?
It is obvious that the domestic space industry has long been in a serious systemic crisis. Tough personnel decisions are required, as well as the restructuring of the entire structure under the maximum control of the state and supervisory authorities. However, there is an opinion that soon proposals will come from some “experts”, on the contrary, to privatize the domestic space program, they say, the state is showing its inefficiency, look at a successful American one. They will say that “one state needs three private rubles.” Roscosmos quickly corporatize under this business, and its management will cut everything that does not bring profit here and now, and will begin to squeeze all the juices out of what still brings money. And when, under his leadership, everything will fall apart completely, the next "experts" will tell you that Chinese or Arab investment is needed, and you can forget about Russian space forever.
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