Moscow Time

NEW JOB FOR SOYUZ

Arianespace announced a new contract on Jan. 26 for five more Soyuz missions to deliver operational satellites for Europe's Galileo navigation network beginning in 2012.

NEXT IN SPACE

Feb. 3: Soyuz to launch the Progress M-04M (No. 404) cargo ship toward the ISS from Baikonur. (As of October 2009. Delayed from Oct. 30, 2009)

See more in 2010,

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

... and beyond

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Acknowledgments:

Publisher would like to thank Alain Chabot from Université Sainte-Anne in Church Point, Nova Scotia, Canada, for his tremendous help in making this site possible, as well as following individuals for their support of this project:

Nicholas Abadzis

Christian Cognard

Dave Cooper

Mitch Davis

Charles Durrett

Stefan Eich

Paul Feigelman

Matthew Flammer

Robert Godfrey

Charles William Kauffman

Manish Kumar

Viktor Lapinskii

James Lucas

Robert McClimon

Don Mitchell

William Rierden

Eugene Wan

Andi Wuestner

TOP STORY

End of Constellation: It is not all doom and gloom

Op-ed by Anatoly Zak

Published: 2010 Feb. 2

Even before the White House made a proposal Monday to eliminate funding for the Constellation program, a political hurricane had started brewing in Washington, D.C. Critics alleged that the end of the project, which aimed to return the American astronauts to the Moon, would undermine US space efforts and would even mark the end of the nation’s leadership in space, giving the upper hand to evil powers like China and Russia.

The criticism is probably leveled by the same people, who six years ago were blindly cheerleading the Bush administration’s shortsighted decision to start this project in the first place, without any solid fiscal or technical foundation.

With a minimum foresight and the knowledge of space exploration history, it was clear from the get go that the Bush plan was underfunded, poorly designed and would have to be scrapped sooner or later.

It is just unfortunate that it took six years, nine billion dollars and the change of occupant in the Oval Office to come to this realization.

Read more

Other news, updates:

New Russian spacecraft might fly from Baikonur

Published: 2010 Jan. 26

RKK Energia, Russia's chief manufacturer of the manned spacecraft, reiterated Tuesday that the first unmanned launch of the new-generation spacecraft intended to replace Soyuz would take place in 2015.

Russia, US studied cooperative moon missions

Published: 2010 Jan. 12

US and Russian space contractors mulled the possibility of joint cargo missions to the lunar orbit, which could support manned expeditions to the Moon.

Russia unveils its vision for manned space flight

Published: 2009 Aug. 20

Russian space agency, Roskosmos, presented its plans for the manned space flight in the next 30 years at the MAKS-2009 air and space show in Moscow.

Russia, Europe prepare plans beyond ISS

Published: 2009 July 3

Russian and European space officials started consultations on possible goals for the manned space flight after the end of the International Space Station, ISS, program.

Russia starts development of the new manned spacecraft

Published: 2009 April 6

On Monday, Russia's federal space agency, Roskosmos, formally selected RKK Energia, to be a prime developer of the nation's next-generation manned spacecraft Monday.

Russia starts development of the launch vehicle for next-generation manned spacecraft

Published: 2009 April 2

Federal space agency, Roskosmos chose prime contractor for the development of the launch vehicle, which will carry the nation's future manned spacecraft.

Russia launches first spacecraft of 2010

Published: 2010 Jan. 28

Russia conducted its first space mission of 2010, launching a military communications satellite Thursday.

GLONASS replenishment launched

Published: 2009 Dec. 14

Continuing a tradition of several previous years, Russia launched an end-of-the-year mission to replenish its navigation constellation.

New intelligence bird takes off

Published: 2009 Nov. 21

Russia launched a classified payload, apparently introducing a new family of electronic intelligence satellites.

A new life for a legendary Russian rocket

Published: 2009 Sept. 10

Developers of the historic Soyuz rocket hope to upgrade it with a veteran engine from the Soviet lunar program, breathing in new capability into a half-century-old technology.

Cosmos-3M launches a pair of satellites

Published: 2009 July 21

Russia launched a pair of satellites from its northern cosmodrome. The Cosmos-3M rocket lifted off on July 21, 2009, from Plesetsk, carrying two payloads, believed to be a Parus military navigation satellite and the Sterkh emergency rescue signal spacecraft.

Rockot launches milsats

Published: 2009 July 6

Russia launches a trio of military satellites from its northern cosmodrome.

Proton launches DirecTV 12

Published: 2009 Dec. 29

Russia conducted its last orbital launch of 2009, successfully delivering a commercial communications satellite.

Zenit delivers Intelsat 15

The Land Launch successfully delivered to orbit the Intelsat 15 communications satellite for Intelsat, Ltd.

Russia begins rebuilding its weather satellite network

Published: 2009 Sept. 17

Russia hopes to jumpstart its space meteorology with the launch of a new-generation weather-forecasting satellite.

Dnepr launches THEOS

Published: 2008 Oct. 1

A converted ballistic missile launched a long-delayed Thai imaging satellite.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Russia to return to Venus

Published: 2009 Oct. 7

Densely clouded in acid-laden mist, Venus used to be the Soviet Union's favourite target for planetary exploration.

Russia officially postpones Phobos-Grunt... sort of

Published: 2009 Sept. 22; updated Sept. 25

International partners participating in the Phobos-Grunt mission had received an e-mail Monday from the director of the Space Research Institute in Moscow, announcing a delay of the high-profile launch from 2009 to 2011. However the Russian space agency still remained mum about the fate of Phobos-Grunt as of the end of this week.

Russia, India to search for lunar water

Published: 2009 March 4

Russian planetary scientists mull an ambitious goal for a cooperative lunar mission with India – the search for water ice.

Russia launches space weather monitor

Published: 2009 Jan. 28; updated: Jan 29, Jan. 30, Feb. 1

Russia launched an unmanned satellite designed to watch capricious behavior of our closest star – the Sun.