Making Progress? Russia's Financial Problems Could Impact ISS Occupation
Thu Apr 25, 9:03 AM ET
By Anatoly Zak, SPACE.com
Russia’s financial woes may force NASA (news - web sites) and its international partners to evacuate the permanent crew of the International Space Station (news - web sites) as early as the fall of this year, according to a senior Russian space official.
Yuri Grigoriev, Deputy Designer General at RKK Energia, a leading Russian company in the ISS project, said that the lack of government funds needed to build crucial supply ships could force the project's partners to abandon the station in November.
RKK Energia builds the Progress cargo ships that deliver supplies such as fuel, water and food to the outpost. However, the lack of federal funding has forced the company to delay the construction of the supply ships needed for several upcoming missions to the station in 2003. Progress vessels are estimated to cost between $20 million and $50 million depending on the current state of the Russian economy.
There are several Progress ships at different levels of production in Russia at the moment, however, due to lack of funding, RKK Energia cannot purchase hardware needed from its subcontractors to complete the assembly of several Progress spacecraft. Already this year, RKK Energia has cut the number of re-supply flights to the station from the original six to three.
"Unless we receive money within a few months, we will not able to finish the Progress craft that absolutely must to fly in January, as well as several vehicles for later missions," Grigoriev said. "We are talking about millions of dollars."
According to Grigoriev, the Russian government covers between one-third and one-quarter of the supply costs needed to keep the ISS permanently occupied. But as a result of the funding problems, Russian space officials have had to draw contingency plans to…
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