Space
Russian Space Rocket Falters, Destroying Booster and Payload After Launch
Thomas Carannante
First Posted: May 16, 2014 11:58 AM EDT
The United States might not be too upset after Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin threatened to cut off space rocket engine supplies. On Friday, a Russian rocket broke apart after its launch and destroyed the booster and payload.
In Kazakhstan on Friday, the Russian Federal Space Agency planned a launch for the Proton-M rocket to carry a communications satellite into orbit. Nine minutes after launch and 100 miles into the air, the rocket burned up in the atmosphere after it went off path.
This untimely occurrence happened two days after Russia yet again voiced its frustration with the United States over sanctions issued by the Obama Administration following Russia's involvement in Ukraine. Mr. Rogozin said the sanctions were "out of place" and "inappropriate." Shortly after that, he also announced that Russia will no longer use the International Space Station past 2020 and will not supply the U.S. with rocket engines if they use them for military satellite launches.
Perhaps those weren't the best comments to make, because they're likely to further the tension between the two nations, and Russia will likely lose business to the United States. Russia is jeopardizing a lucrative relationship: the United States is projected to pay $70.7 million per seat for ISS astronauts on Russian rockets. The Proton-M rocket crash also doesn't give Russian any leverage in the situation.
The rocket malfunction is the second one within the past year and the fourth since 1999. Even more so now, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) and the U.S. Air Force are searching for other rocket suppliers, while Elon Musk and SpaceX wait in the shadows for their opportunity to conduct national security-related launches.
"ULA and our Department of Defense customers have always prepared contingency plans in the event of a supply disruption," said ULA spokeswoman Jessica Rye, in this Yahoo! News article. "ULA has two launch vehicles that can support all of customers' needs. We also maintain a two-year inventory of engines to enable a smooth transition to our other rocket, Delta, which has all U.S.-produced rocket engines."
There will certainly be more news in the immediate future regarding U.S.-Russia relations as well as the status of ULA and their supply of rocket engines.
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NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
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First Posted: May 16, 2014 11:58 AM EDT
The United States might not be too upset after Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin threatened to cut off space rocket engine supplies. On Friday, a Russian rocket broke apart after its launch and destroyed the booster and payload.
In Kazakhstan on Friday, the Russian Federal Space Agency planned a launch for the Proton-M rocket to carry a communications satellite into orbit. Nine minutes after launch and 100 miles into the air, the rocket burned up in the atmosphere after it went off path.
This untimely occurrence happened two days after Russia yet again voiced its frustration with the United States over sanctions issued by the Obama Administration following Russia's involvement in Ukraine. Mr. Rogozin said the sanctions were "out of place" and "inappropriate." Shortly after that, he also announced that Russia will no longer use the International Space Station past 2020 and will not supply the U.S. with rocket engines if they use them for military satellite launches.
Perhaps those weren't the best comments to make, because they're likely to further the tension between the two nations, and Russia will likely lose business to the United States. Russia is jeopardizing a lucrative relationship: the United States is projected to pay $70.7 million per seat for ISS astronauts on Russian rockets. The Proton-M rocket crash also doesn't give Russian any leverage in the situation.
The rocket malfunction is the second one within the past year and the fourth since 1999. Even more so now, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) and the U.S. Air Force are searching for other rocket suppliers, while Elon Musk and SpaceX wait in the shadows for their opportunity to conduct national security-related launches.
"ULA and our Department of Defense customers have always prepared contingency plans in the event of a supply disruption," said ULA spokeswoman Jessica Rye, in this Yahoo! News article. "ULA has two launch vehicles that can support all of customers' needs. We also maintain a two-year inventory of engines to enable a smooth transition to our other rocket, Delta, which has all U.S.-produced rocket engines."
There will certainly be more news in the immediate future regarding U.S.-Russia relations as well as the status of ULA and their supply of rocket engines.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone