

In Soviet Russia, space travels you





Energia heavy lift vehicle
Energia's heavy lift rocket is moving ahead towards a 2018 launch.
[Image Source: RCS Energia]





Source: Space Travel

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RE: picture
By Bubbacub on 12/29/2012 1:27:20 PM , Rating: 2
sure - it would totally make sense to re-use the engines etc. e.g. ares V had a lot of apollo heritage - e.g. the j2x engine (though after 10 years and billions of dollars of development with no end product i wonder if they should have just carried on with rs25d production line)

but i think their design will look like the original energia as much as ares V/SLS looks like saturn V.

also the zenit boosters are under ukrainian control now - thats another reason for a substantially different design.

i'd really like to see this rocket fly - i just don't see it happening - there is no commercial benefit, there is no military benefit.

the only benefit for the politicians who will decide to cancel/fund this is for international bragging rights - i just don't think that is enough of a carrot to make the russian kleptocrats bite.

RE: picture
By JediJeb on 1/2/2013 6:01:14 PM , Rating: 2

The Russian government seems to still like to one up the US every chance they can get so it may just be worth it to them to pull off a successful moon landing in the modern era. They may not be first, but they will find some way to be "better" at a moon landing. Maybe the next space race will be between Russia and China, who knows.

