The first flight of the Russian cosmonaut to the Moon is likely to be carried out with the help of the US spacecraft Orion. Tentatively this will happen in 2024. As part of this mission, he will participate in the installation of the Russian airlock at the international Lunar Orbital Platform - Gateway. This was reported by the RIA Novosti news agency referring to an anonymous source in the rocket and space industry.
In April in Houston, an international group meeting was held, where the issues of the features of the new space station near the moon were discussed, as well as further prospects for its use.
"As part of the talks, sketches of future manned missions to the near-moon station were made. Including discussing the possibility of flying a Russian cosmonaut in the crew of the ship Orion, which will tow the Russian airlock to the Moon, "- shared the agency's interlocutor.
Also, the source added that at the moment four piloted missions are planned for the near-moon station. At the same time, the Russian cosmonaut will go within the first manned mission to the Moon, will accompany the airlock module and carry out its installation.
"In addition, negotiations are under way to include another Russian cosmonaut in another crew, but they are in the very initial stage," the source added.
The source of the agency did not specify the timeframe for the second Russian cosmonaut, and the agency did not comment on this information at the RSC Energia press center (the company, as previously reported, ready to start assembling the module).
The first flights of crews to the near-moon station will be carried out on American Orion ships, which will be launched by SLS super-heavy missiles. The crew of the ship for flights to the Moon will number up to four people. In the future, after the creation of the lunar version of the Federation ship, Russian cosmonauts will be able to fly to the lunar orbital station already on domestic equipment.
Now Russia's participation in the Lunar Orbital Platform - Gateway project is not fully defined. Previously, it was reported that the United States and its partners are forcing Russia to build a lock module for outfitting crews in outer space according to American technical standards and to use an American spacesuit instead of Russian. In turn, Russia proposed to build a gateway module for the US money or to divide the costs for its creation with the European Space Agency. However, there is still no program of participation approved at Roskosmos or the government level.
Based on the text of the memorandum, published on the website of the NASA aerospace agency, the image of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway and the role of participation in its creation of various countries, including Russia, will become clear in the coming months.
"The goal for the summer of 2018 is to determine to the same degree the distribution of functions between all partners (local and international) so that the development of the remaining elements of the station, except for PPE (Power & Propulsion Element - the first module of the station, which should go to the orbit of the Moon in 2022 year), "the document says.
Earlier it was reported that the project, in addition to NASA, involved 14 space agencies. At the moment, the US agency is studying various options for the possible composition and equipment of the station.
"Since the assembly and creation of equipment to support manned flights is a long-term process, NASA will be determined with the appearance and basic capabilities of the Gateway in the summer of 2018," the memorandum says.
The article is based on materials .
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