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In recent years, the Russian space program has had a series of problems with its flagship rockets, the heavy-lift Proton booster and the smaller Soyuz rocket used to launch crews and cargo to the International Space Station. The Proton rocket has been grounded since last summer, and the Soyuz has not flown since December, when its third stage engine failed and a Progress cargo spacecraft was lost.
Most of these problems have been traced to engines that power the second and third stages of the Proton and Soyuz rockets. The majority of these engines are built at the Voronezh Manufacturing Plant in southwestern Russia, near the Ukrainian border. Russian Space Web reports that Ivan Koptev, director general of the engine manufacturing facility, has resigned.
According to the news reports, the final straw may have come after recent tests of engines to be used by future second and third stages of the Proton rocket that resulted in more failures. "The failure of the engine was reportedly traced to illegal replacement of precious heat-resistant alloys within the engine's components with less expensive but failure-prone materials," Zak writes. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, has already recalled some of the engines to be used in the upper stage of its Soyuz rockets, and now it is also recalling dozens of Proton upper stage engines. The next Proton launch could be delayed into this summer.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 28 2017, @06:59AM
This is why corruption is bad, it eventually comes and bites someone in the ass. Even worse when that ass is strapped to a fucking rocket!
(Score: 1) by fraxinus-tree on Saturday January 28 2017, @07:53AM
The corruption in Russia (be it soviet or not) is more of a regulating mechanism than a social evil. Well, I don't say that the society regulated by such mechanism is good to live in, but up to now Russians did not manage to replace it. In Russian terms the fake material in rocket engines amounts to "gross negligence" rather than corruption.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by anubi on Saturday January 28 2017, @08:02AM
This is yet another example of why we need "perfectionists" on the workforce.
Seems like nearly every techie I speak to has the same story I have... the suits want it fast and cheap, and if you are taking the time to do it right, you will be replaced by someone who "sees the big picture".
Its really painful to see a once proud organization that used to pride itself on being the best there is succumb to mediocrity at the signatures of the leadership class.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by frojack on Saturday January 28 2017, @08:58AM
The Russian economy is teetering on the brink these days. Most Russian household have zero savings at this particular time, and the price of goods has gone through the roof of late. This is either the result or the cause of Putin putting the brakes on imports lately.
Some would say its the result of western sanctions, but these really haven had time to kick in yet, and they only affected government officials and a few in the finance industry.
Substitute materials might be graft, or it might be just a fixed price government contract with no cost escalation provisions. If any part of the manufacturing or the materials gets caught in Putin's edict, the manufacturer could be between a rock and a hard place.
I don't know if the US buys any of these particular motors any more, (or if they ever did). If NASA stopped, there is another source of income lost.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1) by fraxinus-tree on Sunday January 29 2017, @03:51PM
This particular manufacturer is government-run so there always are "cost escalation provisions".
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday January 29 2017, @05:44PM
This particular manufacturer is government-run
So you say, but that makes the substitution of cheap metals even less explicable.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.