NASA chief says agency plans to launch crew on Soyuz in December
Less than two weeks ago, a Soyuz rocket took off with a Russian cosmonaut and a NASA astronaut riding in a Soyuz capsule. The launch proceeded normally for about two minutes until the rocket experienced a problem, and one of the Soyuz's emergency escape systems fired automatically and pulled the crew vehicle away from the booster. After a few seconds of rapid acceleration, the crew capsule carrying Aleksey Ovchinin and Nick Hague made a relatively normal, safe return to Earth.
[...] On Tuesday, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine felt confident enough in the Russian investigation to declare that the next crewed Soyuz launch will occur in December. "We're fully anticipating" putting a crew on that rocket, he said at a meeting of the National Space Council. Investigators have a "really, really good idea" about what occurred during the errant launch earlier this month, he said.
Moreover, Bridenstine praised the reaction of the Soyuz capsule to the rocket error and its life-saving features that protected the crew members on board. "While this was a failed launch, it was probably the single most successful failed launch we could have imagined," Bridenstine said.
Three unmanned flights of the Soyuz will occur before the planned crewed launch to the ISS.
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Two months after mishap, Russian Soyuz rockets back into space with crew
Less than two months after a booster separation issue with a Soyuz rocket caused a dramatic, high-gravity landing, the Russian vehicle soared back into space on Monday at 6:31 ET (11:31 UTC). The launch from Kazakhstan, under mostly clear, blue skies, was nominal as each of the rocket's first, second, and third stages fired normally.
The launch sent NASA astronaut Anne McClain, Canadian David Saint-Jacques, and Russian Oleg Kononenko into space aboard their Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft. After making four orbits around the Earth, their Soyuz spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the Russian segment of the International Space Station at 12:35pm ET (17:35 UTC) Monday.
According to SpaceFlightNow.com the docking was successful.
Previously: Soyuz Crew Vehicle Fails Mid-Flight, Astronauts OK
Soyuz Failure Narrowed Down to Collision Between Booster and Core Stage
NASA Confident in Soyuz, Ready for Crewed Launch in December
Roscosmos Completes Investigation into October Soyuz Failure, Finds Assembly Issue
Due to delays and potential delays in launching crew to the International Space Station (ISS) using American-made spacecraft, NASA is prepared to purchase two more seats to the ISS from Russia's Roscosmos:
Despite the scheduled return of US domestic crew launch capability this year, NASA is set to purchase more rides on the Russian Soyuz through 2020. The agency is adhering to a recommendation from its Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) after concerns were raised about the lack of a back-up option covering the potential delays that could be suffered during a challenging test flight phase for Dragon 2 and Starliner.
[...] "Past experience has shown the difficulties associated with achieving first flights on time in the final year of development. Typically, problems will be discovered during these test flights. The consequences of no US crew on ISS warrant protection by acquiring additional seats. The absence of U.S. crewmembers at any point would diminish ISS operations to an inoperable state," noted a procurement document published on February 13. "NASA is considering contracting with the State Space Corporation "Roscosmos" for these services on a sole source basis for two (2) Soyuz seats and associated services to the International Space Station (ISS) on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft vehicle. This transportation would be for one crewmember in the Fall of 2019 and one crewmember in the Spring of 2020."
The two seats in Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 seem to be in reference to the Soyuz MS-15 and MS-16 flights. Soyuz MS-15 currently has its third seat occupied by a paying spaceflight participant – who will now likely be bumped to accommodate a permanent US Station crewmember – and Soyuz MS-16 is a schedule two-person flight with a vacant third seat available.
While the action does not point to an increase in uncertainty over the progress being made by Commercial Crew providers, it does cite the wish to avoid placing schedule pressure on the companies, an issue that still haunts NASA after it was determined to have played a direct role in the loss of Shuttle Challenger in 1986.
Also at Space News and Ars Technica.
Previously: Boeing Crewed Test Flight to the ISS May be Upgraded to a Full Mission
SpaceX and Boeing Not Ready to Transport Astronauts to the International Space Station
SpaceX, Boeing (and NASA) Push Back 1st Test Launches of Private Spaceships
Related: NASA Confident in Soyuz, Ready for Crewed Launch in December
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 24 2018, @07:59AM
Go safety engineers!
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday October 24 2018, @02:30PM (2 children)
NASA is confident that it is beholden to the Russians for access to space. At least until the 2030s when the SLS can launch.
If your boy is chewing on electrical cords, then ground him until he conducts himself properly.
(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Thursday October 25 2018, @12:13AM (1 child)
The SLS? Launch? Ahahaha! The only thing it's launching is its own budget, way past the stratosphere.
(Okay, that's probably somewhat unfair, but not entirely imo)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 25 2018, @03:14AM
To infinity, and beyond!
Totally fair. All while the Musky One is giving the Randians a perfect ubermensch narrative, and yet all the capitalists in Congress (and the deep state, to borrow a term from the alt-right) are too beholden to pork to be celebrating and singing the virtues of a real life Atlas. (Or would it be Fountainhead?)
(Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday October 24 2018, @03:24PM
My understanding is that this rocket is not in production any more and is being replaced by a new one. They still have under 10 (don't remember the exact number) rockets and plan to launch 3 of them unmanned before the crewed flight. There are also reports of video surveillance equipment being installed; they do suspect sabotage, it seems.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.