From
RT:
|
“Russia’s
design bureau NPO Energomash is to deliver 60 RD 181 engines for
the Antares rocket first stage to American space technology
manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corporation. The total cost of the
deal is about $1 billion.”
“...
Russia’s government has already issued all the permits required
for the deal. The contract envisages restrictions for the use of
RD-181 engines in military programs as those rockets cannot be
used for military goals. Following an engine failure and
subsequent explosion during the Antares launch in October, the
company halted all launches, struggling to find a replacement. The
reliability of the RD-181 and similar engines made it the best
choice, Orbital’s vice president for space launch strategic
development, Mark Pieczynski, told Aviation Week in December.”
“The
total cost of the deal is estimated at $1 billion. This sum
includes not only the price of the engines but a set of services
as well. Energomash will provide flight preparation, training,
engines installation and its test operations. According to
Solntsev [executive director of Energomash], the US would have to
spend about $3 billion to develop its own engine for Antares and
the process would take up to 10 years, without guarantee of
success. That’s why Energomash plans to cooperate with Orbital
Sciences Corporation for 15-20 years.”
“Last
April, the US halted cooperation with Russia in other spaсe
programs apart from the International Space Station program.
However, the sanctions do not apply to Energomash. Long-term
cooperation in other programs is still under discussion, however.”
|
It
was only last June when the US tried to cut ties with the Russian
rocket engines manufacturers
(http://failedevolution.blogspot.gr/2014/06/us-deep-state-tries-to-cut-its-few-ties.html),
but eventually, the friend who wrote that "Country that still
rely on Russian engines to deliver communication satellites into
orbit know pretty well whom they are dealing with.", proved he
was right.
The
move not only shows that the US have difficulties to create a project
targeting the complete independence from the Russian rocket engines,
but also, that maybe the US, hopefully, start to change its stance
against Russia, seeking ways to relief the pressure in the new cold
war, at least for now.
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