From: dennisn@ecs.comm.mot.com (Dennis Newkirk)
Subject: Re: Funding of the xSU's space program? - ANSWERS
Organization: secure_comm
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 23:06:23 GMT

I just caught this thread and though I might be able to shed some light.

>>>   What are the short and long term prospects for continued funding
>>>   of the xSU space program?

Funding is being provided to the Energia NPO from the Russian government
and from sales to foreign customers which include the US government and 
some companies.  Some of the largest sales come from flying researchers
to Mir for short stays.  The last was a Fenchman in July.  The next will
be an Isreali in January.  These flights allow replacement and rotation
to CIS crews permanently manning Mir.

>>Both the long&short terms prospects were:
>>To compete West and the USA in particular. Let the
>>people get 10 times worse quality of living, 
>>but we have to launch as many satellites as
>>the USA does. 

Actually, the USSR launched many more satellites than the US for a number
of years, mostly due to the use of many short term spy satellites and
US use of long lived spy satellites.

>Would it be considered acceptable for scientific
>projects in the US to subcontract skilled technicians, engineers and
>scientists in the xSU?  In particular I mean purchase of rocket
>launch services, construction of spacecraft (communications, 
>scientific, interplanetary explorers), and rental of communication and
>tracking services?  Would this be considered a positive development
>that would help to expand the xSU's economy?

This is a rapidly changing situation. For example, last I heard, NASA was 
looking into buying a spare Mars '94 lander with booster and putting US 
experiments on it.  The Russians are launching 2 Mars '94 probes and the
Mars '96 probes are still in development including rovers. This work is
partially funded by the French. Companies are buying components like 
electric arc rockets, at least one communications satellite might be 
launched by a Proton, US payloads have already been flown on Mir for many
months, the US DoD just launched a payload on a Russian satellite, the 
ESA and Japanese are rumored to be looking for help and partners for 
their space shuttle projects. NASA is seriously looking into using 
Soyuz TM for Space Station Freedom ACRV which could make it permanently
manned years before NASA could do it on their own. Progress are also being
studied for resupply of SSF. Lockheed has set up an agreement with NPO 
Energia to study the Soyuz TM.... and the list is still growing. 
The French have signed up for a few more Mir flights over the next few
years.  The Germans are rumored to be looking into more flights.  NASA
is scheduled to fly an astronaut on Mir and a cosmonaut on the shuttle
in the next couple of years, and dock Atlantis to Mir. The South Koreans,
Spanish, Italians, and Iranians are also on the rumor list for flying
people to Mir.  Obviously, even if half these missions fall through, the
Russians can still keep Mir manned for a few years since new crews are
only launched every 6 months.
The tracking ships are in port and waiting for funding.  
Luch satellite transponders once used for Mir relays are now being leased.

Who is in charge?  Well, that's not so clear right now, but if you want
to buy anything or service you would talk to NPO Energia. The Director of 
NPO Energia, Yuri Semenov, was in Washington D.C. this month at the World 
Space Congress and he seemed to be a very busy person.  I was not the 
only one to suspect a lot of wheeling and dealing going on...

There is currently a Russian Space Agency set up to emulate NASA but it
is unclear if it will work.  Ukraine Space Agency consists of 1 person, and
Kazakstan Space Agency is probably small too and speeds its time 
trying to take control of the old Baykonur Cosmodrome [from what I read in
the Russian Press]. 

That's the short if it.  SOME of the old factories and design institutes 
will not survive, but the RUSSIAN space program is NOT DEAD YET. I wrote 
a book on the Soviet space program a couple of years ago and have been
doing research for over 7 years now and I think the future even looks 
fair to good.  

Dennis Newkirk (dennisn@ecs.comm.mot.com)
Motorola Inc, Land Mobile Products Sector
Schaumburg, IL
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet