As we all know, Russia’s dominance in the space field can be traced back to the 1950s and 1960s. In 1961, the Soviet Union successfully launched Vostok-1, and human beings entered space for the first time, opening the era of manned spaceflight. As a result, the Soviet Union’s dominant position in this field was also established. Since then, the United States and Russia have been in a competitive situation in the aerospace field. When the U.S. government announced sanctions against Russia in 2014 due to the Ukraine incident, it included the space industry.
With the U.S. space shuttle program stranded since 2011, Russia has a significant advantage in the field of manned space launches. At that time, NASA made it clear that it would not build any more space shuttles.
Recently, the successful launch of SpaceX has made Russia, also a major aerospace power, unable to sit still.
On May 31, in the expectation of much anticipated, Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technology Company (SpaceX) successfully launched the Crew Dragon spacecraft, bringing the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) The two astronauts of China were successfully sent to the International Space Station.
This is the first time since 2011 that the United States has used domestic rockets and spacecraft to send astronauts to the space station. It is also the first time in human history that a manned spacecraft developed by a private commercial company has been used to enter the International Space Station. Therefore, it is regarded as the start of commercial space travel. New era.
As people from all walks of life in the United States are excited about Musk’s move, Russia, which has long monopolized space launches and has been competing with the United States in the space field, also sent a congratulatory message to SpaceX as soon as possible.
However, in addition to congratulations, the Russian media believes that this launch is a wake-up call for the future development of Russia’s aerospace industry.
A scholar familiar with Russian aerospace affairs told the CBN reporter that US companies are now sending two American astronauts to space in the United States. If the Russian manned aviation business loses American customers and potential Western customers in the future, Russia itself does not have the separate financial resources to support its own manned space industry, so it can only strengthen cooperation with Europe in the field of manned aviation.
Russia may lose 200 million U.S. dollars per year
Since then, Russia's “Soyuz” spacecraft has fully assumed the responsibility of transporting astronauts into space. Astronauts need to train and learn Russian in the Star City outside Moscow, and then take off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Isabelle Sourbes-Verger, a space policy expert at the French National Center for Scientific Research, believes that for Moscow, this type of space demand provides Russia with unexpected opportunities to continue manufacturing and research and development. “Soyuz” and its related equipment, and retain a considerable right to speak in the negotiations on the International Space Station (ISS).
Russian media reports show that the Russian Federal Space Agency has also made a lot of money by transporting astronauts in these years. To get a “hitchhiking” position on the “Soyuz”, the “taxi fare” has risen all the way, from 25 million US dollars per person to 81 million US dollars per person.
Recently, Russia’s dominance in the field of manned spaceflight has been continuously challenged. In addition to SpaceX’s latest breakthrough, China has also achieved successful flights in the field of manned spaceflight. Russia itself has been plagued by corruption scandals and has lost some expensive spacecraft and satellites in recent years.
This time, Musk said after the successful launch of SpaceX that the price of a seat on his spacecraft is US$60 million, which is about 1/4 cheaper than Russia.
Andrei Ionin, an expert at a Moscow academy of astronautics, said: "If SpaceX begins to take over the transportation of all American astronauts, then the annual loss for Russia may exceed 200 million US dollars. This is about 20 million US dollars for the Russian Federal Space Agency. The billion-dollar budget is a major loss.”
In the face of subsequent competitors, Dmitry Rogozin, Director of the Russian Federal Space Agency, revealed to the media that Russia is considering reducing the price of seats on the “Soyuz” by 30%.
However, Jonin believes that this is not feasible, “SpaceX saves money by using cheap engines and manufacturing almost all of its own parts. To do this, Russia must change the production process.”
“Our advantages are constantly being lost,” Jonin said. “We are lagging behind in the field of research and development. We have been focusing on the adjustment of technology during the Soviet era without any innovation.” Russian experts are even more worried, as SpaceX such as SpaceX The rise of ambitious private companies such as companies to conquer Mars may leave Russia irretrievably left behind.
Musk: Hope that US-Russia cooperation continues
Prior to this, because it had always relied on Russia’s “Soyuz” to transport American astronauts into space, Russia even mocked the US for “can only use trampolines to send astronauts into space.” Musk didn’t forget this story either. He joked with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine at the press conference after the successful launch of SpaceX, “The trampoline worked,” and the two laughed at each other.
As the head of the Russian aerospace industry, Rogozin also sent blessings to his colleagues in the United States on social media after the successful launch of SpaceX, and even did not forget to name Musk's SpaceX team: “Please convey my opinion to Musk (I like his Joke) Sincere greetings from the SpaceX team. Looking forward to further cooperation!”
Musk responded immediately on social media. In addition to expressing his gratitude in Russian, he also said: “I hope (with Russia) to establish a mutually beneficial and prosperous long-term cooperation.”
Regarding the future relationship between the United States and Russia in the field of aerospace, Wei Jinshen, associate professor of the School of Politics and International Relations at Lanzhou University, said in an interview with a reporter from China Business News that the success of US commercial manned rockets is unlikely to change the US-Russian dominance in space. “On the one hand, space science includes space transportation and space physics, chemistry, astronomy, and many other interdisciplinary fields. It requires a single country to concentrate scientific research. Commercial manned rockets only involve a very small aspect of space science and are not enough to dominate the United States and Russia. The space pattern poses a challenge." He said, "On the other hand, with the development of the new generation of space shuttles in the United States and the advancement of China's manned space technology, the market for commercial manned rockets will be difficult for a long time to come. Dominate.”
After the perfect launch of SpaceX, US President Trump delivered a speech at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He vowed that American astronauts will return to the moon in 2024 and “build a permanent base and a Mars launch pad” on the moon.
In this regard, the Russian side did not sit still. A Russian Aerospace Agency spokesperson wrote on Twitter: “We have already started testing two new rockets this year, and next year we will restart the lunar program. A new round of aviation competition is about to begin!
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