Told ya'll...
The space race for Mars is heating up. Russia confirms green light for super heavy lift rocket amid nuclear treaty talks.
BY
WILLIAM W. • JULY 29, 2014 •
MARS,
NASA,
SPACE
It has been reported that Russia said to be on point of
leaving 1987 treaty, after Obama administration said it violated the accord with tests of R-500
Federal Space Program (FSP) Roscosmos chief Oleg Ostapenko said, “A [super] heavy carrier rocket was included into the new FSP. Work is still under way, with the first stage envisaging the construction of a rocket capable of lifting from 70 to 80 metric tons,”
There will be a second stage of the project which will be a carrier rocket capable of lifting from 100 to 120 metric tons of payload into the LEO.
Russia said about a year ago that it will develop huge new rockets for manned flights to the moon and Mars. They are projecting a flight to Mars the same year that the United States plans on sending their own astronauts there, 2030.
Super-heavy rockets, like the US built Space Launch System are necessary for deep space missions, like a trip to Mars. Russia intends on competing head to head with the USA.
Roscosmos began evaluating proposals for a heavy-lift rocket last year, including the revival of the Energia launcher which could carry a payload of 30 metric tons .
The Energia, developed in the Soviet Union and launched twice, was cancelled during the economic crisis twenty years ago.
NASA is currently building a new super-heavy rocket, the Space Launch System, that will also come in two variants capable of lifting 70 and 130 tons into orbit. The first test flight of the smaller version is scheduled for 2017.
Russia’s largest existing rocket, the Proton, can launch payloads of up to 20 tons. The modular Angara rocket is also under development and comes in several versions, the largest of which is planned to send up to 35 tons into orbit.
Russian Proton Rocket Source: Wikipedia
China is also considering a super-heavy rocket of its own , the Long March 9, for a manned lunar mission. Related Article:
All of the American Flags on the Moon are now white.
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