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Russia retires Proton rocket

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  • Russia retires Proton rocket

    Toxic propellants, reliability issues, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy taking its customer base....now the inevitable,

    Also; Angara is a stopgap at best. It took 22+ years to develop, was already outdated once it flew in 2014, and it still doesn't provide the heavy lift capabilities Russia needs. Those will only come with a new launcher, which Russia will have trouble financing.

    ARS...

    Russias Proton rocket, which predates Apollo, will finally stop flying

    Technical problems, rise of SpaceX are contributing factors.


    The Russian-manufactured Proton rocket has been flying into space since before humans landed on the Moon. First launched in 1965, the rocket was initially conceived of as a booster to fly two-person crews around the Moon, as the Soviet Union sought to beat NASA into deep space. Indeed, some of its earliest missions launched creatures, including two turtles, to the Moon and back.

    But now, Russian officials confirm, the Proton rocket will finally reach its end. In an interview with a Russian publication, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said production of the Proton booster will cease as production shifts to the new Angara booster. (A translation of this article was provided to Ars by Robinson Mitchell, a former US Air Force Airborne Cryptologic Language Analyst). No new Proton contracts are likely to be signed.

    Presently, Proton rockets are built at the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center in Moscow, then they're transported to a launch site in Baikonur in Kazakhstan. The Angara rocket, which has made just two test flights back in 2014, will be produced in a new factory in Omsk, a city in Siberia.
    >
    Example of reliability issues,



    Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 25 June 2018, 17:55.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps
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