Energia to double spacecraft production

[Sergi Manstov]

http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11440804

[Chris Bergin]

>Energia also plans to start manufacturing a multifunctional laboratory module in 2006, which should be delivered to the ISS in 2007.<

Do we know about this?

[lmike]

I may be wrong but it's likely they are referring to finishing the FGB-2 spare (launchable by the Proton in 2007 as declared recently) module (used to be called the Enterprise module, now multifunctional power something or other).  ESA wants to attach a robotic arm to it.  It's by Khrunichev, though, not Energia and has been sitting there at 70% complete for some 6 years.  The lead time on the Souyz spacecraft, now -- that's Energia, manufacture is 1.5 years minimum, AFAIK, and the current manufacturing capability allows up to 4 of Soyuz in the pipeline simultaneously at a time given sufficient funding.  Samara Souyz-U factory Soyuz LV quite large capability notwithstanding.  So, this is credible if there is funding/ISS logistics support.  Anything beyond that is big time heavy capital investment for building the tooling lines.  

I'd be very interested in details, as federal financing for the current 2 Soyuz and 4 Progress per year has been rather slack (there have been cases of delaying paychecks for months at Energia in the past until the feds pay).  Perhaps expanding the tourist options?

[Chris Bergin]

I'm also thinking along the lines of the tourism sector, as this timeline ties in with the floating of RSC Energia on the stock market. Revenue streams and cross-sector attraction - seems viable reasoning.

However, I'll see what can be dug up on the wires etc. The note that he spoke to journalists on Friday is likely to mean there will be expanded stories on this - past the AP wire style of Interfax.

[FransonUK]

As it stands right now, are the Russians the only ones who can offer trips to the ISS for space tourists?

I know the US could do it, but won't ever with the Shuttle or CEV.

[lmike]

Just another piece to the puzzle... I've read posts by an Energia engineer a while back on another forum.   The Soyuz spacecraft (don't forget it's a 40 some years old design at the core) is using a lot of 'archaic' components (vacuum tubes?) which while work, they have trouble obtaining from some of the sub-contractors that may have gone out of business, and/or are making auto's wipers instead.  (sounds familiar?)  This was named as one of the reasons for Energia strongly 'pushing' the Klipper.  It's almost as if't a matter of survival to them.  The 'elemental base' as it's called needs modernizing simply because it's getting difficult to obtain the needed components.  And they have only so much in stock.  The TMA upgrade helped for the control panel, but the rest...  In light of this, this spending money on upping the Soyuz manufacture instead of pushing on with the Klipper which is starved of funds, and which would seemingly offer better tourist options, seems odd to me.