Expedition-M AKA Bumerang AKA Fobos-Grunt 2

[Danderman]

Russian space agency to organize new $198 mln Mars probe in 2024 after faulty mission

http://tass.ru/en/non-political/792919

The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) plans to launch a new sample soil expedition to Mars’ satellite Phobos, according to a draft of Russia's new space program for 2016-2025 unveiled on Monday.

Under the document, the Mars-Grunt (Soil) expedition is planned for 2024 to deliver soil samples from the Martian moon Phobos to the Earth. The project is estimated at 10.3 billion rubles ($198 million).

This sum is twice as large as the amount stipulated in the draft federal space program prepared last year.

[russianhalo117]

Russian space agency to organize new $198 mln Mars probe in 2024 after faulty mission

http://tass.ru/en/non-political/792919

The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) plans to launch a new sample soil expedition to Mars’ satellite Phobos, according to a draft of Russia's new space program for 2016-2025 unveiled on Monday.

Under the document, the Mars-Grunt (Soil) expedition is planned for 2024 to deliver soil samples from the Martian moon Phobos to the Earth. The project is estimated at 10.3 billion rubles ($198 million).

This sum is twice as large as the amount stipulated in the draft federal space program prepared last year.

This is info as of 30 April 2015:
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/expedition_m.html

[Danderman]

I try not to get too wrapped up in the twists and turns of these kinds of proposals.

The general process is that the program is officially announced, it gets delayed, descoped, and after many years, something flies somewhere with varying degrees of success.

[woods170]

I try not to get too wrapped up in the twists and turns of these kinds of proposals.

The general process is that the program is officially announced, it gets delayed, descoped, and after many years, something flies somewhere with varying degrees of success.

That is a very good summary of the general state of affairs of the Russian space program over the last three decades.

[fregate]

OK, Roskosmos decided to kill 2 birds with one stone - Fobos  Grunt-2 mission aka "Boomerang" now has official name "Expedition-M" that had been used before for Mars sample return mission. Apparently they would use a Phobos Sample return mission as a testbed and pre-cursor of Mars sample return mission after 2030.


Technical requirements for "Boomerang" mission from tender attached  (in Russian)     

[zubenelgenubi]

Regarding Expedition-M AKA Bumerang AKA Fobos-Grunt 2 (and thread necromancy):
What progress, if any, has been made towards executing a Russian Phobos sample return?

(AKA= Also Known As)

[redliox]

Regarding Expedition-M AKA Bumerang AKA Fobos-Grunt 2 (and thread necromancy):
What progress, if any, has been made towards executing a Russian Phobos sample return?

(AKA= Also Known As)

Haven't heard much but I suspect China won't tag along next time; but ESA or JAXA may have interests.

[vjkane]

Regarding Expedition-M AKA Bumerang AKA Fobos-Grunt 2 (and thread necromancy):
What progress, if any, has been made towards executing a Russian Phobos sample return?

(AKA= Also Known As)

Haven't heard much but I suspect China won't tag along next time; but ESA or JAXA may have interests.

Now that Japan has an approved mission in development to return samples from Phobos, I can't see why Russia would want to resurrect an old mission concept.  Lot's of other opportunities in the solar system.

[eeergo]

According to news from last year, it is planned for launch in 2024 (not that it's gonna happen, but at least planning isn't pushing it back to "the late 2020s"):

https://ria.ru/20161005/1478536207.html (March 2020)

MOSCOW, October 5 - RIA Novosti. Roskosmos expects to launch the second interplanetary station Phobos-Grunt-2, designed to deliver samples of Martian soil to Earth, in 2024, without taking it outside the framework of the Federal Space Program 2016-2025, the director of the Institute of Space Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences (included at Roskosmos) Lev Zeleny.

It is understood a lot hinges on ExoMars 2022's final development (and presumably, outcome), and cooperation with ESA is desired.

[plutogno]

It is understood a lot hinges on ExoMars 2022's final development (and presumably, outcome), and cooperation with ESA is desired.

but ESA is likely to have his hands full with developing the Mars sample return orbiter, so it probably is not going to happen

[Blackstar]

There seem to be two general criteria for Russian planetary missions to get approved/developed:

-unique, something that nobody else has done before
-involves foreign participation (either to provide funding, or as an indication that a mission is worthwhile)

I'm not sure if both of these criteria are required or if a mission could happen with only one. But you can see this pattern in a number of their recent attempts, and a NASA colleague who dealt directly with the Russians several years ago told me that they need foreign participation in part because that indicates to the government leaders who fund them that the mission is a good idea. (The flip side of that is that it means that Russia's own scientists lack credibility when they seek funding.)

I think that Russia has lost so much expertise that they need to re-build it, and a good way to do that would be to start out with a few less-ambitious missions, such as lunar orbiters. Build up their expertise and their workforce before taking on something more ambitious. But national pride won't allow that.