Private Russian company “Kosmocar” leading is currently developing a reusable spacecraft for suborbital flights, has promised to carry out the first commercial tourist launch in 2025.
“The first flight of the prototype (rockets and suborbital vehicle) to be held in 2023, the first “flight” with tourists in 2025″, — said the General Director of the company Pavel Pushkin in a conversation with the news Agency TASS.
The head of the “Cosmokarta” added that tests of the rocket and the lander capsule will start even earlier – in 2022, and already this year, the summer, the company plans to deliver to the Federal space Agency of the preliminary design of the apparatus for examination.
“In 2021 should be made of “iron” in 2022 are expected to be tested. The preliminary design will be put into the Federal space Agency to fly this year, in April and may. Where he really needs to pass the examination,” he said.
Pushkin is noted that in the framework of the preliminary design by the company has been deeply researched various technical issues.
“At the moment we are already actively involved in pre-production and experimental base. The first units are already in production for testing”, he added.
The entire program — from project inception until the first tourist flight – estimated at 150-200 million dollars. Interestingly, at the moment the company has only a few dozen million rubles, and where it is going to take the remaining required amount, the head of “Cosmokarta” is not clarified.
“This budget we do not have. At the moment, “Kosmocar” invested tens of millions of rubles. While we may be enough money to develop further”, — he said in conversation with journalists of TASS, adding that the company has one investor.
Reusable complex for suborbital flights for tourists will consist of 80-ton rocket and spacecraft mass 7 tons. The main propellants for missiles would be oxygen and alcohol-related component is nitrogen. The possibility of a jet landing capsule is due to its engines.
“Now experts compare these systems and decide which is better. We consulted with the Russian space Agency about this, they are willing to consider the option of jet landing,” said Pushkin.
According to him, for testing rocket engines which will send a ship with tourists in suborbital flight, the specialists of “Cosmokarta” has already started to create the stands in Moscow and the Moscow region. Management system the company has partnered with NPO automatics from Yekaterinburg.
It is expected that within the tourism flight crew of six tourists and one instructor, the steward would do the 14-minute climb to a height of 180-220 km. having been in a state of weightlessness 5.5 minutes, hikers will descend on the camera back. The cost of one ticket is expected to be 250 thousand dollars. The company plans by 2030 to spend up to 115 starts per year, that is two starts in a week. According to preliminary estimates, the project will be profitable within approximately seven to ten years from the start of the first tourist flights.
Russian private space tourism will begin in 2025
Nikolai Khizhnyak