NASA is requesting two more Soyuz from Russia for their ISS missions

US-Russian political relations may not be at their best in recent years, but their cooperation in the space sector is excellent. For years the US depend on the Soyuz of Roscosmos to send their astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA ‘s plans for domestic manned launches are based on the private sector, but neither Boeing nor SpaceX are ready for that yet.

So NASA requested in a letter from its Director, Jim Bridenstine, Roscosmos’ assistance in continuing manned missions to the ISS in 2020 and 2021, and the Russian space agency responded immediately. Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin has ordered the construction of two more Soyuz MS vessels.

I ordered Roscosmos yesterday to raise funds for the construction of two more Soyuz vessels. Our plant’s production capabilities (Energia Space Rocket Corporation) allow for the construction of four spacecraft per year but it is possible to build five vessels. There are so many opportunities and we will take advantage of them. In addition to our plans under the Federal Space Program, we are placing two more orders for new vessels.

However, Rogozin didn’t miss an opportunity to actually say to his American counterpart ” I told you .”

We will proceed on the basis of the principles of our cooperation and strive to satisfy their demands. Then, at Baikonur Space Station in September 2019, I expressed my concerns to our American partners, warning them in advance of what would happen if their solemn declarations that they would fly by the spring of 2020 had left the vacuum. related to the testing of these vessels, and I stressed that they should have previously ordered seats on the Soyuz because it takes at least two years for such vessels to be manufactured by Energia Space Rocket Corporation.

Now we understand that we need to talk not about Soyuz seats, but about the ability to fly which is a much more serious issue and is precisely related to the critical situation where Americans can be found without astronauts on the ISS, which can paralyze their part.

Recall that NASA manned flights were stopped in 2011 with the closure of the Space Shuttle program. Since then, American astronauts have been transferred to the ISS with the Russian Soyuz, a contract that expires at the end of 2019. US companies Boeing and SpaceX develop the CST-100 Starliner and Crew Dragon respectively for the transfer of astronauts to the ISS, but none of them. two are not ready for this mission.