Russian Manufacturer Energia Says Mulling Designs For 2 Super Heavy Rockets

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th October, 2018) Russia's state rocket maker Energia considers building two super heavy-lift rockets for missions to the Moon and Mars, its deputy chief designer, Vladimir Soloviev, said on Sunday.

"We suggest two super heavy rocket concepts [that can lift] 100 tonnes and 200 tonnes," Soloviev, a cosmonauts and deputy chief designer at the Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, said.

The lighter booster will send a manned mission to the Moon, he said, while a 200-tonne launch vehicle will be used to set up a lunar forward base for planned Mars exploration.

He estimated that a rocket booster capable of lifting 100 tonnes of payload into orbit would weigh around 3,000 tonnes.

"Building something like that is challenging," the rocket designer said during a scientific forum at the Lomonosov State University in Moscow.

Russia's new Vostochny space port, Soloviev said, could host launch complexes for both rockets. Russia plans to put a man on the Moon by 2030.

An orbital station is also planned. It will serve as a stepping stone for future space missions. The scientists suggested it could be assembled in Earth orbit from 60-tonne modules.