UPDATE - Russian Lunar Program Can Be Alternative To Lunar-Orbit Space Station - Research Institute

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th January, 2019) The Russian program for Moon exploration could give a chance for further space exploration activities to the international community and become a good alternative to the US-proposed lunar-orbit space station project, director of the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian academy of Sciences, Anatoly Petrukovich, told Sputnik in an interview.

"Any movement toward the Moon is so expensive and complicated that it hardly can be done without international cooperation. So far in the world, with the exception of the US proposal to create a lunar-orbit station, there are no well-developed programs that other countries could carry out. We intend to offer Russian vision that could be discussed with foreign partners," Petrukovich said.

International space cooperation has no alternative, and Moon exploration should be international, Petrukovich said.

"If you think about the Moon exploration program, especially with the organization of manned missions, it becomes clear that there simply is no alternative to international cooperation. The technical complexity and financial burden of the lunar program are so great that no country in the world, not even the United States or China, is able to independently implement it," he said.

The IKI has extensive international cooperation, and believes that it will further develop in the future, since it is natural and beneficial to all, Petrukovich noted.

"This is due to the fact that the complexity of space technology increases, funding is limited in all countries and therefore even the leading space agencies are cooperating with each other," he explained.

According to the scientist, seven foreign spacecraft, including US-made martian rover, which are currently operating in space, have IKI-made equipment on board.

At the same time, Russian scientific equipment is being created at the expense of Russia as the country's contribution to international projects, he added.

"IKI equipment is on European and US devices, but their production was paid for by Roscosmos," Petrukovich noted.

Space observatory Spektr-RG, which should be launched into space later this year, was created under this scheme, he said.

The observatory is equipped with two telescopes: German and Russian, built at the expense of each country, respectively.

The project of a heavy lunar rover can be included into the Russian concept of Moon exploration, Petrukovich said.

"Research work on this project was underway, but so far they have not completed this stage. Now this reserve will be in demand in the new lunar program," said Petrukovich.

Earlier, it was reported that in Russia a project of a heavy lunar rover, similar in mass to Soviet lunar rovers, is being developed as part of the Luna-29 mission.

Robotics in general will play an important role in the new Russian concept of Moon exploration, the scientist said.

European countries will take part in Russian lunar research projects, Petrukovich said.

"This is not only about the participation of the European Space Agency (ESA), but also about the instruments that are being created by the national space agencies of European countries," Petrukovich said.

According to the scientist, European countries plan to make and deliver to Russia about 10 scientific and technological devices for the first three Russian lunar vehicles, Luna-25 and Luna-27 lander spacecraft and Luna-26 orbiter.

"Now an agreement between Roscosmos and the ESA on cooperation in lunar projects is under negotiation. It will spell out what role the ESA will play in projects," he said.

On January 10, Rogozin said that the launch of Luna-26 orbiter had been postponed until 2023, while Luna-27 lander mission had been delayed until 2024. Prior to that, the launch of the Russian lunar station Luna-25, first in more than four decades, was postponed to 2021 from 2019.

The United States has presented a project for an international lunar-orbit station. Participants of the International Space Station, including Russia, are invited to participate in its construction. The decision on the format of participation in this project will be made after the development of the Russian national concept for Moon exploration, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said. Such a concept should be prepared by March.