We didn't go. We don't fly into space anymore?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

This has never happened before in the history of Russian and Soviet cosmonautics. All engines manufactured at the Voronezh Mechanical Plant require inspection and replacement. This means that until all procedures are completed, Russia simply cannot launch anything into space.

Life journalist Mikhail Kotov figured out how this could happen.

During World War II, there was a British propaganda poster that later became a meme. It depicts a pilot, swearing in impotent rage, whose cannon was jammed during the battle due to the carelessness of the workers who allowed the marriage. The slogan of the poster is: "The pilot will not be able to repair the weapon during the battle! Assemble it correctly. Let him continue to shoot!" Judging by the latest events, such a poster is needed in most factories and offices; it should be hung on the wall by everyone who works in Russian cosmonautics.

Today, before our eyes, something unthinkable is happening in the history of Russian cosmonautics. All the Soyuz and Proton missiles of all modifications almost instantly lost the opportunity to take off. On January 18, 2017, Roskosmos announced that the RD engines will be replaced on the Soyuz-FG and Soyuz-U launch vehicles designed to launch the Soyuz MS-04 manned spacecraft and the Progress MS-05 cargo vehicle. -0110 produced by the Voronezh Mechanical Plant. The Roscosmos corporation had to take such measures after the accident of the Progress MS-04 truck that occurred on December 1, 2016.

Further - more: this morning it became known that Roskosmos had recalled to the Voronezh Mechanical Plant all the engines of the second and third stages of the Proton-M launch vehicles. It became known that when assembling the rocket, "illiquid components" were used, which were less heat-resistant than materials using precious metals.

Everything. End. The aforementioned launch vehicles are the main Russian missiles; now Roskosmos will be able to start launches only after total checks and replacement of engines, which will take time. The entire space is based on a schedule, launches are carried out strictly on schedule and are planned in some cases years before the start. Information has already appeared that, perhaps, the next launches of Protons will now take place only in the summer. This is not just a disaster - it is a disaster.

Stealing as a habit

But we are really already accustomed to the fact that "they steal …". All criminal cases that have started in recent years in the space industry are taken for granted. In November 2016, another case was initiated on the theft of funds during the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome, which did not surprise anyone. "Well, what do you want, a large construction site - everyone needs to warm their hands."

In the same month, it became known about a new criminal case on the fact of a particularly large embezzlement in the Khrunichev center. Three hundred million were spent on the purchase of “equipment of inadequate quality for the production of launch vehicles at an inflated price through the structures of“Spetsstroy.”These are only two cases - in recent years, the Russian cosmonautics has been storming from criminal cases arising here and there.

And everyone is already used to it: the dog barks, the caravan moves on. Dmitry Rogozin a few days before the Progress MS-04 accident said that "Russian cosmonautics, breaking free from this veil of defeats, offensive accidents and catastrophes, stabilizing quality issues, made a qualitative leap forward in creating the latest technologies." This can only be called a dash off a cliff.

It was in Voronezh

In general, the Voronezh Mechanical Plant is a well-deserved enterprise: this year it will already be 89 years old. Founded in 1928, at first it was engaged in the creation of grain harvesting and elevator equipment. During the war he specialized in the production of aircraft engines for Po-2 aircraft. Then it was redesigned for the production of aircraft and helicopter engines.

Since 1957 - practically since the beginning of Russian cosmonautics - the Voronezh Mechanical Plant has been producing liquid-propellant rocket engines for almost all types of launch vehicles. Legendary “Vostoki”, long-livers “Soyuz”, heavy “Protons”, “Zeniths”, “Buran-Energiya”. Moreover, the plant produces engines for strategic space rockets. Yes, the Russian "nuclear shield" also depends on the "Voronezh Mechanical Plant" (one can only hope for vigilant military acceptance). Since 2007, it has been part of the G. M. V. Khrunichev.

That is, there are not accidental people working there who understand that a flaw on earth turns into a tragedy in space. That they are at the forefront of our entire cosmonautics and these are not just big words. What depends on them, what Russian space will be like in the future.

And then bad news poured in one by one. On December 1, 2016, Progress MS-04 crashes due to a problem with the engine, and a Soyuz launch vehicle was used for its withdrawal. Most likely, Roskosmos ordered an additional check, and already on December 27 debris was found in the steering engines of one of the stages of the Proton launch vehicle. Yes, the engine of the same Voronezh mechanical engine.

Further - the recall of "Soyuz" and today's recall of "Protons". Moreover, it became known that when assembling the rocket, "illiquid components" were used, which were less heat-resistant than needed according to the drawings. How in general could the quality service accept such engines and bring them to installation on launch vehicles?

That is, this is not an accident, this is not negligence, but simply carelessness that permeated the plant from top to bottom. And where did the GKNPTs im. M. V. Khrunichev? Oh yes, they themselves have a lot of problems with theft, not enough quality at their subsidiaries. As a "cherry on the cake" five days ago, the general director of the Voronezh Mechanical Plant, Ivan Koptev, decided to resign "due to unsatisfactory work and the quality of products."

Excuse me, who is responsible for this? That is, there is a recall of missiles, ahead of time delays, postponed launches and multibillion-dollar losses, and the plant director looked, realized that he was dissatisfied with the quality and had to leave. It happens?

And so it will do

A similar situation occurred on the Komsomolets nuclear submarine, on which 39 sailors died as a result of an accident and fire. The cause of the accident was a breakthrough in hydraulics. Subsequently, during the dismantling of the hydraulic machine that opens and closes the ventilation valve, it was discovered that in the fitting instead of the standard gasket made of red copper there is a washer, roughly cut from paronite (asbestos-based gasket material used in automobile engines).

Various crafts were turned from red copper at the factory. Surely one of the repair workers simply used red copper for something else, and put a paronite gasket. This carelessness caused the death of 39 people. A very similar situation is when a part from a different material is found on a rocket engine instead of a special alloy.

As the hero of the cartoon "Vovka in the far-away kingdom" said: "And so it will do!". It won't do. This is space. And here every little thing can become fatal, but who do you have to be in order not to understand this?

Time to decide

Roscosmos has difficult days ahead: it is necessary to quickly resolve issues with the possibility of using such engines and replace them or once again drive them through control. Somehow to minimize losses from postponements, to try to be in time by March 27, when a new cosmonaut team is to fly to the ISS as part of the ISS-52 expedition.

When in December the article "Not the first ones: Roscosmos recognized Russia's lag in space launches" was written, we said that in order to start solving problems, we must first recognize them. After that, you need not talk about the wonderful successes of Russian cosmonautics, but start plowing in order to try to rectify the situation.

We will soon learn about what caused this negligence from the Investigative Committee, which has already begun to understand the situation. It is much more difficult to answer what needs to be done so that this does not happen again when one of the most important enterprises drives a marriage that goes through all stages of verification and is installed on launch vehicles. And, judging by the ongoing criminal cases in the space industry, this is not an isolated case.

That is, people working in this industry simply do not understand, do not want to understand that all the mistakes made on Earth cannot be corrected at the top. That debris in the engine would lead to disaster. If so, then the poster will not help here.

The current situation is already very close to a catastrophe - from such a deep peak, Russian space may not get out. Decisions must be made quickly and accurately. In the eyes of all potential clients of Roskosmos, what happened could be a verdict on Russian commercial space. We can only hope that there is a pilot in the cockpit, ready to take the helm in hand and begin to get out of this dive. But this hope seems to be ephemeral.