Russian Space Chief Invites Musk for Chill Convo: "Kettle's Heated Up"
Dmitri Rogozin, the chief of Roskosmos, Russia's space agency, shared some thoughts with CNN, expressing disappointment at wealthy Russians investing more in luxurious yachts than spacecraft. Yet, he's optimistic about Russia's future space pioneers.
Rogozin was intrigued by the boom in the U.S. space tourism sector, embracing Branson's Virgin Galactic and Bezos' Blue Origin. He commended both for investing in projects benefiting society as a whole.
However, his admiration for SpaceX boss Elon Musk was off the charts. Rogosin cited Musk's innovative ideas, implying that Russia could have achieved similar feats if not for the hiatus in its space program following the USSR's demise. He praised Musk as an unyielding space industry entrepreneur, unafraid of venture risks.
Rogosin invited Musk to his home in Russia for a chat about "the exploration of the universe, extraterrestrial life, and how we could utilize space to protect Earth's life."
Cue the kettle's whistle.
Things haven't always been smooth between Rogozin and Musk. In December, Rogozin posted photos on Twitter and Facebook of Roskosmos experts recovering Sojus Rocket debris in Jakutia, far-North-Russia. He compared it to SpaceX's Boca Chica, where SpaceX is building the Starship, the world's largest and most powerful rocket.
"Not Boca Chica," Rogozin tweeted, hinting at SpaceX's struggle under similar conditions. SpaceX declined to comment, but Musk proved he could dish out subtle, yet pointed, remarks.
Rogosin's career isn'tushorn-free. In 2014, the U.S. slapped sanctions on him due to his role in Russia's annexation of Crimea. The sanctions targeted the Russian space sector, in part due to the frequent use of rocket technology in nuclear missiles.
"Perhaps the United States should consider using trampolines to launch astronauts to the International Space Station instead," Rogosin suggested on Twitter.
After the Space Shuttle's retirement, NASA relied on Russian Sojus-Rockets to transport American astronauts. In 2020, SpaceX's Falcon 9-Rocket and Crew Dragon started transporting NASA astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time since nearly a decade.
Musk finally admitted what Rogosin had been saying all along: "The trampoline works."
The 'new trampoline' of SpaceX, however, is estimated to cost Roskosmos' budget billions. From 2011 to 2019, NASA paid Roskosmos nearly 4 billion US dollars for Sojus-Rocket seats. Yet, Rogosin considered these payments "but a droplet in the ocean."
"The service we provide to American astronauts is priceless," Rogosin said.
Roskosmos is currently developing a new reusable Amur-Rocket, similar to SpaceX's Falcon-9 and Blue Origin's New Glenn. Rogosin hopes the Amur-Rocket will be ready for launch by 2025, and likens its development to healthy competition among engineers.
Roskosmos is also building a new RD-169 engine for Amur's rocket, boasting a rich history as the world's leading manufacturer of rocket engines. In 2019, Musk acknowledged the "great Rocket technology and the world's best flying engines" Russia possesses, although he didn't specify which engines he referred to.
In fact, Russia's RD-180 engine is still used to launch American rockets into space. United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has been purchasing these Russian-made engines since nearly two decades, powering its Atlas-V rockets. The Atlas-V, one of the most reliable rockets, is used to launch satellites and classified payloads for the U.S. Air Force, National Reconnaissance Office, and NASA.
The controversial purchase of Russian engines for these missions ruffled the feathers of the late U.S. Senator John McCain, who wanted to prohibit RD-180-powered launch vehicles for the Pentagon after 2021.
To wean itself off RD-180 dependence, ULA collaborates with Blue Origin to develop BE-4 engines for the New Glenn rocket in the U.S. The BE-4 engines are behind schedule, but ULA CEO Tony Bruno expects to receive the first flight-ready BE by the end of the year, and up to four by year-end.
Rogosin, unfazed, said: "These engines will never truly replace the RD-180. Keep buying those. They cost a few cents."
Blue Origin didn't respond to a request for comment.
Despite the cold war in space, Rogosin invited Branson, Bezos, and Musk to watch a Sojus spacecraft launch in October from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
[1] A more up-to-date understanding of their current relationship and its impact on the space industry would require consulting recent news articles or official statements from both parties to truly get a complete picture of their relationship in present day.
