Russia offers NASA a Soyuz for US$65 million

The Russian Space Agency Roscosmos will sell a Soyuz spacecraft, a carrier rocket and launch services to NASA for some $65 million, if the American agency approves the deal, a Roscosmos official told journalists Thursday, reported RIA Novosti

Roscosmos manned flight programs head Alexei Krasnov said the deal, which includes a Russian cosmonaut as shuttle commander, might be changed to take inflation into account.

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I read that the Shuttle's last flight will actually be in 2009, even though it won't be retired till 2010. However the CEV will now enter service in 2011, instead of 2014. So I don't know why Russia would makes this offer. Maybe just to laugh in our face...

"Maybe just to laugh in our face..."

No you are wrong that's not the russian attitude ..some times that's the attitude of a few(only a few not all)yanks .

There may be many reasons for offering the Soyuz

1
the Soyuz has a good and creditable record in the space in in many cases its more reliable than the US equivalents ...coz NASA has been testing with complex models which goes on changing and often malfunctioning ...which makes the simple Soyuz more reliable ..In space i ll always put the simple but time tested Soyuz ahead of any sophisticated colombia like shuttle

2 until now the Soyuz had been the only mode of Transport for the US astros to ISS ..and from 2006 onwards Russians wont be carrying the Americans for free ......so in this aspect Soyuz gets a marketing advantage

3 the Soyuz is much much cheaper than any US equivalent

4 Russia wants to earn as much as possible from the Soyuz before it retires

I see more business in this issue than politics




[edit on 22-8-2005 by prelude]