Space exploration in 2021 (original) (raw)

Russian space program in 2021

On February 20, Head of Roskosmos Dmitry Rogozin paid a visit to the Kremlin for a report to the president on the year-end status of the Russian space sector. In a public transcript of his exchange with Vladimir Putin, Rogozin said that 29 space launches had been planned for 2021, including missions postponed from the previous year, referring primarily to the OneWeb Internet satellites, but also to the long-delayed launch of the Luna-25 lander and the Obzor-R radar-carrying satellite. Two modules for the Russian Segment of the International Space Station, ISS, (Nauka and Prichal) were also promised to fly. Finally, one Angara-5 and two Angara-1.2 launchers were scheduled to continue flight testing of the new rocket family. According to Rogozin, the Russian civilian satellite constellation included 89 spacecraft at the time. In the meantime, as of August 2021, the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, RVSN, promised to deploy 15 new ICBMs before the end of the year and test several new strategic missile systems.

For missions in 2020 click here

A Proton rocket with the MLM-U Nauka module lifts off on July 21, 2021.

In reality, by the end of the year, Russia conducted 25 orbital launch attempts, which was a healthy increase from 17 missions in 2020, even though it was primarily thanks to a controversial contract with the OneWeb company. Oneweb was one of three major international customers still relying on Russian rockets in 2021, not counting unofficial reports about potential deals (INSIDER CONTENT) for future commercial launches on a Proton rocket. OneWeb satellites accounted for 284 spacecraft out of 340 which Roskosmos launched in 2021. Another 38 satellites, including two European Galileo satellites and a South-Korean Earth-watching satellite were launched under international commercial contracts and the rest were light-weight piggy-back payloads. A total of 18 Russian-built spacecraft were launched in 2021, including eight for the International Space Station, ISS, (among them, the long-awaited Nauka and Prichal modules), while four missions delivered military payloads and three carried civilian application satellites. Three small educational satellites built in Russia were also launched. No Russian deep-space or dedicated scientific missions left the ground during the year.

Based on recent launch statistics, there was clear evidence of improved quality control in the Russian launch vehicle fleet, even though the overall record in 2021 wasn't flawless and was accompanied by a continuous trend to curb transparency and free exchange of information between the industry and the outside world.

By all available accounts, one Russian military observation satellite entered orbit without signs of life, but whether it was damaged at launch or suffered an internal fatal problem was impossible to tell due to secrecy. Also, a Proton rocket delivered two Ekspress communications satellites into an out-of-specifications orbit due to misfiring of the Briz-M's upper stage, which, fortunately, did not result in the loss of payloads, but Roskosmos never publicly admitted, let alone explained the issue. Finally, the third test mission (INSIDER CONTENT) of the Angara-5 rocket on December 27 resulted in a failure of the Block DM-03/Persei upper stage, following a seemingly good performance of the rocket's lower stages.

The Ministry of Defense and Roskosmos publicized the Angara's liftoff with North-Korean-style fanfares in the state-controlled media, promising that the latest mission would help the new rocket family enter the international market and "...give the Russian defense ministry a capability to deliver satellites of any mass to any distance from Earth, making Russia the only space power capable of launching objects with the mass of 20, 25 and even 30 tons to a distance of more than 40,000 kilometers from Earth..." The same media, as well as official channels, then remained silent for days about the results of the launch that had left the upper stage and its simulated cargo on a path to an uncontrolled reentry. As of December 30, Russian authorities had made no statements on the status of the stranded Persei space tug.

In a subsequent summary of activities for the year, Roskosmos resorted to the use of clever language in an attempt to gas-light the public and to skew overall launch statistics. The state corporation claimed 25 successful "_pusk_s" during the year and 76 accident-free "starts" in a row. Using such terms, which technically mean "liftoff" rather than "launch," Roskosmos apparently tried to limit the technical definition of a success essentially to the rocket's clearing the launch pad or entering an initial orbit, without regard for the fate of its cargo or its destination. Ironically, in the same report, Roskosmos went on to contrast its "record" with launch failures in other countries, particularly, in China and in the United States, even though these space powers consistently doubled Russian launch rates in recent years, launched far more domestically built satellites on missions that Roskosmos could not even dream of, while their failures were mostly associated with the introduction of new-generation launch systems by a new crop of privately funded industrial players, the likes of which were barely on the horizon in Russia.

In the meantime, even a passing scan of headlines in increasingly self-censored Russian media still revealed that the nation's space program and the overall high-tech industry in the country continued struggling with brain drain, corruption, low efficiency and international isolation, while the effort to modernize the production and testing infrastructure and increase self-reliance of the Russian space sector was ongoing...

The world's orbital launch attempts in 2021 (as ofJanuary 20, 2024 ):

*Failed launch;

**Delivery into an out-of-specification orbit.

The 2021 space launch score card (as ofJanuary 20, 2024 ):

*Failed launch;

**Delivery into an out-of-specification orbit.

For missions in 2022 click here

This page is compiled by Anatoly Zak; Last update:January 20, 2024

Editor: Alain Chabot; Last edit: December 30, 2021

All rights reserved

Soyuz-2-1a rocket lifts off with the Progress MS-16 cargo ship on Feb. 15, 2021. Click to enlarge. Credit: Roskosmos

Soyuz-2-1b with Arktika-M1 satellite lifts off on Feb. 28, 2021. Click to enlarge. Credit: Roskosmos

Soyuz-2-1a lifts off from Baikonur on March 22, 2021, with CAS-500-1 and 38 secondary payloads. Click to enlarge. Credit: Roskosmos

Soyuz MS-18 lifts off on April 9, 2021. Click to enlarge. Credit: Roskosmos

The FGB-2/MLM module for the Russian segment of the International Space Station, ISS. Copyright © 2001 Anatoly Zak

A Proton rocket with the MLM nauka module shortly after arriving at the launch pad on July 17, 2021. Click to enlarge. Credit: Roskosmos

A Soyuz-2-1b rocket shortly after arrival at Pad No. 6 at Site 31 in Baikonur on August 16, 2021, for the ninth launch into the OneWeb constellation. Click to enlarge. Credit: Roskosmos

Soyuz-2-1b lifts off from Baikonur with 34 OneWeb satellites on August 22, 2021. Click to enlarge. Credit: Roskosmos

As of August 2020, the launch of the UM Prichal module was planned for September 6, 2021. Click to enlarge. Credit: RKK Energia

Proton lifts off with a pair of Ekspress satellites on Dec. 13, 2021. Click to enlarge. Credit: Roskosmos

The third Angara-5 rocket on the launch pad before its launch on December 27. Click to enlarge. Credit: Roskosmos