The Russian super-heavy Yenisei launch vehicle will be cheaper than a similar US development called the Space Launch System (SLS). Dmitry Rogozin, head of the state corporation Roscosmos, wrote about this on his Twitter page.
“Our “superheavy” will cost much less than the American SLS, but already now we need to lay down solutions that will make the “Yenisei” even more competitive,” Mr. Rogozin said in a message.
In addition, the head of Roscosmos agreed with the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, who recently stated that the price of each launch of the SLS heavy rocket, which is being developed by Boeing engineers and is intended to transport astronauts to the moon, is too high. Dmitry Rogozin believes that such expenses will become very tangible even for the powerful US economy.
Recall that in March 2018, the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation received an order from Roskosmos to create a draft design of a superheavy class rocket system. According to data published on the public procurement website, the contract price is 1,6 billion rubles. Earlier it became known that the new domestic superheavy launch vehicle "Yenisei" will be assembled according to the principle of a technological designer. This means that each component of the rocket will be an independent product. In accordance with the Federal Target Program, the first launch of the Yenisei launch vehicle should be carried out in 2028.
As for the American SLS, in accordance with the statement of the head of NASA agency Jim Bridenstine, only one launch of the SLS launch vehicle will cost $1,6 billion. If NASA concludes an agreement with Boeing for a series of launches, the cost of each of them will be halved.
Source: 3dnews.ru