Defense Aerospace By Tim Maxwell 5/25/2022
The severe sanctions against Moscow subsequent to the invasion of Ukraine have wreaked havoc among international space programs, in the form of launch disruptions, aborted programs and discontinued cooperations.
First, Western sanctions have scuttled several science missions – including ESA’s €1bn ExoMars and Euclid, DLR’s eROSITA/Spektr-RG, and NASA’s Venera-D– with the notable exception of the International Space Station (ISS) which continues operating as normal.
Several satellite launch programs were also impacted, the most prominent being 1 CSO French military observation, 4 Galileo navigation and 216 OneWeb communication satellites – all planned aboard Soyuz rockets. Indeed, since February 26 Moscow stopped all rocket launches from the European spaceport of Kourou, and repatriated its 90 employees present in French Guiana, putting Arianespace in a delicate commercial position.
The European Space Agency (ESA) officially recognized on March 17 the end of most collaborations with Roscomos. Consequently, OneWeb switched to SpaceX to launch its constellation into orbit. Beyond those immediate ruptures, both the United States and Europe will now have to manage a tricky transition period before their homegrown systems – whether engines, rockets, or equipment – are fully operational.
A limited impact on US launchersIn the US, this transition – although not expected that soon – was anticipated and planned. Notably, the switch from Russian made RD-180 rocket engines – manufactured by the NPO Energomash and used on United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V rockets for Pentagon missions – to BE-4 engines – homemade by Blue Origin to propel its own New Glenn as well as ULA’s new Vulcan rocket – will be accelerated.
While Roscosmos did halt deliveries of the RD-180 engines, ULA said on March 22 it expects Vulcan to fly “sometime this year”.
It’s tougher for Northrop Grumman (NG) and its Antares rocket, which will be used to fly the Cygnus cargo spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). The company is “heavily dependent” on Ukraine input: while the rocket also uses Russian made RD-181 engines, a bigger problem lies within Antares’ entire 1st stage, which is designed by Yuzhnoye and built by Yuzhmash, the two main Ukrainian companies based in Dnipro, in the Eastern region of the country.
NG did not comment on potential Yuzhnoye supply chain disruptions, but the company has previously warned shareholders that “unstable geopolitical conditions, including in Russia and Ukraine,” are among its risks.” Thus, as long as Ukraine is under attack, NG could be forced to perform an extensive redesign and it is unclear how long Antares will live in its current form.
B. European launches on hold1. Ariane: not ready yet…In Europe, the transition will be more dramatic. Ariane 5 is no longer and both Ariane 6 and Vega C on a tightrope, putting Arianespace at odds with some customers. The company will have to deal with this tricky situation without the Soyuz cover, which was considered as “the natural back-up for Ariane 6 or even Vega C”. Some say that this could be an opportunity to the new German small launchers (Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum, Rocket Factory Augsburg’s RFA One, or HyImpulse Technologies’ SL1 rockets)…
More:
https://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/feature/5/218999/%3Ci%3E%28free-access%29%3C%C2%A7i%3E-ukrainian-space-industry-woes-hit-the-west.html
