Domestic manufacturers are learning to make spacecraft on their own
The Russian space industry is in crisis due to technological sanctions imposed by the US and the EU. In fact, we are paying for the fact that in previous years we did not preserve and did not develop the production of microelectronics, relying on the purchase of the electronic component base abroad.
Russian satellites consist of imported components for 30–75 percent. The newer and more functional the spacecraft, the more foreign filling it contains. Now our industry is urgently trying to master critical technologies, but it is unlikely that it will be possible to catch up quickly.
Sanction filling
Technological restrictions on the part of the United States began even before the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine. In the spring of 2013, the first refusal to sell equipment for the device of the Ministry of Defense "Geo-IK-2" in quite a long time was noted.
Its purpose is geodetic measurements of high accuracy, determination of the coordinates of the poles, fixation of the movement of lithospheric plates, earth tides, the speed of rotation of the earth. The orbital grouping of the system should consist of two vehicles, the first of which is planned to be launched in May this year from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.
"ISS them. Reshetnev ", the manufacturer of the Geo-IK-2 satellites, bought a complete set for the spacecraft in the spring of 2013. The export of American (including partially, for example, tested or adjusted in the United States) parts for military and dual-use systems is regulated by ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) - a set of rules established by the federal government for the export of defense goods and services.
The supply of electronic components of the military (for use in military systems) and space (radiation-resistant components) categories in the Russian Federation is possible with the permission of the Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Commercial Department (BIS). And just in the case of the Geo-IK-2 apparatus, the “go-ahead” for the purchase of parts was not received, which was explained by the general political background: the cooling of relations between the Russian Federation and the United States was already felt, the scandal with Edward Snowden was raging throughout the world, the situation in Syria, which then almost ended with the intervention of American troops (which was prevented by the position of Russia). In response, Washington made it harder for us to buy parts.
But in 2013, there were still alternative channels and the equipment that could not be obtained in the United States was bought by ISS in Europe.
We can do something ourselves
In exactly the same way, in 2013, the Ministry of Defense sought to resolve the issue with radar satellites. They wanted to order the system from the Franco-German Airbus Defense and Space (ADS). The competition among Russian companies (which, by tradition, would buy a payload from ADS and install it on their satellite platform) was held openly; it was won by the Khimki NPO im. S. A. Lavochkina. The amount of the contract is almost 70 billion rubles. It was about the latest radar system, the capabilities of which allow you to build an accurate 3D model of the Earth, as well as track objects on its surface.
This was followed by the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine and Western sanctions against military personnel. The veto on the sale of military technologies in the Russian Federation was imposed by Angela Merkel herself, according to Bloomberg. Agency sources estimated the contract at $ 973 million. At the beginning of 2015, the Military-Industrial Commission decided that the system would be created by the forces of Russian enterprises. An interdepartmental "road map" was agreed upon. In accordance with the approved draft design, the system should be built on the basis of five spacecraft, the first launch is scheduled for 2019. A key element of the system is an active phased array antenna for an airborne radar station. The technologies for creating AFAR, in principle, have been mastered by Russian manufacturers, but there are gaps in the part of the transceiver module. In accordance with the "roadmap" approved by the military-industrial complex, Ruselectronics is to develop, test and show the transceiver module in operation in the first half of this year.
From what was
Now we have to rely on our own resources when creating GLONASS navigation satellites. This year, the Ministry of Defense is to take the system into normal operation. 75 percent of imported components are just about them, namely about the newest modification, the Glonass K-2 spacecraft.
Now the basis of the GLONASS orbital constellation is made up of the Glonass-M spacecraft; 21 such satellites are used for their intended purpose. Their production has been discontinued, but there are still eight ready-made devices in stock. Also in orbit there are two satellites of the "K" series: "Glonass K-1" and "Glonass K-2". If we look at the Federal Target Program GLONASS for 2012–2020, we will see that by 2020 Roscosmos planned to update the navigation constellation completely, replacing all Glonass-M with more modern K, which have a longer active life (10 years vs. 7), better functionality (the signal is transmitted in more modern ranges and encodings), more precisely a clock. It is gratifying that they are Russian-made.
The atomic clock is the heart of the navigation satellite. Its transmitters emit a signal of the exact time and coordinates of the device at the moment. Having received information from several navigation satellites, a chip in a user device, be it a phone or a navigator, calculates its coordinates. The more accurate the data it receives, the more clearly the location is determined. The devices "Glonass-M" use cesium frequency standards. In the satellites "Glonass-K", along with cesium, rubidium ones are also tested. In the next versions it is planned to test the hydrogen frequency standard. In theory, this watch is the most accurate.
Technical improvements made it possible to hope that by 2020 the satellite fleet from "Glonass-K" will achieve the accuracy of determining coordinates at the level of 0.5 meters - these are the targets set out in the Federal Target Program GLONASS. But technological sanctions have made their own adjustments. The lack of a stable purchase of high-quality equipment led to the fact that last January the scientific and technical council of Russian Space Systems (the head organization of Roskosmos for instrumentation) determined that the onboard equipment of the new-generation serial satellite Glonass-K should be redesigned. That is, not to strive to repeat on our own the "K-2", made on imported components, but to create a filling for a promising device, focused on domestic electronic components and new circuitry.
It is not known how long it will take to design and put into production the domestic Glonass satellite. The problem is that not everything here depends on Roskosmos - the state corporation Rostec is now mainly responsible for the creation of the ECB, namely its daughter, the Ruselectronics concern, which unites 112 enterprises, research institutes and design bureaus.
So far, Glonass-K will be assembled from what is available and what can be acquired in one way or another abroad. Roskosmos concluded with ISS im. Reshetnev "contract for the manufacture of 11 new generation satellites: nine" Glonass K-1 "and two" Glonass K-2 ". The volume of the contract is 62 billion rubles, and the ISS does not hide the fact that each device will be assembled piece by piece and each time make its design documentation. That is, what they manage to buy is what they will do from that.
The troubles of piece demand
In 2014, Russian space technology manufacturers had hope in China, which over the past decades has managed to create its own microelectronics. He himself gave this hope. In August 2014, the vice-president of the Chinese state industrial corporation "Great Wall" Zhao Chunchao said at a seminar in Moscow: “Now we are working to determine the list of products of interest to the Russian side. Until that moment, the state control over the export of electronic components was very strict. Now a mechanism is being created that will make all Chinese space electronic components absolutely accessible to the Russian industry."
But the hope for the Celestial Empire quickly faded away. Test samples delivered to ISS and Lavochkin did not pass the tests.
There are only two ways out of the crisis situation: to wait for the early lifting of sanctions or to recreate the microelectronic industry.
Some steps are already being taken. So, in 2015, the development strategy of the Ruselectronics holding was adopted. It is planned that by 2019, 80 percent of the electronic component base of the satellite payload will be domestically produced. To this end, the total investment in the Ruselectronics holding in the next five years will amount to more than 210 billion rubles. The modernization of industrial sites where EEE for outer space is produced is envisaged. The only embarrassing thing is that in our previous years efforts were made to create microelectronics production facilities. But in fact, all the announced large projects are being implemented with enormous difficulties. Angstrem-T has not yet launched the production of microcircuits on equipment purchased from AMD in 2008 on a loan from VEB. The ambitious Angstrem Plus project, which provides for the creation in Zelenograd of the production of radiation-resistant electronic components for spacecraft and military products, stalled in 2013 due to shareholder disagreements. Moreover, back in 2010, the Ministry of Industry and Trade provided for the "Angstrem Plus" project budget financing in the amount of 50 percent of its estimated cost in the Federal Target Program "Development of the electronic component base and radio electronics". In 2011, the government-initiated project to create a radiation-resistant EEE at Russian Space Systems (partially revived in 2015) stalled. As the practice of previous years has shown, in the case of the production of electronic components, even targeted budget support does not help much. On the whole, the reason is clear: neither the state nor private business can provide the demand for electronic components in such a volume as to launch serious production for this. Roscosmos enterprises will buy dozens, perhaps hundreds of microcircuits, the development of which could cost billions of rubles, and there is no one else to offer them.
Pale prospects
In the described conditions, one cannot count on a quick update of the constellation of Russian satellites. However, 2015 was not so bad for the military: the Ministry of Defense received eight new spacecraft, which became a record figure in recent years. Although it is clear that the equipment was purchased mainly before the introduction of sanctions.
In 2015, three Rodnik-S communication satellites, three optical reconnaissance vehicles (Bars-M, Cobalt-M, Persona), a spacecraft of the Tundra detection system and a Harpoon repeater were launched into orbit. True, half of these devices are frankly outdated - "Rodnik" and "Cobalt" are to a large extent a legacy of the Soviet era.
An interesting promising spacecraft "Kanopus-ST", unfortunately, was lost due to an abnormal launch in December last year. It was equipped with submerged submarine detection equipment. The main instrument of this apparatus was a radiometer, in this case it is a radar with a wavelength that allows you to see through layers of water. The target device was made by the Scientific and Technical Center "Cosmonit", which is part of the RKS.
But for 2016-2017, the military has very modest plans. In February, the Ministry of Defense published a schedule of launches of military satellites on the website for public procurement of insurance services. It shows that by the end of 2017, the department plans to carry out only six launches. Two will be on Proton, that is, most likely in geostationary orbit, where communication and relay devices are usually located. Three launches will be carried out with Soyuz 2.1b missiles. Most likely, these are optical reconnaissance and cartography devices. On March 24, Soyuz successfully launched the second satellite of the Bars-M system into orbit. One launch is planned by the Soyuz 2.1.v carrier of a light class, which may indicate plans to withdraw a bundle of LEO spacecraft.
