Oleg Ostapenko, the commander of the Russian space forces, hinted last week that Russia could begin work on a spacecraft similar in performance to the American X-37B reusable unmanned aerial vehicle. This spacecraft was successfully tested by the Americans in April last year. The launch took place on April 22 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base. Then he caused a certain alarm, surprise, and perhaps even fear among Russian space specialists.
Speaking to reporters last week, Lieutenant General Oleg Ostapenko said that we are developing something in this direction, but only time will tell whether we will use these developments. Meanwhile, the American X-37B spacecraft spent 7 months in orbit, performing secret research, after which in December 2010 it returned safely to earth. At its core, the Kh-37B is a remotely controlled aircraft similar in appearance to a space shuttle, but significantly reduced. Most likely, the main sphere of application of this spacecraft is the military sphere.
Many articles in the domestic press telling about this aircraft were filled with fear. In particular, the journalists asked themselves quite not idle questions: will this ship pose a threat to the national security of the country, will the X-37V threaten the Russian satellite constellation, and whether it is possible to install elements of space antimissile defense from it.
Vladimir Shcherbakov, an expert at Vzlyot, Russia's leading aerospace magazine, believes that initially such a device could have been developed to destroy the satellites of a potential enemy. In fact, the X-37V is an analogue of a space fighter. With such a weapon, the attacker can disable many, if not all, of the enemy's satellites, which provide intelligence, navigation and communications, which will immediately render him helpless and possibly lead to panic. Therefore, it is extremely important to know what this spacecraft is intended for and against whom it is directed, at present we do not have a clear answer to this question, the Americans only notified the world that they were developing new technologies.
Vladimir Shcherbakov believes that with a high degree of probability, Russia is working on the creation of its own spacecraft similar to the American one. Belief in this is also due to the fact that the Kremlin is paying more and more attention to the space program, considering it to be key in strengthening Russia's international image and prestige, which has resulted in the injection of more money into the once “dying” space industry.
Unmanned aerial vehicle (reusable) X-37B
At one time, the mighty Soviet space program essentially collapsed in the 1990s. Its only remaining major project currently operates as a "space taxi", delivering cargo and astronauts to the ISS (International Space Station). At one time, the USSR built its own space shuttle "Buran", which was similar to the same type of American reusable ships, but it was tested only twice, before the program was curtailed in 1993. Nowadays, the preserved copy of "Buran" acts as a children's attraction, which is installed in Moscow "Gorky Park" on the banks of the Moscow River.
True, with the increase in funding for space programs, Russian scientists are bringing the industry back to life. In particular, nuclear-powered spacecraft are being developed that could deliver astronauts to Mars, as well as a nuclear-powered space nacelle similar to the old computer game PacMan, which can absorb space debris and possibly act as a shield for the Earth from asteroids.
The development of a space plane in our country may also be useful for servicing the deployed GLONASS satellite system, which is a kind of response to the American GPS satellite navigation system. It is planned to bring the space constellation to its full strength and ensure the operation of the system covering the entire globe this year.
Independent space expert Andrei Ionin believes that Oleg Ostapenko's allusion to the emergence of the Russian version of the X-37B is difficult to take unambiguously. If one proceeds from the logic that our space programs with the United States have been developing in parallel to each other all their lives, this is not excluded. But at the same time, some demonstrations should take place, official statements should be made, while there are only Ostapenko's comments, which may turn out to be just ordinary PR.
