Russia has become a monopolist in the delivery

The final shuttle launch shuttle Atlantis, which successfully held the evening of July 8, marked the end of the thirty-year history of the program NASA Space Shuttle. After Atlantis lands for the last time, he and his brothers will take pride of place in the museum. A delivery of astronauts in orbit will fall exclusively on the shoulders of Russian "Soyuz».
Over the next five years for Russia entrenched monopoly on the delivery of the person in space, since the end of the use of US space shuttle program alternatives "union" will not. The US space agency (NASA) hopes to change this situation by 2016 - this should be enough time to design, test and manufacture a new generation of spacecraft. In order to reduce costs and speed up development of vehicles NASA plans to attract private companies, among which are today the greatest successes demonstrate SpaceX and Virgin Galactic.
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Economic issues in the program delivery person in space is very serious. And the rate on the use of shuttles has played into the hands of the United States are not: the direct costs of the Space Shuttle program totaled more than $ 200 billion, while the Russian space program costs about $ 2 billion a year.

While US and European space agencies are working to create their own vehicles to deliver astronauts to orbit, Roscosmos, despite dissatisfaction with foreign partners, is planning another increase in the price of room for foreign "passengers" on board "Soyuz". Since then, President George W. Bush. announced the end of the space shuttle program in 2004, Roskosmos has raised the price of delivery of astronauts to the space station eight times. According to the latest contracts, one seat to the "Union" will cost NASA $ 63 million in 2016 - 175% more than in 2005, according to a recent audit of the agency.



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