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MOSCOW, October 6 / TASS /. Russia’s State Space Agency Roscosmos made the right decision to develop a reusable rocket, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Tuesday.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Musk tweeted, commenting on material released by TASS on Monday about Russia’s plans to develop the Amur methane rocket with a reusable first stage.
It’s a step in the right direction, but they really should aim for full reuse by 2026. A bigger rocket would make sense for literal economies of scale as well. The goal should be to minimize the cost per useful ton in orbit or, at best, it will serve a niche market.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 6, 2020
Russia really should be aiming for a fully reusable rocket by 2026 when the first Amur launch is scheduled, Musk emphasized.
“The goal should be to minimize the cost per useful ton in orbit or, at best, it will serve a niche market,” Musk said, responding to a report with a reference to the TASS material where the configuration design was revealed. of the reusable Amur rocket.
A bigger rocket would also make sense for literal economies of scale, Musk added.
Roscosmos and the Progress Rocket and Space Center signed a contract Monday to develop the conceptual design of the Amur-SPG space rocket center for Russia’s first reusable methane gas rocket. The rocket will get a reusable first stage and its launches will take place from the Vostochny spaceport in the Russian Far East.
The cost of labor to create the reusable rocket will not exceed 70 billion rubles (about $ 880 million), while the price of a launch service is stipulated at the $ 22 million level, Roscosmos told TASS.
The reusable rocket is scheduled to take off for the first time along with a payload in 2026. The launch vehicle will be able to orbit up to 12.5 tons of payload.
Roscosmos also plans to develop a larger rocket with a higher lift capacity.
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