News Deep Space Gateway - International Orbital Moon Station

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

An American/Russian collusion of the positive kind.

Both countries agreed to create an orbital lunar station that will allow better exploration of deep space and be a spring board for Mars.
It‘s planned to be permanently manned similar to ISS.

https://futurism.com/russia-announc...nasa-to-build-first-lunar-space-station-ever/

Something tells me the project leader who came up with the name is a Niner!

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Do the Russians have a manned vehicle that can reach such a station? They've always been confined to Earth orbit apart from the disasterous attempts with the N1 to reach the Moon. I guess they'll use an adapted Soyuz MS in combination with one of the Angara configurations.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Soyuz with a Fregat bolted to its ass would probably have enough Delta-V to make the trip. Can they fit four days worth of supplies on board? Maybe, with a two-man crew.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I believe the Delta-V figures for both GEO and low Moon orbit are both just over 13300 m/s when chemical rockets, the Oberth effect at periapsis and Hohmann transfer orbits are used -- that's 3900 m/s more than LEO. I expect a similar figure applies to rendezvousing with this station. Perhaps an upgraded Fregat would allow for a full 3-man complement plus supplies.