The U.S may have beaten Russia to the moon, but that doesn’t mean NASA still reigns supreme. In terms of space exploration, the Russians talk a big game and it looks like they plan to back it up. They estimate that by 2029, they will be sending humans to our lunar rock in orbit. With a large cosmodrome being built in Eastern Russia, one can only imagine their intentions.
RUSSIA TO THE MOON IN 2029
The Moon may be old news, but Russia seeks to give it a fresh new look. By 2029, they want to send humans to the Moon. Also, in the far eastern part of their country, the Russians are building a huge, $3 billion cosmodrome. Could this be a new spaceport specifically designed to send and receive spacecraft from lunar orbit? The details haven’t been released but we can rest assure that the Russians have every intent of pursuing their spatial endeavors well into the future.
BIG DREAMS MAY BE CUT SHORT
The Russian space program may be impressive and have some big dreams, but they are running out of time and money. Some of their rockets are dating back to 1960’s and in historical terms, Russia has not had a successful interplanetary mission since 1984. The Vega 2 to Venus remains their biggest accomplishment since then, and frankly, NASA has helped them stay afloat. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev intends to cut funding for the space program by 30%. That leaves them only $20 billion from now until 2025. If they want to follow through with some of these ambitions like Moon colonization, some financing will need to happen.
NASA RELIANT ON RUSSIAN SUCCESS
If NASA wants to get astronauts to the International Space Station, they need to go through Russia. For this reason, it is vital for NASA to remain close with the Russian space agency and perhaps even support some of their goals. The budget for NASA in 2016 alone is $19 billion. They plant to spend that Earth Science and Russian activities. Until The Russian’s can maintain their own operation, it seems their Moon colonization plans need to be put on hold. It seems to look like a team effort between the two agencies from here on out. A cosmic symbiotic relationship of sorts.
