Russia sold to France a record bunch of space rockets 11/19/11 17:24 Economy Head o

Head of Russian Federal Space Agency Vladimir Popovkin said that cooperation between Russia and France in the preparation and launching "Soyuz" from French Kourou space-vehicle launching site proved so successful that the French side had signed with Russia a contract to build 21 "Soyuz" rocket.

The deal would provide jobs to manufacturers for the next 5 years. The rockets will be used for launches from Kourou. V. Popovkin refused to disclose the transaction value, but it’s not hard to estimate it.

Federal Space Program says that a "Soyuz 2.1b" carrier rocket (Russia sold almost the same rocket to France) costs 1 billion 90 million rubles in 2012 prices. "Fregat" upper stage amounts to 353.2 million rubles.

If we assume that manufacturers sell to the Europeans these units at a price a little more expensive than to the Russian Space Agency, it turns out that Russia will
get at least 1.5 billion rubles for a 1 launching unit.

Estimated total value of the contract - 32 billion rubles. This is the largest export contract for the supply of Russian space technology in its history.

In parallel, Mr. Popvkin says, Russian and French experts will develop the carrier rocket of new generation, which should replace the "Soyuz" within the project "Ural",

The parties also agreed on joint construction of a new type of satellites at a the plant in Zheleznogorsk . This is a joint venture, based on the Zheleznogorsk plant to begin design and construction of new satellites. Satellites are used for various purposes not only for Russian needs, but will be exported.

 

ELS (French: l'Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz) is located on the territory of Sinnamary commune, 27 km (17 mi) from Kourou harbor. It is 10 km (6.2 mi) north of the site used for the Ariane 5 launches. Under the terms of the Russo-European joint venture, ESA will augment its own launch vehicle fleet with Soyuz rockets—using them to launch ESA or commercial payloads—and the Russians will get access to the Kourou spaceport for launching their own payloads with Soyuz rockets. Russia will use the Guiana Space Centre in addition to Baikonur Cosmodrome. The Guiana location has the significant benefit of greatly increased payload capability, owing to the near equatorial position. A Soyuz rocket with a 1.7 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) performance from Baikonur, will increase its payload potential to 2.8 tonnes from the Guiana launch site.

 

I wonder why Frenchmen didn't apply for help to the most 'advanced technological states' like Britain and Poland?