The director of the Russian Space Agency (roscosmos), Dmitry Rogozintoday lamented on his Twitter account that his Swedish counterpart has decided not to rely on Russia to send his next satellite, the CARPET. All this happened in the context of the invasion of ukraineafter announcing himself the withdrawal of his country from several international space projects, it is therefore curious that he feels offended by the decision of Sweden.
For their part, from the Scandinavian country, they have not made official statements in this regard. The director of the Swedish Space Agency, Anna Ratmanhe explained in statements on March 8 collected by SpaceNews that they were looking for other options outside of Russia. It’s a logical quest, after a UK satellite operated by OneWeb was blocked by Roscosmos’ strict conditions. Furthermore, the European Space Agency (ESA) sees the launch of the ExoMars mission by the end of this year if the situation does not change.
ESA, NASA and other international companies are looking alternatives to Russian cooperation. This includes the launch of launchers that make it possible to do without Soyuz rockets, as well as engines for their impulse. In addition, it might be necessary to change launch sites, since many missions had to depart from ports operated by Roscosmos.
What do we know about the MATS satellite?
the Satellite MATS (Airglow/aerosol mesospheric tomography and spectroscopy) is designed to study atmospheric waves by analyzing the variation of light emitted by oxygen molecules at 100 km. In addition, he will study the structures of the highest clouds in our atmosphere, the so-called noctilescent clouds.
Through all these images, the scientists of the Swedish Space Agency They plan to do the world’s first map of atmospheric wave properties in all spatial dimensions. But for that, you first have to send the satellite into space.
The launch of the satellite was scheduled for the end of 2022, from a cosmodrome located in Siberia.
Its launch was originally scheduled for late 2021. However, it suffered some delays which placed the new date at the end of 2022. It is expected to leave the Vostochny Cosmodromelocated in Siberia, as well as a Russian meteorological satellite, both on board a soy rocket.
But the international conflict that erupted after the Russian invasion of Ukraine He turned everything upside down. Perhaps for fear of being left without their only option, Sweden has already started looking for alternatives. And according to Rogozin’s statements, it seems that he found them. Although we’ll have to wait for the Swedish version to get the full story.
The dispute between Russia and Sweden in a single tweet
The tweet from director of the Russian space agency on Sweden’s withdrawal from its agreement with Russia reads as follows:
“Sweden refuses to launch the MATS satellite on the Russian Soyuz-2.1b rocket. MATS was to be launched at the end of 2022 from the Vostochny cosmodrome with a Russian weather satellite. A woman with a car (rocket) is easier for a mare.
Google translation of Dimitri Rogozin’s tweet
Beyond the fact that Russia has already denied the use of Soyuz rockets to several countries and it is logical that other countries try look for alternatives, the saying he uses at the end is striking. Although the literal translation is the one read above, the exact meaning in Spanish would be something like: “It’s easier for the mare when the woman gets out of the car”.
This is a russian proverb which began to be used at a time when peasant couples traveled carts pulled by mares or horses. Usually the man was walking alongside and the woman was on top of the car. However, when they reached very steep or rocky places, the woman often had to descend so that the animals could pull the cart more easily. For this reason, the original meaning of the proverb is said to be that to obtain a greater good one must collaboration of all.
It also has another interpretation which states that if the origin of a conflict out of the center of it, it will be much easier to move on.
In this case, it is unclear whether Rogozin is referring to the more disparaging interpretation or the one that calls for cooperation. It is inevitable to remember that the director of the Swedish Space Agency is a woman. Could it have to do with this? Could he just be referring to the fact that if the woman leaves the rocket, everything will be easier on the future launch from the Siberian cosmodrome? May be. Coming from someone who encouraged NASA scientists to fly on broomsticks, it could be anything.
