last week, the two projects would inevitably compete for the docking ports on the ISS, as well as for the station's resources and, ultimately, for the potential clients.
The Russian industrial centers, which today are comprised of RKK Energia and Khrunichev, have been bitter rivals since the dawn of the Space Age, competing for a leading role in the Russian space program and hefty government investments that come with it.
During the last decade, this rivalry took on an international flavor, as RKK Energia and Khrunichev looked for partners around the globe. Khrunichev is the builder of the Proton rocket, while RKK Energia designs and manufactures Soyuz and Progress transport spacecraft.
Spacehab officials would not immediately comment on the Boeing-Khrunichev initiative, however a source within the space industry quoted a 19th-century proverb, saying that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
Boeing officials were also not available for comment.
Unlike RKK Energia's Enterprise module, which is conceived specifically for commercial activities and which has to be built from scratch, Khrunichev already has the hardware to be "recycled" for the new purpose.
Under a previous contract with Boeing, Khrunichev built the Zarya control module for the ISS, along with a backup spacecraft in case Zarya was lost in a launch mishap. After Zarya successfully reached orbit in November 1998 as the first element of the ISS, Khrunichev struggled to find a new role for the all-but-ready sibling of Zarya. One proposal called for using the module as a heavy cargo ship to deliver supplies to the ISS. Critics called the idea too expensive and inflexible, compared to RKK Energia's smaller Progress cargo ship currently used to resupply the station.
Boeing's official announcement on Thursday stated that the CSM will be "used to deliver propellant and cargo to the ISS." The Boeing news release also said, "when docked to the station, [the module] can provide in-orbit storage, interim crew quarters, accommodations for multimedia, scientific and communications equipment, and waste management capabilities."
Boeing announced that the module could be in orbit "as early as mid 2002," precisely the time when Spacehab and RKK Energia planned to dock the Enterprise to the ISS.
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