MOSCOW — Izwe laseRussia ngeke lithumele izivakashi esiteshini samazwe ngamazwe ngemuva kwalo nyaka ngenxa yezinhlelo zokuphinda kabili inani labasebenzi balesi siteshi, kusho isikhulu sesikhungo sasemkhathini eRussia engxoxweni eshicilelwe ngoLwesithathu.
Isikhulu seRoscosmos u-Anatoly Anatoly Perminov utshele iphephandaba likahulumeni iRossiiskaya Gazeta ukuthi umklami wesoftware waseMelika uCharles Simonyi - osevele endizele esiteshini - uzoba isivakashi sokugcina lapho eqhuma eBaikonur cosmodrome ngoMashi.
Uhlelo lwezokuvakasha lwasemkhathini lwase-Russia olunenzuzo seluqhubekisele phambili "abahlanganyeli bendiza yangasese" abayisithupha kusukela ngo-2001. Abahlanganyeli bakhokhele izigidi ezingu-20 zamaRandi nangaphezulu ngezindiza ezigibela imisebenzi yezandla ye-Soyuz eyakhiwe eRussia ehwetshwe yi-US-based Space Adventures Ltd.
“Abasebenzi basesiteshini sasemkhathini, njengoba nazi, bazonwetshwa kulo nyaka babe ngamalungu ayisithupha. Ngakho-ke ngeke kube khona ithuba lokwenza izindiza zezivakashi eziya esiteshini ngemuva kuka-2009,” kusho uPerminov engxoxweni efakwe kusizindalwazi sikaRoscosmos.
I-Russian Soyuz kanye ne-Progress craft ibe yingxenye ebalulekile yokugcina nokunwetshwa kwesiteshi esingu-$100 billion - ikakhulukazi ngemva kwenhlekelele yango-2003 Columbia, lapho umkhumbi wonke wase-US wamiswa.
Isikhungo sasemkhathini saseMelika, iNASA, sizothembela kakhulu kubantu baseRussia ngemuva kuka-2010 lapho umkhumbi-mkhathi wase-US usumisiwe unomphela, okushiya osomkhathi begibela imikhumbi-mkhathi yaseRussia kuze kutholakale umkhumbi omusha weNASA, ngo-2015.
Nakuba uxhaso lukahulumeni lwenyukile ngesikhathi sokukhula komnotho wezwe okugqugquzelwa uwoyela kule minyaka eyishumi edlule, isikhungo sasemkhathini saseRussia sasiboshelwe ukuthola imali ngesikhathi esiningi somlando waseRussia wangemva kweSoviet. Kwakuyingqalabutho ebhizinisini ukuvula uhambo oluya emkhathini kubavakashi. Eminyakeni yakamuva, izinkampani ezimbalwa ezizimele - okuhlanganisa i-Space Adventures - zigijimele ukwakha umsebenzi osebenzayo ukuze ziqhube ukuvakasha kwangasese nokunye ukuzidela komkhathi.
Umkhiqizi wamarokhethi waseCalifornia i-Xcor Aerospace ngenyanga edlule umemezele ukuthi owesilisa waseDenmark uzoba ngowokuqala ukugibela umkhumbi wamarokhethi oxhaswe ngasese, onezihlalo ezimbili. Izikhulu zenkampani zithe amathikithi abethengiswa ngo-$95,000 lilinye kanti kubekelwe izindiza ezingama-20.
Imbangi enkulu ye-Xcor yakha i-SpaceShipTwo, isikebhe esinezihlalo eziyisishiyagalombili esizothatha abagibeli amamayela angu-62 ngaphezu komhlaba ngama-$200,000 lilinye.
Isakhamuzi sakamuva esizimele esigibele umkhumbi we-Soyuz, umklami wegeyimu yekhompyutha u-Richard Garriott, ukhokhe imali eyizigidi ezingu-35 zamaRandi ngesihlalo sakhe.
Ngonyaka odlule, njengoba iRoscosmos yabonisa ukuthi izinsuku zokuvakasha emkhathini kumkhumbi waseRussia zingase zibalwe, i-Space Adventures yamemezela ukuthi izofuna ukuqashisa yonke indiza yasemkhathini, yona ngokwayo. Isikhungo saseRussia sisazoqhuba umkhankaso, kodwa i-Space Adventures izokhokhela uhambo futhi ithenge owayo umkhumbi-mkhathi we-Soyuz.
Akukacaci ukuthi ngabe leso sivumelwano sisazoqhubeka kanjani noma ngabe kubhekwa inhlolokhono kaPerminov.
Umkhulumeli wesikhungo saseRussia akatholakalanga ukuthi aphawule ngemuva kwamahora ngoLwesithathu. Umlayezo oshiyelwe omele i-Space Adventures awuzange ubuyiselwe ngokushesha.
