Russia reveals details about Soyuz successor
Posted: Wed, Dec 1, 2004, 8:13 AM ET (1313 GMT)
A Russian company has revealed new details about a spacecraft it hopes will succeed the venerable Soyuz spacecraft in carrying crews to the International Space Station. Officials with RSC Energia showed off a full-scale mockup of the proposed Kliper, or Clipper, spacecraft during a press conference at its headquarters outside Moscow. The six-person reusable spacecraft is designed to launch atop a Zenit launch vehicle, operate in orbit on its own for up to 15 days, and remain docked to the ISS for up to a full year, twice as long as the Soyuz. The landing mode for the spacecraft has yet to be determined: engineers are studying both winged versions that land on a runway as well as parachute landings on land or water. While Energia officials believe they can develop the Kliper for one-tenth the cost of NASA's new Crew Exploration Vehicle, that may still require significant extra funding for the Russian space program. If fully-funded the vehicle would be ready for test flights in 2010. Russia may partner with Europe or another country to speed development, Energia officials said.
A Russian company has revealed new details about a spacecraft it hopes will succeed the venerable Soyuz spacecraft in carrying crews to the International Space Station. Officials with RSC Energia showed off a full-scale mockup of the proposed Kliper, or Clipper, spacecraft during a press conference at its headquarters outside Moscow. The six-person reusable spacecraft is designed to launch atop a Zenit launch vehicle, operate in orbit on its own for up to 15 days, and remain docked to the ISS for up to a full year, twice as long as the Soyuz. The landing mode for the spacecraft has yet to be determined: engineers are studying both winged versions that land on a runway as well as parachute landings on land or water. While Energia officials believe they can develop the Kliper for one-tenth the cost of NASA's new Crew Exploration Vehicle, that may still require significant extra funding for the Russian space program. If fully-funded the vehicle would be ready for test flights in 2010. Russia may partner with Europe or another country to speed development, Energia officials said.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, July 26
Arianespace to launch weather satellite MTG-I2 on Ariane 6's first mission to geostationary orbit on August 27, 2026
Arianespace — 8:26 am ET (1226 GMT) How stars die: Astronomers detect magnetic fingerprint of a cosmic explosion for the first time
Univ. of Arizona — 8:25 am ET (1225 GMT) Voyager Wins Contract with Sandia National Laboratories
Voyager Space — 8:24 am ET (1224 GMT) Emergency Injunction Sought to Protect Texas Wildlife Refuge From SpaceX
Center for Biological Diversity — 8:23 am ET (1223 GMT) QuantX Labs Announces Successful In-Orbit Commissioning of World's First Optical Frequency Comb
QuantX — 8:22 am ET (1222 GMT) |
