Mon, Jul 18, 2005
New Mini-Shuttle Planned
Space enthusiasts in
Russia were encouraged late last week as the Cabinet gave
preliminary approval to a 10-year space exploration program. The
program provides for 305 billion rubles ($10.7 billion) to be spent
on civil space projects from 2006 to 2015. That's less than the
US space budget for one year.
The plan prioritizes the development and deployment of
telecommunications and other satellites as well as the Glonass
navigation system, according to the Federal Space Agency. The
program also stresses the development of the Angara family of
rockets and modifications of the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle.
Russia has not had a functioning weather satellite for months,
and some of the country's television broadcasting satellites are
past due for replacement.
Another priority of the program is the development of a new
passenger spacecraft, such as the six-seat Klipper, to replace the
current three-seat Soyuz-TMA. Clipper will be substantially smaller
and cheaper than both the U.S. shuttle and the first Soviet
shuttle, Buran, which made a single space flight in the 1980s
before the program was cancelled.
Clipper will sit on the top of a rocket booster instead of the
side as the US Shuttles. It will glide back to Earth as an aircraft
and will be able to use regular airfields.
Russian space agency director Anatoly Perminov said Russia will
build the reusable spacecraft with other countries. Russian space
corporation Energiya has already build a full-scale mockup model of
Clipper that was on display at the Paris Air Show.
The 10-year program should enable Russia to meet its
international space station obligations if fully funded, said
Russian space agency director Anatoly Perminov.
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