Tue, Feb 24, 2004
Soyuz To Give Way To Clipper By 2010
Russia is developing a
manned space shuttle of a radically new design capable of carrying
six cosmonauts, claims a high-ranking Russian space official. Boris
Sotnikov, a deputy head of the Energia space corporation's R&D
center, says the new spacecraft may replace Russia's current Soyuz
space vehicles in 2010.
"The new spacecraft, tentatively called Clipper, is designed to
take crews and cargoes to orbital stations and, should the need
arise, ensure emergency evacuation of cosmonauts and equipment back
to Earth," he said. According to Sotnikov, Clippers will be used
for self-contained orbital flights lasting up to 10 days and will
also serve as a base for various scientific experiments. In
addition, the new spacecraft will have a capacity to carry as many
as four "space tourists", three more than the Soyuz is able to
haul.
The six-member crew of the new space shuttle will consist of two
pilots and four cosmonauts (or passengers). In addition, the
Clipper will be able to carry a cargo of up to 700 kg. The lift-off
mass of the 10-meter-long shuttle will be 14.5 tons. Clippers will
be launched into orbit by Russia's Onega carrier rocket, a
radically upgraded version of the Soyuz launch vehicle. Energia
plans to launch the new space shuttle from all Russian space
centers -- from Baikonur and Plesetsk -- using existing Soyuz
launch facilities.
If the joint EU-Russian project of utilizing the Kourou space
center facilities develops successfully, Clippers will be able to
lift off from the Russian launch site currently under construction
on the equatorial space center located in Kourou in French
Guiana.
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