MOSCOW, January 31It is possible to create a reusable winged spaceplane, the project of which was presented at RSC Energia, but there are doubts about its necessity, said the head of the Russian Institute of Space Policy, Ivan Moiseev.
Earlier, the general designer of RSC Energia, Vladimir Solovyov, presented a project for a spaceplane that would be able to deliver cosmonauts to the future Russian orbital station. According to him, the device will be able to accommodate up to four people, and its launch into orbit will be carried out using an Angara medium-class launch vehicle. The project materials note that the spaceplane will reduce Roscosmos' production costs due to its reusable use.
«This is a continuation of old attempts. Technically, it is completely real. The American X-37b and a similar Chinese spaceplane are flying, only unmanned, “We have reached the mock-up stage of the Clipper development,” said Moiseev
At the same time, the expert noted that he “does not see the need to create such a comic apparatus.” “There is a fairly large supply of Soyuz rockets; we can continue to fly. According to plans, the transition to Orel is taking place, and adding a winged vehicle will not provide much savings, and the development cost is very high,” the expert explained.
The model of the reusable spacecraft «Clipper», designed at RSC Energia, was presented at the International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS in 2005. The ship was designed for a crew of six people. It was stated that he would be able to fly around the Earth, to an orbital station, as well as fly to the Moon and return to Earth. In 2006, the project was stopped. Since 2009, Energia has been developing the Orel manned spacecraft.
Свежие комментарии