Russia plans test flight of new spacecraft, 2023
The first test launch of Russia’s new generation Oryol (Eagle) spacecraft is slated for August or September 2023, head of the state space corporation Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, said on Monday.
Oryol is intended to be capable of carrying crews of four into Earth orbit and beyond on missions of up to 30 days. If docked with a space station, it could stay in space up to a year, which is double the duration of the Soyuz spacecraft.
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“The spaceship will be sent into space using the heavy-lift Angara-A5 carrier rocket,’’ Rogozin said at a news conference at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far Eastern region of Amur.
He also examined the construction site of the launch complex for the Angara-A5 rocket and instructed that the facility be completed by the end of 2022.
The development of the Oryol spacecraft, formerly named Federatsiya (Federation), has been ongoing for 10 years.
The first unmanned test launch of the ship was initially planned for 2015 and the first manned flight for 2018. However, the dates have been changed several times.
Russia plans to test the Oryol spacecraft, including crewed flights to the International Space Station, before landing astronauts on the moon using the vehicle.
(Xinhua/NAN)
