posted 05-27-2008 09:29 AM               

Russia and Europe to build new manned spacecraft

Russian and European space agencies are due to discuss the joint development of a manned spacecraft at a Berlin air show taking place May 27 to June 1, the head of Roscosmos said on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) said earlier that it had agreed with the European Space Agency (ESA) to jointly build a manned spacecraft for flights to near-Earth orbits and the Moon.

Anatoly Perminov said further talks would focus on areas of responsibility for the agencies.

"Concerning the joint construction of the system, we have signed the documents, and now we will discuss the issue of dividing responsibilities for developing elements of the new spacecraft," Anatoly Perminov said.

He went on to say that once responsibilities had been settled, funding and commitments at the level of production facilities would be considered in detail.

"ESA head Jean-Jacques Dordain is coming to Berlin. As a separate issue we will consider the creation of a future transportation system. It is very important to us, and we will continue the work right here, at the exhibition," he said.

He said that flight tests of the joint craft were due to start in 2015, with the maiden launch to follow in 2018.

Perminov also said that Russia would be responsible for developing the transport capsule, while Europe would build the service module and engines for the new vehicle. RSC-Energia, a leading Russian spacecraft maker, will be responsible for project integration.

posted 05-28-2008 08:58 AM               

Russian space agency Roskosmos went so far as to announce that the ESA planned a new generation of Euro-Russian ships for manned Moon missions last month... However, for its part the ESA was more reserved, saying that no decision on joint plans with Russia had been made. &mdash The Register

posted 07-23-2008 12:30 PM               

Manned spaceship design unveiled

The first official image of a Russian-European manned spacecraft has been unveiled.

It is designed to replace the Soyuz vehicle currently in use by Russia and will allow Europe to participate directly in crew transportation.

The reusable ship was conceived to carry four people towards the Moon, rivalling the US Ares/Orion system.

Unlike previous crewed vehicles, it will use thrusters to make a soft landing when it returns to Earth.

posted 09-04-2008 03:38 PM               

European and Russian engineers plan to hold a meeting on the joint development of the future manned spacecraft next month. The European aerospace giant EADS Astrium will host the event in Bremen, Germany, from 7th to 9th of October 2008. Representatives of Italian company Alenia and the Russian leader in manned spacecraft development -- RKK Energia -- were expected to attend.

The event will take place on the eve of the crucial conference of the European ministers in November, which traditionally determines the scope and direction of the European space program, committing funds of countries-members of the European Space Agency, ESA, for the next three years.

Despite complex political climate between Russia and EU, European space engineers still hope to receive a blessing from politicians for the joint development of the next-generation manned spacecraft, known as the Advanced Crew Transportation System, ACTS.