New Russian crew spacecraft in 2017

[DocM]

The Russian ACTS / PTK NP (development name) crew spacecrafts engineering test article will be shown this summer at the Gromov Flight Research Institute at Zhukovsky, probably during MAKS 2013 in late August, and the schedule is for it to be test flown in 2017.

RussianSpaceWeb reports the first flights on Zenit or (less likely) Proton since a man-rated Angara (A-7?) launcher won't be ready by then.

ACTS / PTK NP's return module will be a conical capsule with a side wall angle between that of NASA's Orion and SpaceX's Dragon 2, and the preliminary design includes propulsive only, parachute + propulsive touchdown (Soyuz style), emergency parachute only, and parachute water landing. More is good.

Its mission capability would be similar to NASA's Orion; low and high Earth orbit, cislunar space (lunar orbit, L1, L2 etc.) and beyond.

There is a debate in Russia as to the nominal landing mode; propulsive landing would be an advantage at the new Eastern cosmodrome at Vostochny (51? 49? N 128? 15? E) because its planned landing zone is so narrow. The spec has ranged between a CEP (circular error probability) of 2 to 3.5 km for land touchdowns, which would be difficult for current Russian parachute systems - Soyuz runs 20+ km. Propulsive landings would fix that. Water landings in the Pacific gives more of a margin, hence the debate.

Govt. media -

MOSCOW, December 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russian space rocket corporation Energia has completed the technical design of a new manned spacecraft whose flight tests are due to begin in 2017, Energia President Vitaly Lopota said on Wednesday.

?We have completed the technical design project taking into account the fact that the new spaceship is to fly to the Moon, among other places,? he said.

Preliminary artwork and specs -

[Crisp]

What would they need a lander for I wonder... :o

Time to build on the Moon.

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

I'm expecting to see a blue moon tonight in the sky as DocM didn't post a negative piece about Russia's space programme :D

[DocM]

I'm expecting to see a blue moon tonight in the sky as DocM didn't post a negative piece about Russia's space programme :D

When there's something positive I'll post it. Other than successful Soyuz and commsat launches there hasn't been much new to post about. The negative stuff, failed launches, probe & satellites due to quality issues, are acknowledged and decried even in Russian media, so I don't get the implied criticism. Facts are facts. I've hammered NASA too.