On the basis of the promising Orel spacecraft, Russian engineers will create a new spacecraft that will take over the functions of Progress.
According to Vladimir Solovyov, the general designer of Energia, a new device will be created on the basis of the Eagle ship in the future. "We want to make a cargo — returnable ship on the basis of the Eagle, " TASS quotes him as saying.
The ship will replace the Progress ,which is currently delivering cargo to the International Space Station. The latter has a serious drawback: it cannot return a payload from orbit to Earth. The new ship will be a step forward in this sense.
The Orel spacecraft (formerly known as the Federation) is being created as part of the Russian lunar program. It should deliver people and cargo outside of near-Earth orbit, including to the Earth's satellite. The number of the ship's crew is up to six people, the payload weight can be 500 kilograms. It can stay offline for up to 30 days. When performing a mission as part of an orbital station — up to one year.
"Eagle"
Image source: Roscosmos
They want to launch a ship without a crew for the first time in December 2023. In 2024, it should perform another unmanned launch. Finally, in 2025, the ship will go on a flight with people on board.
The "Eagle" was de facto considered as a base for various spacecraft before. Last year , it was reported that the issue of creating a lightweight version of the spacecraft was being worked out. The modification was called "Eaglet". According to the data presented, this option will be five tons lighter than the basic modification. Two crew members will be able to stay on board.
According to some reports, the "Eaglet" began to be created due to a change in the concept of lunar exploration, and to be more precise-due to uncertainty with a superheavy rocket.
Earlier it became known that at the first stage, for manned expeditions to the Moon, it may not be used (as previously planned), but the carrier "Angara", which has a smaller payload capacity. Accordingly, if they choose this option, they will need a lighter ship than the Eagle in the basic configuration.
Anyway, the flight of Russian cosmonauts to the moon is not a matter of the near future. So far, Russia intends to develop the satellite with the help of unmanned vehicles.
They wanted to launch the first of them in the fall, but due to technical problems, the start had to be postponed to the next year. Mid-May is considered as a possible launch date.
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