Mikhail Kotov — about the promising spacecraft of the Russian Federation
At the end of October, Roscosmos showed photos from the production of RSC Energia, where the head of the state Corporation for Space Activities, Yuri Borisov, held a meeting on the creation of the Russian Orbital Station (ROS). However, it was the photographs of the layout of the promising Russian spacecraft "Eagle" that attracted special attention.
The "Union" to replace
Currently, the Soyuz spacecraft is used for flights to the International Space Station (ISS). Despite its age, it still remains the most suitable means of delivering astronauts to and from orbit. The ship has undergone more than six upgrades, has become "digital" and has repeatedly managed to prove its reliability. However, there are several disadvantages that cannot be corrected only by (albeit significant) adjustments.
One of the most important is the insufficient internal volume of the lander. Astronauts are located as close to each other as possible, and this is inconvenient during long flights or, say, when landing on water. In the latter scenario, in a relatively small space, it is necessary to remove spacesuits and put on special wetsuits. Just imagine that you need to do it together in the cabin of a Mini Cooper, without using the back seat.
The Soyuz spacecraft was once designed for the R-7 medium-class rocket, and therefore has a diameter of 2.25 m. PTK NP (a promising new generation transport ship, the first name of the Eagle), which traces its history back to 2009, was created for a heavy rocket and has a diameter of 4.4 m (Crew Dragon — 4 m, Boeing CST-100 Starliner — 4.5 m). It is designed for four crew members.
The second drawback of the Soyuz in modern conditions, which should be solved by the Orel PTK, is the ship's one—time use. The new ship is being built reusable (as well as American ones from Boeing and SpaceX).
For various reasons, the ship has been in development for 15 years. On the one hand, it's been a long time, on the other hand, it's worth looking at the world experience. The CST-100, which delivered astronauts aboard the ISS in June, but failed to bring them back due to serious technical problems, has also been created for 14 years (it still cannot be said that the device is finished, and I do not consider it finished). Also, the American-European Orion is still being finalized, although it flew into space, but has not yet made a single manned launch. It has been under construction since 2006 and will soon be able to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
What the photos showed
It is important to note that the photos show exactly the layouts that will be used for testing static tests. You can consider the engine compartment and the frontal shield, one of the three fairing flaps. The layout for vibration tests of the returned device looks more "assembled". In fact, the layout will be a full-fledged ship on which complex assembly sites will be tested. Its main task is to check how the ship will withstand takeoff and vibrations of the launch vehicle engines.
The ship "Eagle" will consist of two main parts — the return vehicle and the engine compartment. It is the returned device that will be reused. Crew Dragon and Boeing CST-100 Starliner use almost the same scheme with a detachable disposable part.
But the Russian copy will not sit down exactly like its foreign counterparts. The main feature is the legs, or, if correct, the landing gear supports. This is the first ship in the world to use a similar landing scheme, which will allow the return vehicle to be used repeatedly. It's like in a science fiction movie — first, the landing speed under the parachute will be reduced by solid-fuel landing engines, and then the expanded metal legs will gently shock and protect the ship from damage. Just like in the cartoon "The Mystery of the Third Planet".
By the way, the manned spaceships currently in use are also not completely disposable. Thanks to the six soft landing engines, the Soyuz lander lands quite smoothly. After the astronauts are removed from it, it is sent to Moscow for the production of RSC Energia. All electronics are checked and removed for reuse. And lodgments made according to the individual standards of astronauts are transported to the Zvezda enterprise. They can also be reused.
The lander itself is most often given to museums and other places for public display. If you see such a lander, then, rest assured, there is nothing inside that is worth using again.
Unfortunately, there are no photos of the interiors of the Eagle spacecraft in the public domain yet. Information is not disclosed on how the lodges and controls will be located, how the toilet will be placed and removed from view in a single space. There is an opportunity to look inside the layout of the PTC "Eagle" in the Museum of Cosmonautics in Kaluga, but I think the final version will be different.
Nevertheless, including from the photographs, it is clearly visible that work on the ship is underway, and this inspires hope for a speedy completion of the creation. Technically, the Orel space station is not just an opportunity to take four cosmonauts to the ISS or ROS, but also the future of Russian lunar missions. Of course, for this, the ship will need to be further upgraded.
What else is known
In addition to photos from RSC Energia, there are other facts indicating the imminent start of testing of the PTC Eagle. Firstly, this is work at the Vostochny cosmodrome, where changes are being made to the launch complex of the Angara launch vehicle. Nikolay Nestechuk, General Director of CENKI JSC, noted that "the universal technical complex has been finalized to ensure the preparation of the Angara-A5 launch vehicle according to the launch program of a new generation manned transport ship, complex tests were successfully conducted in August this year."
Another test was conducted on October 25. Autonomous tests of a set of equipment for servicing a new manned spacecraft have been completed at the cable refueling tower of the launch complex of the Angara launch vehicle at the Vostochny cosmodrome. Now a whole complex is operating on this site, consisting of a crew boarding gallery, an airlock vestibule and a finishing compartment.
In addition, the construction of a new installation and test building of spacecraft, upper stages and heavy-class space warheads continues at Vostochny, where training jobs will be located not only for the Orel PTK, but also for modules of the Russian Orbital Station.
It also became known about the choice of a landing site for the return vehicle PTK "Eagle". The landing will be carried out not in the Orenburg region, as previously assumed, but in the Amur region. The selected point provides descent both along the trajectory from the ISS and along the trajectory from the ROS. This new landing area was named "Near Sakhalin" (after the name of the settlement near which it is located).
All this, in my opinion, suggests that soon we will be able to see how Russia's new reusable manned spacecraft will first go into space, and then return from there, landing on its supporting legs.
