MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/: Russia’s Energia Space Rocket Corporation plans to create a new reusable space freighter based on the latest Oryol crewed spaceship currently in development, Energia Chief Designer, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Solovyov told TASS on Monday.
"We want to create a reusable cargo spaceship based on the Oryol [spacecraft]," Solovyov said.
The new space freighter will replace operational Progress resupply ships currently used to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, conduct refueling operations and adjust the orbit, the Energia chief designer said.
"The Progress has one serious drawback: we cannot return the payload from the orbit aboard it. The disadvantage is that it burns up [upon re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere]," he explained.
Russia is developing its new Oryol manned spacecraft (previously known as the Federatsiya spaceship) for lunar missions. Its first flight without a crew is scheduled for December 15, 2023, from the Vostochny spaceport without docking to the International Space Station.
The Oryol spacecraft is set to perform its second flight also without cosmonauts in 2024 with the subsequent docking to the space station. The spaceship’s crewed flights are scheduled to begin from 2025.
