Russian designers are working on a replacement for the veteran Soyuz spacecraft, the mainstay of the nation’s space program since the 1960s, officials said Friday.
The spacecraft, called the Clipper, will hold a crew of six compared to Soyuz’s three, Nikolai Bryukhanov, deputy chief designer at the RKK Energiya company, told the ITAR-Tass news agency.
Unlike a Soyuz, which can be used once, a Clipper will be capable of making 25 flights, Bryukhanov said.
Energiya can build the Clipper in five years if it gets sufficient government funding, said the company’s vice president, Nikolai Zelenshchikov.
Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft have served as the only link to the International Space Station since the U.S. space shuttle fleet was grounded after the Columbia disaster in February 2003.
