MOSCOW — The Russian space agency on Tuesday ordered design work to start for a next-generation spaceship capable of flying missions to the moon, setting the ground for a potential new space race with the United States.
The space agency granted the state-controlled RKK Energiya company the 800 million-ruble ($23 million) contract for the initial work on a new, reusable craft to replace the 40-year-old Soyuz spacecraft.
The as-yet-unnamed Russian spaceship could emerge as a potential competitor to NASA’s prospective Orion spacecraft.
Design requirements for the Russian craft appear similar to Orion’s specification, prompting some experts to nickname it “Orionski.” Orion is scheduled to begin carrying humans to the international space station in 2015 and to the moon in 2020.
Alexei Krasnov, the chief of manned space programs for the Russian space agency, said last week that the prospective Russian spacecraft is set to make its maiden flight before 2020, without elaborating.
James Oberg, an experienced aerospace engineer who worked on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s space-shuttle program and is now a space consultant, wrote in a commentary that the new Russian space program could help NASA win funds for its plan to return astronauts to the moon.
“This will give NASA a long-hoped-for boost in Congress by echoing the space-race motivations of the 1960s,” Oberg said.
Energiya has until June 2010 to complete the initial design.
