MOSCOW, Nov. 20.< /strong>The flight dates of the new Russian manned spacecraft Orel are being delayed due to the unavailability of infrastructure and vehicles, Roscosmos executive director for science and chairman of the coordinating scientific and technical council Alexander Bloshenko told reporters on Monday.
«»Space the ship does not exist separately. It exists as part of the space rocket complex… This is also related to the phasing of the timing of the Orel tests,” Bloshenko explained.
He clarified that both the flights and the first tests will take place from the infrastructure at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. A suitable assembly and testing building must be built there, search and rescue facilities for crews must be located.
In addition, according to the executive director of Roscosmos, the Angara rocket is needed for flights of the new spacecraft, tests of the launch infrastructure for which have just begun at Vostochny.
“In any case, this will not become an endless long-term construction project,” assured Bloshenko.
He recalled that in the first stages the crew of the Russian orbital station, to which the new ship will fly will consist of two people.
The Advanced Transport Ship (PTK), also known under the names «Federation» and «Eagle», has been in development since 2009. Initially, its first flight was planned for 2015, now expected in 2028-2029.