Wow! It looks like from that image that Kliper has left the drawing board and is actually being built! And they plan to have it flying by 2012! Are the missions in 2012 going to be manned? If so, it is amazing how quick they are going to develop this. The first manned CEV won't launch until 2017!

The Kliper looks great, but why get rid of Soyuz? The fact that they have been flying so long now could only work as an advantage. The Soyuz is the closest you can get to a proven design, unlike the shuttle where you seem to learn something new every flight. Why start over with the whole learning process, when you have finally have all the kinks worken out of a perfectly good system. I personally thinking Kliper is there only to give Russia's space program a new image.
What I think Russia should do is build Kliper, but continue to produce the Soyuz spacecraft and sell them as a comercial spacecraft. If in the next few years, if we see inflatable space hotels going up, they are going to need some type of transfer spacecraft, why not use the proven soyuz design? If you start mass producing the Soyuz, I bet some companies will bite.

There is a topic of discusion at this board as well.
http://www.newmars.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?s=45ad7f74578b704180422572985dd674;act=ST;f=4;t=443;st=0;&#entry2

kliper pics
http://www.federalspace.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=470
http://www.federalspace.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=477
http://membres.lycos.fr/kvant/vaisseaux/kliper/kliper.html

I know the russians want out of baikonur badly, I can't see them launching kliper from Plesetsk to get to the ISS though, to big big of an orbital plane change, Plesetsk's 63 to ISS's 51.6 degrees. the planed onega rocket couldn't do it, Angara launch vehicle probbly could do it

Estimated cost of development 10 billion rubles or aproximate $342,000 US dollars.
This figure includes the construction of the first flight version of the vehicle, but it does not include the development of the launch vehicle.

Current Exchange Rates
As of Sep 16, 2026, the exchange rates are:
29.230 Russia Rubles per United States Dollars
0.0342 United States Dollars per Russia Rubles

This is just a new capsule being developed for existing rockets. 6 seats, reusuable and low cost

I am not sure how much each of the current vendors just got but it should have been enough to design and even build the prototype unit for first flight of the CEV if we were Russian.

Four Countries Create Space Corporation
The new corporation will include space enterprises in the four countries and will operate the Kliper manned shuttle spacecraft, according to Itar-Tass. Kliper was proposed in 2026 by the Russian Energia Corp. and was designed to replace the Soyuz.

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/shuttle-04ze.html

10bn Roubles is US $342,231,348.39
Still a very good price compared to how much Nasa has squandered in the past decade on new spacecraft that are never completed (e.g. $1.3bn on the X-33 alone).

This thing could be launched out of Kourou, especially if Russia were to join ESA as has been discussed (the possibility of FSA & ESA joint funding Kliper has also been discussed).
If the ESA/Kourou option were used, FSA could pull out of Baikonour and save $150m per year in lease money, badly needed funds for FSA.

Mmmm I wonder how much a US unionized Aerospace worker makes an hour?

;-)

new info on the kliper budget(translated)
should see some english sites report on it soon

"this ship must arrive for the replacement to ships of the type" Soyuz"and it is intended for the delivery of crews with number to sixpeople to the low near earth orbit and their return to the earth", hesaid. It is assumed that the "clipper" will be used both for the autonomousflights and for servicing the orbital manned stations.
According to the information Of makukhi, "the project will be realizedinto three stages". The first - 2026-2011 - the experimental starting of "clipper" in thepilotless version. "financing this stage will comprise approximately $15 million",reported Deputy Minister. The second stage, designed during the years 2012 - 2016, assumes the"manned starting of ship within the framework of state space programsRF and international space programs together with NASA - NATIONALAERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION and European space agency". The cost of operation of the second stage will be about $70 million. The third stage assumes "further increase in safety level of themanned complex in all stages of its operation". Preliminary evaluation of this stage - $35 million.

When I first posted this I was stuck by how much had been done, to actually construct a vehicle versus just 3 D cad drawings and artist renderings. I like actual hardware as a proof and it does help to project actual costs for any follow up units if ever made. I think that the first shuttle in a museum is proof that the 3D drawings do not always work out the way that they are planned.

I would bet good money on that being a mock-up, test model or boilerplate.

And remember, they started design on this thing in 2022.

Here is another scope from the weekend on the Klipper.

Quote:
The new-generation Clipper reusable spacecraft may start flying after 2015, Anatoly Perminov, director of the Russian Space Agency, told an international space congress in Vancouver.

NEW REUSABLE SPACECRAFT TO LIFT OFF AFTER 2015

http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg;_id=4949995&startrow;=11&date;=2004-10-09&do;_alert=0

I thought 2012 was a bit too ambitous. "After 2015" could even be several years after.

I am doing a project at school on the Angara launch vehicle.
1) I would like to know how the space vehicle works.
2) How many times this vehicle has went to space.
If you could give me this info. It would
be really helpful to me. If you would consider
telling me this,I would consider being a good
person and remember this web site. But I
really do need your help. I'm 15 years old and
I'm in the 9th grade. I would really
appreciate it if you would take this to
consideration.

Samantha, take a look at these web sites as they should be of some help with your project:

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/angara.html

http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/angara11.htm

Good luck!