Russia’s new spacecraft can make flights to Moon and Mars, says chief designer

MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/. Russia’s Oryol latest spacecraft will be able to fly to asteroids and Mars as part of an inter-planetary system, Oryol Chief Designer Igor Khamits said in an interview with the Russian Space magazine published by the federal space agency Roscosmos. "The technical specifications do not stipulate a flight mission to asteroids. However, a flight can be carried out as part of an asteroid (inter-planetary) system, as well as a flight to Mars," he said. One of the basic tasks of the Oryol spacecraft is to make crewed flights to the Moon, he stressed. "Also, the technical specifications stipulate the transportation of crews to the International Space Station," the chief designer said. Khamits was appointed as the chief designer developing the Oryol spacecraft in June. Before that, this work was directed by Yevgeny Mikrin who died of the coronavirus on May 5. Russia is developing its new Oryol manned spacecraft for lunar missions. Its first flight without a crew is planned for 2023 from the Vostochny spaceport and there are plans to send the spacecraft to the Moon in 2028. Read more