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Kliper project

Flight profile animations:

• A liftoff onboard the Zenit-derived launch: Flash Video | QuickTime
• Orbit insertion, the upper stage separation, solar panels, antennas deployment: Flash Video | QuickTime
• Attitude control operation, braking engine firing, modules separation: Flash Video |QuickTime
• Touchdown of the PPTS spacecraft: Flash Video | QuickTime
• Emergency touchdown of the PPTS spacecraft QuickTime
• The PPTS spacecraft docks to the OPSEK assembly complex: QuickTime

2005: Roots of the Russian-European cooperation in manned spaceflight

At the beginning of 2004, the US government announced its intention to withdraw from the International Space Station program and, instead to return American astronauts to the Moon... And it was going to do it alone. NASA's space station partners, Russia, Europe and Japan were left to decide for themselves where to go in space. Initially, Russians tried to convince Europeans to pull resources to develop a new generation reusable spacecraft, however in December 2005, European ministers told their agency to come up with a better plan.

2006: The ACTS concept

A new plan for the Russian-European cooperation in manned space program had been conceived around spring of 2006.This time, two sides considered combining funds, hardware and expertise to parallel the US effort to return astronauts to the Moon. The idea was based on previous studies, which looked at upgrading the European ATV cargo ship with a Russian-built reentry vehicle, which would enable it to return cargo or even people to Earth.

2007: Initial ACTS studies

Russian and European space officials were expected to choose what they identified as an "initial preferred concept" for a future manned spacecraft, as early as May or June of 2007. However, political problems inside Russia and between two partners delayed the project. Disagreements over the direction of the Russian space program resulted in the ouster of Nikolai Sevastyanov, the head of the nation's prime contractor in the manned spaceflight -- RKK Energia.

2008: Deciding spacecraft architecture

The Russian-European talks resumed in September 2007. Initially, Russian and European space officials chose a bell-shaped crew module as a preferred configuration for the next-generation manned spacecraft. Resembling Russian Soyuz spacecraft, the new vehicle will be larger and heavier than its predecessor in order to accommodate from four to six people on a journey to the lunar orbit. However by the beginning of 2008, a cone-shape capsule, resembling NASA's Apollo spacecraft, had emerged a winner.

2009: Starting preliminary design of PPTS

By the beginning of 2009, upon abandoning plans for cooperation on the project with Europe, Russia's federal space agency, Roskosmos, ordered the industry to finalize proposals for the new manned spacecraft. Upon choosing a prime developer in April 2009, the agency expected the preliminary design of the vehicle to last for about a year until June 2010.

European-only alternative

In case, Europe would fail to strike a deal with the Russians, ESA officials drafted a "going alone" plan. Capitalizing on the success of the ATV program, at the end of 2007, European developers revisited the old idea of replacing the ship’s cargo section with a retrievable crew module. At the ILA-2008 air and space show in Berlin, Europe's chief aerospace company EADS Astrium unveiled a full-scale mockup of a three-seat vehicle, designed to enter the Earth orbit and eventually support lunar missions.

Launch vehicle for the Soyuz replacement

One of the challenges Russian designers faced in developing the next-generation spacecraft in the first decade of the 21st century was the need for a new rocket to launch it. Since the future ship replacing Soyuz would have to carry six instead three crewmembers and weigh from 12 to 23 tons, it would need much larger launch vehicle than existing Soyuz rocket capable of carrying just seven tons to the low-Earth orbit.

• In depth: RD-0146 - Russia's return to ultimate rocket fuel - hydrogen

Landing system

A defining feature of Russia's new-generation PPTS spacecraft would be its landing system. Due to the political requirement to land future manned missions in Russia, while the spacecraft would barely overfly south of the country, a lot of maneuverability was required from the descent module. At the same time, tough deadlines imposed for the development of the vehicle and limited funds, did not leave time for radically innovative solutions.

OPSEK: The original destination for the new ship

In 2009, Russian and European space officials started consultations on possible goals for the manned space flight after the end of the International Space Station, ISS, project. At the forefront of the talks were Russian plans to replace the ISS with a new manned outpost in the low-Earth orbit in 2020-2025. However unlike the ISS, which was designed to serve primarily as a research lab, the new station was conceived as an assembly point for missions to the Moon and Mars. Russian and European officials said they hoped that NASA would also be interested in the project.