Russia's Oryol spacecraft to perform first manned mission in 2028-2029 - Energia

MOSCOW. Nov 7 (Interfax) - Russia's next-generation Oryol spacecraft will perform its first manned mission in 2028-2029, Energia Rocket and Space Corporation General Designer, Deputy General Director, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Solovyov said.

"We're expecting this spacecraft to take the selected cosmonauts into space in 2028-2029. It's designed to fly to the Moon," Solovyov said at the space biology and aerospace medicine conference, themed The Earth - Orbit - Deep Space, on Tuesday.

On July 3, Roscosmos said that mockups of the reentry spacecraft will be tested at Vostochny Cosmodrome in 2024-2025.

In August, Russian space station chief designer Vladimir Kozhevnikov told Interfax that the Oryol will embark on its maiden flight in 2028.

The Oryol reentry spacecraft is being designed in Russia as part of R&D Project Federatsiya. The spacecraft will transport crews and cargo to space stations in a circumterrestrial orbit and will serve as a key element of the lunar exploration strategy.

On April 10, Roscosmos first deputy head Andrei Yelchaninov said in an interview with Interfax that the design for the Oryol lunar spacecraft will be reviewed, and a new light spacecraft will be made on its basis for flights to the future Russian space station.

Roscosmos Executive Director for Manned Space Programs Sergei Krilakev said in an interview with Interfax on December 26, 2022, that the Oryol could fly to the Moon only if coupled with a super-heavy-lift rocket.