Evolution of the test flight program for Russia's next-generation spacecraft

During the 2010s, Roskosmos's plans to test-fly its new-generation spacecraft, PTK, designed to replace Soyuz, underwent drastic changes, as the project suffered from changing priorities, moved between different launch vehicles and launch sites and even changed its name from Federatsiya to Orel.

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Earliest plans

By 2013, various sources enabled to compile an emerging picture of the flight test program aimed to certify the PTK NP spacecraft to carry the crew. According to official statements, up to three launches of the Zenit rocket beginning as early as the middle of 2018, would carry piloteless prototype of the spacecraft into low Earth orbit, possibly, culminating with a docking at the International Space Station.

At least one launch on a Proton rocket, or (if the mass of the vehicle could be dramatically reduced -- on a Zenit rocket), would accelerate PTK NP's crew capsule to match the velocity of a mission returning from the Moon. The flight would test the capability of PTK NP's heat shield to withstand the atmospheric reentry. A dual mission launched by a pair of Proton rockets would see a docking between the piloteless PTK NP spacecraft and a Block-DM space tug capable of sending the spacecraft to fly by the Moon.

All these initial test flights were expected to originate in Baikonur. It is logical to assume that the switch of the PTK NP spacecraft to the Angara-5-derived launch vehicle based in Vostochny would require additional piloteless launches into low Earth orbit. Finally, with the appearance of a heavy-lifting launch vehicle, two piloteless versions of the PTK NP spacecraft were expected to fly test missions into lunar orbit, paving the way to a manned circumlunar flight by 2030. (642) At the time, Russian space officials predicted the first launch of the Yenisei-5 heavy-lifting launch vehicle from Vostochny Cosmodrome around 2028.

Flight test program for the PTK NP spacecraft as of Spring 2013*:

Intensive ground testing program to pave the way to Soyuz replacement

(INSIDER CONTENT)

As the PTK Orel next-generation crew vehicle finally left the drawing board in 2019, the developers were finalizing an extensive ground testing program to validate numerous technical capabilities of the future spacecraft before it could reach the launch pad no earlier than the end of September 2023.

First test mission of the PTK Federatsiya spacecraft

(INSIDER CONTENT)

In 2019, Russian specialists have begun preparing a simplified prototype of the new-generation spacecraft, PTK Federatsiya, for a first launch in 2022, or seven years past the originally promised launch date, yet the mission, known as PTK 1L, faced a very challenging schedule, technical issues, funding shortfalls and personnel problems.

Ground tests to continue after first launch of Soyuz replacement

(INSIDER CONTENT)

To save time in preparation for the first launch of the new-generation crew vehicle, Roskosmos decided to push a series of the most complex ground tests of the future spacecraft to a period after the politically important inaugural mission. Only the second phase of testing would clear the new ship for carrying cosmonauts. Here is the scope of the work.

New test launch proposed for next-generation spacecraft

(INSIDER CONTENT)

Also in 2019, the developers of the PTK crew vehicle have formulated a scenario for an additional test flight which had to precede launches of the future spacecraft with cosmonauts onboard. As in the test program of NASA's Orion spacecraft, the new Russian transport system would have to demonstrate safe operation of its emergency escape rockets in real flight before the vehicle could be certified to carry a crew. The launch was initially planned on a custom-built Angara-1E rocket but was moved to a serially produced Angara-5 before the end of 2019.

Flight test program for the PTK NP spacecraft as of Fall 2019:

Flight test program for the PTK NP spacecraft as of December 2019:

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