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Europe envisages cooperation on new Russian space plane 
Whilst everyone awaits the return to flight of the US Shuttle, Europe is considering an eventual participation in a new manned spacecraft. The Kliper project which Russia is proposing to build was one of the hot subjects of the recent Le Bourget airshow. The return of America's 'big white bird' is of crucial importance for the International Space Station. The Shuttle is the only vehicle capable of bringing up the last remaining large elements – including the European Columbus module - for completion of the Station.
Use of the ISS will continue after the end of Shuttle flights, planned for 2010. NASA and other space agencies are thus envisaging alternative vehicles which could not only service the orbital outpost but also be key elements of future space exploration programmes.
"The Soyuz is basically a concept from the sixties and is getting rather old," agrees Frank de Winne, ESA's Belgian astronaut. "It is also getting rather difficult to produce this type of spacecraft. The Americans are examining a new system of manned space transport, called the Crew Exploration Vehicle; and there is the Russian Kliper project, in which Europe is particularly interested."
Frank de Winne was interviewed at the Le Bourget Airshow, where the Russian space agency Roscosmos and its industrial companies presented a small-scale model of the Kliper vehicle.
A full-scale model of Kliper has taken shape in the RKK Energuya assembly halls. The EuroNews report shows exclusive shots of its construction. The future vehicle, consisting of three modules, looks like a stubby small-winged aircraft. It will be able to transport six astronauts and 500 kg of supplies, or two astronauts and 700 kg of cargo.
"Today we are examining with our Russian colleagues whether we can cooperate on this project," says Frank de Winne. "Russia has asked not only ESA but also other nations, like Japan for example, to see if it is possible to work together, not only in the development but also in the operational phase. This would give Europe new capabilities, most significantly the ability to carry its own astronauts into space."
Not far from the Kliper model at Le Bourget was another scale model, that of the future Soyoz launch complex being built in French Guiana. A first satellite launch is scheduled in 2008, but could the European Spaceport be used one day for Kliper flights?
At present, this eventuality is not part of ESA plans. But Russian engineers and officials do not hide their hopes for the future.
Two options have been retained for Kliper's return to Earth. The spacecraft will be able to descend under parachutes in the vast deserted areas of central Asia, or more conventionally like a plane on a hard runway in more populated regions.
The Kliper project has great potential. The vehicle will be able to carry astronauts to the ISS, and can be envisaged for human flights to the Moon and future exploration of the solar system. "Kliper has been conceived on the long term, to be usable 20, 30 or 40 years from now," emphasises Frank de Winne.
ESA's Director of Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration Programmes is confident that the response will be positive. "It is not just that Kliper is a good political deal, or that it provides us with a powerful piece of technology," said Daniel Sacotte. "It will give us a vision, a scientific goal that young Europeans badly need today."
This view is shared by many visitors at Le Bourget. "European space must be a complete, coherent and successful system"… "I am astonished by today's technology which also carries with it a dream" … these were some of the comments heard by the EuroNews team during their report on the Kliper project.
EuroNews EuroNews is a key medium for delivering international information with a European point of view. Broadcast in 79 countries, EuroNews reaches 144 million households in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and North and Latin America via cable, digital satellite and through terrestrial channels. This Space Magazine is produced and broadcast every two weeks, with a new programme starting every second Friday. Each magazine is four minutes long and broadcast 21 times in one week, including evening prime time on Fridays and Saturdays, in order to reach a maximum audience. Broadcast times
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