Russian space rocket corporation Energia has unveiled draft plans for a new reusable space vehicle to shuttle cargo and crews between the Space Station and the moon. The new spacecraft called ‘Ryvok’ or ‘Charge’ would greatly cut the costs of the lunar trip.
The “Ryvok” (Charge of Breakthrough) project has been unveiled at the Human Space Exploration international conference in the city of Korolev located near Moscow – a first-of-its-kind event hosted by Roscosmos with the cooperation of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).
According to Energia’s plans, the new spacecraft will be permanently based on the ISS – or its descendant – and will serve as the mid-way shuttle for delivering cargo and crews to the moon, previously brought up to the Earth’s orbit by the time-tested and trustworthy Soyuz series ships and the cutting edge Angara series rockets.