S P Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia will complete the preliminary design phase for the Advanced Crew Vehicle (ACV) this year according to a report on its website
The report is about Energia general designer Vitalii Alexandrovich Lopota’s summation of what the company did in 2009 and what it will do in 2010
Previously it had been known that the “draft design phase” for ACV, which will replace Energia’s Soyuz TMA, would be completed by late 2010
Typically a review and then a detailed design phase is expected to follow and only then prototype drawings will be authorized for the experimental manufacturing. So it’s good 3 years away yet, I expect.
I guess guys like us have been waiting for a very long time for Russia’s next crew carrying space vehicle, but why the delay? The soyuz is outdated, no? Come on guys get it off the ground faster.