Look familiar? Russia reveals its next generation Soyuz replacement spacecraft that set to launch in 2021 - and it looks a lot like Nasa’s Orion
- Roscosmos has unveiled images of the new craft for the first time
- It has same shape as Orion, Nasa's ship designed to take humans to Mars
- RSC Energia, who is building craft, say it will test it over next few months
Russia has been working on a new spacecraft to get cosmonauts to the moon and Mars.
Now, the Russian Space Agency revealed images of the new, unnamed spacecraft, which has been under development for around a decade.
It looks remarkably similar to Orion – Nasa's new spaceship designed to carry humans to an asteroid, and eventually to Mars.
The Russian Space Agency has revealed images of the new, unnamed spacecraft, which has been under development for around a decade
Gizmodo notes the landing legs and thrusters on the white mock-up are similar to the legs and thrusters of SpaceX' Dragon V2.
The Russian craft was revealed at Maks-2015, the 12th International Aviation and Space Salon in Moscow and is being made by RSC Energia.
It is designed to replace Soyuz-TMA that carries astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station.
RSC Energia says it will test it over the next few months, which the first unmanned orbital test flight of the new spacecraft scheduled in 2021.
The Russian craft was revealed at Maks-2015, the 12th International Aviation and Space Salon in Moscow and is being made by RSC Energia
The spacecraft is designed to replace Soyuz-TMA that carries astronauts to the International Space Station
It looks remarkably similar to Orion (pictured)– Nasa's new spaceship designed to carry humans to an asteroid, and eventually to Mars
Earlier this year, Russia announced plans to send manned flights to the moon by 2030 after reviving its lunar programme with unmanned spacecraft.
It was the first time Moscow had set a deadline for the space plans, hoping to recapture the early glory of the first space race, when they beat the U.S. at getting a man to orbit the earth.
Barack Obama previously wanted to get Americans onto Mars by 2030.
A Roscosmos spokesman said at the time: 'Close to 2030, the plan is to move over to manned flights to the Moon.'
The agency also announced that it would continue to work with Nasa on the ISS until 2024, when it hopes to build its own orbital station.
It says the station would aim to provide Russia 'with guaranteed access to the cosmos'.
Pictured is the interior of Russia's proposed spacecraft which aims to take humans to the moon and Mars
Gizmodo notes the legs and thrusters on the mock-up are similar those on SpaceX' Dragon V2 (pictured)
Russian government officials had indicated last year that they may end funding of the ISS in 2020, amid strained relations between the the U.S and Russia over the Ukraine sanctions row.
Extensive cooperation in space between Washington and Moscow came under renewed pressure after the U.S banned high-tech exports to Russia.
But that proposal appears to have been rejected in favour of keeping it going for another four years, as Nasa had suggested.
The space industry has been the root of fierce competition between Russia and the U.S dating back to the Cold War.
The U.S and the Soviet Union were locked in the so-called 'space race' for decades.
Russia's Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space in 1961 and Neil Armstrong of the United States was the first man on the Moon in 1969.
But with the Cold War over, competition gave way to cooperation.
Russia's subsequently deorbited its own Mir space station in 2001 as Moscow sought to concentrate its resources on the ISS.
Russia's Yuri Gagarin (pictured) was the first man in space in 1961 and Neil Armstrong of the U.S. was the first man on the moon in 1969
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