Separate elements of the spacesuit for Russia's new Federatsiya (Federation) manned spacecraft have already been made and its prototype may be presented before the end of the year, Sergey Pozdnyakov, chief designer at Russia's Research, Development and Production Enterprise Zvezda, told Sputnik.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd November, 2018) Separate elements of the spacesuit for Russia's new Federatsiya (Federation) manned spacecraft have already been made and its prototype may be presented before the end of the year, Sergey Pozdnyakov, chief designer at Russia's Research, Development and Production Enterprise Zvezda, told Sputnik.
"Yes, we promised to deliver the prototype before the end of the year, although, under the contract, work [on the prototype] is planned to continue into the next year. Separate elements of the new spacesuit have already been made. I hope that this year we will make an inflatable bladder, with a fundamentally new way of putting it on, with a new ventilation system. If it works, maybe we will hold a presentation before the end of the year, although first we need to patent new technical solutions that we have found," Pozdnyakov said.
The chief designer noted that the spacesuit pilot models were expected to be made and tested in 2019.
In March, Pozdnyakov told Sputnik that the enterprise had decided to change the initial concept for the spacesuit, which envisaged making a one-layer suit from reinforced film, because it turned out unappealing and overall in bad shape. According to the new plan, the suit will consist of two layers � a pressure bladder and a restraint layer.
The Federation reusable spacecraft, which is set to replace the Soyuz, has been under development by Russia's Energia Rocket and Space Corporation since 2009. The first unmanned test flight of the Federation is scheduled for 2022 and the first unmanned flight to the International Space Station is expected to take place the following year.
