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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Russian Space Agency To Launch Kliper Project

From Spacedaily.com:

Moscow (SPX) Jul 15, 2005
The Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) is about to start its Kliper launch vehicle project, the head of the agency told a Moscow press conference Thursday, reports RIA Novosti.

Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet session, Anatoli Perminov said other national space agencies, in particular the European Space Agency, were very much interested in the Kliper project.

He said that the Kliper launch vehicle, which Russia is to build in collaboration with other countries, would be able to carry a crew of six and land on first-class airfields.

www.spacedaily.com/news/spacetravel-05zzzc.html

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Kliper to use Buran seats

Moscow (SPX) Jul 25, 2005
Russia's Zvezda has agreed to provide ejection seats for the prototype of Energia's six-crew Kliper reusable spacecraft reports Flight International.
The commercial Kliper will not use ejection seats, but the test vehicle will use seats developed for the former Soviet Union's Buran space shuttle program in the 1980s.

According to public literature the Buran ejection seats were to use a solid rocket motor system that could propel test pilots up to 600 meters (1,800ft) from the Buran when flying at Mach 3 or less.

The Kliper program is being pursued by a consortia of interested Russian, European, Japanese partners. It aims to develop a new manned taxi that builds on the legacy of the Soyuz rather than Buran or the US space shuttle.

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I think the escape option should be retained even in the commercial version.