 | This article needs to be updated. (November 2010) |
 Kliper spacecraft rendering | |
| Manufacturer | S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Russia |
| Operator | Roskosmos |
| Applications | Crewed spaceplane |
| Specifications | |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Design life | 2004 to 2006 |
| Production | |
| Status | Cancelled (2006) |
| Launched | 0 |
Kliper (Клипер, English: Clipper) was an early-2000s proposed partially-reusable (excluding orbital section and thermal protection shield) crewed spacecraft concept by RSC Energia. Due to lack of funding from the ESA and RSA, the project was indefinitely postponed by 2006.
Designed primarily to replace the Soyuz spacecraft, Kliper was proposed in two versions: as a pure lifting body design and as spaceplane with small wings. In either case, the craft would have been able to glide into the atmosphere at an angle that produces much less stress on the human occupants than the current Soyuz. Kliper was intended to be designed to be able to carry up to six people and to perform ferry services between Earth and the International Space Station.