Russia designs reusable spacecraft good for as many as five missions

A Russian company designing a new spacecraft for the country's space program says the craft will be reusable and able to make as many as five flights.

Energia Rocket and Space Corp. said the spacecraft's technical design has been finalized but is yet to be officially approved, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.

The new reusable craft is to replace the Soyuz capsule and will have modification to allow it to perform a number of missions, Energia deputy general designer Alexander Chernyavsky said. They include flights to near-Earth and moon orbits, missions to maintain and repair other spacecraft, and for collecting space debris, he said.

A prototype is set to be rolled out in August while flight tests are due to begin in 2017, Energia said.