CSTS
Sign in to saveAlso known as Crew Space Transportation System, Advanced Crew Transportation System, ACTS
Crew Space Transportation System (CSTS), or Advanced Crew Transportation System (ACTS), was a proposed design for a crewed spacecraft for low Earth orbit operations such as servicing the International Space Station, but also capable of exploration of the Moon and beyond. It was originally a joint project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Roscosmos, but later became solely an ESA project. This study was conceived as a basic strategic plan to keep a viable European human spaceflight program alive.
Key facts
- Spacecraft class.image
- Image:Euro-CTS-2008.jpg
- Spacecraft class.caption
- Proposed CSTS design (spring 2008)
- Spacecraft class.name
- CSTS (Crew Space Transportation System) ACTS (Advanced Crew Transportation System)
- Spacecraft class.manufacturer
- RKK Energia, EADS Astrium (original proposal) EADS Astrium (later proposal)
- Spacecraft class.country
- ESA member states, Russia (original proposal)ESA member states (later proposal)
- Spacecraft class.applications
- Carry cosmonauts and astronauts to orbit and back (main goal) possible future improvements for beyond-LEO missions (additional goal)
- Spacecraft class.operator
- Roscosmos, European Space Agency (original proposal)European Space Agency (later proposal)
- Spacecraft class.orbits
- Low Earth orbit (main operations) circumlunar spaceflight (proposed beyond-LEO operations)
- Spacecraft class.derivedfrom
- original version of Orel (older proposal) Automated Transfer Vehicle evolution variant (later proposal)
- Spacecraft class.derivatives
- Orel (after Russian departure from the project)
- Spacecraft class.status
- Study phase; original proposal cancelled
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
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- Commons category
- CSTS spacecraft concept
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~13 min read
Article
16 sectionsContents
- Background
- CSTS as an answer to the Orion
- Cooperation with Russia
- Farnborough Air Show
- Overall Design
- Possibilities of missions beyond LEO
- Proposed launch sites
- Competition within Europe
- Later developments
- See also
- European crewed spacecraft
- Russian crewed spacecraft
- US crewed spacecraft
- Other crewed spacecraft
- References
- External links
Crew Space Transportation System (CSTS), or Advanced Crew Transportation System (ACTS), was a proposed design for a crewed spacecraft for low Earth orbit operations such as servicing the International Space Station, but also capable of exploration of the Moon and beyond. It was originally a joint project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Roscosmos, but later became solely an ESA project. This study was conceived as a basic strategic plan to keep a viable European human spaceflight program alive.
CSTS had completed an initial study phase, which lasted 18 months from September 2006 to spring 2008, before the project was shut down before an ESA member state conference in November 2008. However, the head of the ESA denies that the ATV evolution plan is an alternative and talks are ongoing as to whether to continue funding the ACTS plan. As of late November 2008, the project funding had been limited to a feasibility study with a launch of an actual vehicle possible no earlier than 2017.