Buran-Energia

Myasishchev’s experimental machine factory plans to finish development of feasibility study for new aerospace system M-91 in March.

Said system consists of a delivery aircraft VM-T and a recoverable module, carried to near space up to 100-km heights, which spends 5 minutes under zero gravity and returns to airdrome. Space module is controlled by two pilots and can carry up to 14 passengers. Orbital journeys will be performed on a commercial basis. First commercial flight is scheduled for 2012, and Russian pilots expect up to 100 flights per year.

The VM-T Atlant was designed to carry pieces of the Energia launch vehicule and the Buran space shuttle from their factories (near Moscow) to the cosmodrome of Baikonur in the mid 80s.

Source: Novosti Kosmonavtiki

The Mriya landed at the Ben Gurion airport (Israel) on february 2. The plane was chartered by ACAS Israel in co-operation with ACI to transport outsized cargo from Israel to Africa.

Menitsky Valery, passed away on Wednesday 16, January 2008 at Moscow.

Valery Menitsky was born on February 8, 1944, in 1965 he was graduated from the Tambov Military Flight School, in 1969 he entered a school of test-pilots, and in 1975 – the Moscow Aviation Institute.

In 1969 he integrated the A.I.Mikojan design bureau as test pilot, in 1984-1995 he was chief-pilot of the design bureau.

He flied and tested MiG-27, MiG -25PD, MiG -29M, took part in the test programs of MiG-21,-23,-25,-27,-29,-31 aircraft, and EPOS (space plane combat).

Since some years he was chairman of the board of the Open Joint-Stock Company Atlant-Soyuz Airlines, Adviser to the Moscow mayor.

During his carrier he received lots of awards, test pilot of the USSR, Hero of Soviet Union (1982), Awarded with Big Gold medal of IAF (International aviation federation), the winner of the Lenin premium, the winner of the International premium « Pilot of the year ». Awarded with the state and government awards. The author of the book « My heavenly life ».

Update: Here is an interview about the SPIRAL project (in russian).

Here is a small reporting about the Buran-Energia project which was broadcasted on American television on last November15, for the 19th anniversary of the first flight of the shuttle.