There?s a slight problem with Russia?s proposed Federation spacecraft

Under certain scenarios, during which Federation's launch abort system would pull it away from the rocket during an emergency, Federation could splash down in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.“Upon launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, the Federation spacecraft has a colossal problem in the event of a launch abort,” said Igor Verkhovskiy, head of business development for crewed programs and low-Earth-orbit satellite programs for RKK Energia, the prime contractor for Russia's space program.“We could end up in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, where we have no high-speed ships of the Naval or civilian fleets," the Russian official said. Russian news sources have previously reported construction of the pressure vessel, which provides the vehicle's solid structure, only began in May. While Russian officials cite a 2022 launch date, that would seem to be unfeasible if work on the first pressure vessel did indeed only begin a few months ago.Earlier this year, Roscosmos chief Dimitry Rogozin ordered changes at RKK Energia management—specifically in areas involved in designing the Federation spacecraft, perhaps due to delays and problems since the program first began more than a decade ago.Eventually, Russia intends to use the Federation spacecraft for crewed missions to lunar orbit, much as NASA intends to use its Orion spacecraft.