Moscow: Russia is developing a manned space shuttle capable of carrying six cosmonauts to replace its current single-use "Soyuz" spacecraft by 2010, according to a space official.

"The new spacecraft, tentatively called 'Clipper' is designed to take crew and cargo to orbital stations and should the need arise, ensure emergency evacuation of cosmonauts and equipment back to earth," deputy chief of the Energia space corporation's R&D centre, Boris Sotnikov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

The six-member crew of the new space shuttle will consist of two pilots and four cosmonauts. In addition, it will be able to carry a cargo of up to 700 kg and the lift-off mass of the 10-metre-long shuttle will be 14.5 tons.

"Clipper" will be used for autonomous orbital flights lasting up to 10 days. It will also serve as a base for scientific experiments, Sotnikov said adding that the shuttle will have a capacity to carry as many as four "space tourists".

It will be launched into orbit by Russia's Onega carrier rocket, a radically upgraded version of the Soyuz launch vehicle. The new space shuttle can also be launched from Russian space centre Plisetsk also, so far only Baikonur in Kazakhstan was used for manned flights, he said.

In case the joint EU-Russian project for the use of the Kourou space centre facilities develops successfully, "Clipper" will be able to lift off from the Russian rocket-launching site currently under construction on the Equatorial space centre Kourou in French Guiana, Energia official added.