The new production will be designed by Tim Hatley, who has previously won two Olivier Awards and two Tony Awards for his work in stage design.

BBC: Rowan Atkinson to star in Simon Gray play in West End

The firm, established by Amazon entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, has a design for a capsule and two-stage rocket.

BBC: US firms target astronaut flights

The two variants share many design features but use different engines in their third segment, or stage - the part of the Soyuz said to have been responsible for the failure five days ago.

BBC: Soyuz back in service after failed launch

One interesting aspect of the Antares design is its use of two Aerojet AJ-26 engines on its liquid-fuelled first stage.

BBC: Orbital's Antares rocket makes test flight