Soyuz rocket on launch pad.

The Soyuz launch vehicle (Western designation: A-2) is an expendable launch system designed and manufactured by the Korolev Design Bureau in Samara, Russia. As well as being used as the launcher for the manned Soyuz spacecraft, as part of the Soyuz program, it is now used to launch Progress supply spacecraft to the International Space Station and commercial launches marketed and operated by TsSKB-Progress and the Starsem company. There were 11 Soyuz launches in 2001 and 9 in 2002. Currently Soyuz vehicles are launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwest Russia, starting 2008 Soyuz launch vehicles will also be launched from the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana. Apollo Soyuz Test Project Soyuz booster on launch pad. ... Apollo Soyuz Test Project Soyuz booster on launch pad. ... An expendable launch system is a single-use launch vehicle usually used to launch a payload into space. ... S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (also known as RKK Energiya) is a Russian manufacturer of spacecraft and space station components. ... Samara (Russian: ), from 1935 to 1991—Kuybyshev (), is a major city situated on the Volga River in the southeastern part of European Russia, Volga Federal District, the administrative center of Samara Oblast. ... Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft approaching the International Space Station Soyuz (Soyus, Союз, union) is a series of spacecraft designed by Sergey Korolyov for the Soviet Unions space program. ... The Soyuz human spaceflight programme was initiated in the early 1960s as part of the Luna programme that was intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon. ... ISS Progress cargo spacecraft (NASA) The Progress is an expendable unmanned freighter spacecraft; it was derived from the Soyuz spacecraft, and is launched with the Soyuz launch vehicle. ... International Space Station insignia ISS Statistics Crew: 2 As of March 5, 2006 Perigee: 352. ... Starsem is a European-Russian company that was created in 1996 to commercialise the Soyuz launcher. ... The Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakh: Байқоңыр ғарыш айлағы, Bayqoñır ÄŸarış aylağı; Russian: Космодром Байконур, Kosmodrom Baykonur), also called Tyuratam, is the worlds oldest and largest working space launch facility. ... Cyclone-3 rocket launching Meteor-3 satellite (Plesetsk, August 15, 1991) Plesetsk Cosmodrome is a Russian spaceport, located about 800 km north of Moscow and south of Arkhangelsk (coordinates vary in different sources, but 62°08′ N 41°01′ E seems plausible). ... The Guiana Space Centre (French: Centre Spatial Guyanais) is a French/European spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana. ...

History

The launcher was introduced in 1966, deriving from the Vostok launcher, which in turn was based on the 8K74 or R-7a intercontinental ballistic missile. It was initially a three-stage rocket with a Block I upper stage. Later a Molniya variant was produced by adding a fourth stage, allowing it to reach highly elliptical orbits. A later variant was the Soyuz-U. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The Vostok rocket (Russian Восток, translated as East) was a derivative of the Soviet R-7 ICBM designed for the human spaceflight programme but later used for other satellite launches. ... R-7 with Sputnik 2 The R-7 (Semyorka) was the worlds first ICBM and was deployed by the Soviet Union. ... A Minuteman III missile after a test launch. ... The Soyuz-U or 11A511U rocket in the Soviet rocket designation series was a version of the Soyuz launch vehicle first introduced in 1973. ...

The production of Soyuz launchers reached a peak of 60 per year in the early 1980s. It has become the world's most used space launcher, flying over 850 times, far more than any other rocket. It is a very old basic design, but is notable for low cost and very high reliability, both of which appeal to commercial clients. This space launcher is by far the most reliable means of space travel and is most frequently used in the world today as well. MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ...

Soyuz rocket engines

In the early 1990s plans were made for a redesigned Soyuz with a Fregat upper stage. The Fregat engine was developed by NPO Lavochkin from the propulsion module of its Phobos interplanetary probes. Although endorsed by the Russian Space Agency and the Russian Ministry of Defence in 1993 and designated "Rus" as a Russification and modernisation of Soyuz, and later renamed Soyuz 2, a funding shortage prevented implementation of the plan. The creation of Starsem in July 1996 provided new funding for the creation of a less ambitious variant, the Soyuz-Fregat or Soyuz U/Fregat. This consisted of a slightly modified Soyuz U combined with the Fregat upper stage, with a capacity of up to 1,350 kg to geostationary transfer orbit. In April 1997, Starsem obtained a contract from the European Space Agency to launch two pairs of Cluster 2 plasma science satellites using the Soyuz-Fregat. Before the introduction of this new model, Starsem launched 24 satellites of the Globalstar constellation in 6 launches with a restartable Ikar upper stage, between September 22, 1999 and November 22, 1999. After successful test flights of Soyuz-Fregat on February 9, 2000 and March 20, 2000, the Cluster 2 satellites were launched on July 16, 2000 and August 9, 2000. Another Soyuz-Fregat launched the ESA's Mars Express probe from Baikonur in June 2003. Now the Soyuz-Fregat launcher is used by Starsem for commercial payloads. It is due to be replaced by the new launcher, now named Soyuz/ST (or Soyuz-2), which will have a new digital guidance system and a strongly modified third stage with a new engine. The first development version of Soyuz-2 called Soyuz-2-1a, which is already equipped with the digital guidance system and a modified third stage, but is still propelled by an old engine, started on November 4, 2004 from Plesetsk on a suborbital test flight. The fully modified launcher (version Soyuz-2-1b) is planned to fly first in the spring of 2006 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3000x1926, 1424 KB) Soyuz rocket engines Description: The Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft is mated to its booster rocket in a processing hangar at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan October 11, 2004, in preparation for its rollout to the launch pad October... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3000x1926, 1424 KB) Soyuz rocket engines Description: The Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft is mated to its booster rocket in a processing hangar at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan October 11, 2004, in preparation for its rollout to the launch pad October... Seinfeld was a pop cultural phenomenon during the 90s and became one of the most popular TV programs ever. ... NPO Lavochkin is a Russian satellite manufacturer. ... The Russian Federal Space Agency, formerly the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (RKA) (in Russian: Российское авиационно-космическое агентство) is the government agency responsible for Russias space science program and general aerospace research. ... Starsem is a European-Russian company that was created in 1996 to commercialise the Soyuz launcher. ... A geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a Hohmann transfer orbit around the Earth between a low Earth orbit (LEO) and a geostationary orbit (GEO). ... The European Space Agency (ESA), established in 1975, is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 17 member states. ... A satellite is any object that orbits another object (which is known as its primary). ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in Leap years). ... This article is about the year 2000. ... July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Concept model of the Mars Express spacecraft Mars Express is a Mars exploration mission of the European Space Agency and the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakh: Байқоңыр ғарыш айлағы, Bayqoñır ÄŸarış aylağı; Russian: Космодром Байконур, Kosmodrom Baykonur), also called Tyuratam, is the worlds oldest and largest working space launch facility. ...

A long string of successful Soyuz launches was broken on October 15, 2002 when the unmanned Soyuz U launch of the Photon-M satellite from Plesetsk exploded 29 seconds after lift-off. One person was killed and eight injured. Another failure occurred on June 21, 2005, during a Molniya military communications satellite launch from the Plesetsk launch site, which used a four-stage version of the Soyuz rocket called Molniya-M. The flight ended six minutes after the launch because of a failure of the third stage engine or an unfulfilled order to separate the second and third stages. The rocket's second and third stages, which are identical to the Soyuz, and its payload (a Molniya-3K satellite) crashed in the Uvatski region of Tyumen (Siberia) [1]. However, under this designation of Molniya-M launcher, other 274 unmanned Soyuz launches have been successful. October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Molniya (lightning) was a military communications satellite system used by the Soviet Union. ... U.S. military MILSTAR communications satellite A communications satellite (sometimes abbreviated to comsat) is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications. ... Tymen in the 1680s Tyumen (Тюме́нь) is a city in Russia, administrative center of Tyumen Oblast in the Urals Federal District . ... Siberia is also an album by Echo & The Bunnymen. ...

Between February 1, 2003 and July 26, 2005 with the grounding of the US Space Shuttle fleet, Soyuz was the only means of transportation to and from the International Space Station. This included the transfer of supplies, via Progress spacecraft, and crew changeovers. February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ... The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). ...

Soyuz (in the new version Soyuz/ST) is also planned to be brought into ESA service in 2007 under a Russo-European joint venture. It is planned to build a new launch pad in French Guiana. The European Space Agency (ESA), established in 1975, is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 17 member states. ... 2007 (MMVII) will be a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Stages

Soyuz rocket assembly - the first and second stages are mated together and can be seen in the background, third stage is in the lower left corner of the image. Soyuz spaceship, covered by its launch shroud, is in the lower right corner

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3000x1954, 1435 KB) Soyuz rocket assembly (NASA) original image caption: JSC2004-E-45198 (11 October 2004) --- The Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft is mated to its booster rocket in a processing hangar at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan October 11, 2004, in... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3000x1954, 1435 KB) Soyuz rocket assembly (NASA) original image caption: JSC2004-E-45198 (11 October 2004) --- The Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft is mated to its booster rocket in a processing hangar at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan October 11, 2004, in...

First stage

The first stage of Soyuz rockets consists of four identical conical liquid booster rockets, strapped to the second stage core. Each booster has a single rocket motor (four combustion chambers, two vernier combustion chambers, one set of turbopumps).

Statistics (each of 4 boosters)

• Gross mass: 44.5 metric tons (98.1 klb)
• Propellant: 39.2 metric tons (86.4 klb)
• Dry mass: 3,784 kg (8,342 lb)
• Diameter: 2.68 meters (8 ft 10 in)
• Length: 19.6 meters (64 ft 4 in)
• Engines:
  • Soyuz and Soyuz-U models
    • RD-107
      • Thrust 813 kN (183 klb_f) at liftoff
      • Thrust 991 kN (223 klbf_f) in vacuum
      • Specific impulse 245 kgf·s/kg (2.40 kN·s/kg) at liftoff
      • Specific impulse 310 kgf·s/kg (3.04 kN·s/kg) in vacuum
      • Chamber pressure 5.85 MPa (848 psi)
  • Soyuz-ST models
    • RD-117
      • Thrust 838 kN (188 klb_f) at liftoff
      • Thrust 1021 kN (230 klb_f) in vacuum
      • Specific impulse 245 kgf·s/kg (2.40 kN·s/kg) at liftoff (est)
      • Specific impulse 310 kgf·s/kg (3.04 kN·s/kg) in vacuum (est)
      • Chamber pressure 5.85 MPa (848 psi)

The kilonewton, symbol kN, is an SI unit of force. ... The pound-force is a non-SI unit of force or weight (properly abbreviated lbf or lbf). The pound-force is equal to a mass of one pound multiplied by the standard acceleration due to gravity on Earth (which is defined as exactly 9. ...

Second stage

The second stage of the Soyuz booster is a single, generally cylindrical stage with one motor (four combustion chambers, four vernier combustion chambers, one set of turbopumps) at the base. The stage gets somewhat wider near the top.

• Gross mass: 105.4 metric tons (232.4 klb)
• Propellant: 95.4 metric tons (210 klb)
• Propellant (Soyuz-U2 with Syntin propellant): 96.4 metric tons (212 klb)
• Dry mass: 6,875 kg (15,160 lb)
• Length: 28 meters (91 ft 10 in)
• Diameter: 2.95 meters (9 ft 8 in)
• Engines:
  • Soyuz and Soyuz-U models
    • RD-108
      • Thrust 779 kN (175 klb_f) at liftoff
      • Thrust 997 kN (224 klb_f) in vacuum
      • Specific impulse 264 kgf·s/kg (2.59 kN·s/kg) at liftoff
      • Specific impulse 311 kgf·s/kg (3.05 kN·s/kg) in vacuum
      • Chamber pressure 5.1 MPa (740 psi)
  • Soyuz-U2 model with Syntin fuel
    • RD-108
      • Thrust 811 kN (182 klb_f) at liftoff
      • Thrust 1009 kN (227 klb_f) in vacuum
      • Specific impulse 264 kgf·s/kg (2.59 kN·s/kg) at liftoff
      • Specific impulse 311 kgf·s/kg (3.05 kN·s/kg) in vacuum
      • Chamber pressure 5.1 MPa (740 psi)
  • Soyuz-ST models
    • RD-118
      • Thrust 792 kN (178 klb_f) at liftoff
      • Thrust 990 kN (222 klb_f) in vacuum
      • Specific impulse 264 kgf·s/kg (2.59 kN·s/kg) at liftoff (est)
      • Specific impulse 311 kgf·s/kg (3.05 kN·s/kg) in vacuum (est)
      • Chamber pressure 5.85 MPa (848 psi)

Third stage

There are two variant upper stages in use, the Block I and Improved Block-I (used in Soyuz-2-1b).

• Gross mass: 25.2 metric tons (55.6 klb)
• Propellant: 21.4-22.9 metric tons (47.2–50.5 klb)
• Dry mass: 2355 kg (5190 lb)
• Length: 6.7 meters (22 ft 0 in)
• Diameter: 2.66 meters (8 ft 9 in)
• Engine:
  • Block I
    • RD-0110
    • Thrust 298 kN (67.0 klb_f)
    • Specific impulse 330 kgf·s/kg (3.24 kN·s/kg)
    • Chamber pressure 6.8 MPa (986 psi)

• • Improved Block I
    • RD-0124
    • Thrust 294 kN (66 klb_f)
    • Specific impulse 359 kgf·s/kg (3.52 kN·s/kg)
    • Chamber pressure 16.2 MPa (2350 psi)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Soyuz (rocket)

• R-7 missile family page
• Starsem
• Soyuz launch log at Starsem
• Soyuz U/Fregat

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

References

• International Reference Guide to Space Launch Systems, Third Edition, Iaskowitz, Hopkins, and Hopkins ed., 1999, Reston, Virginia, AIAA Publications. ISBN 1-56347-353-4