Classification of launch vehicles according to the mass of the payload to be launched and the launch method used. Comparison of characteristics and examples of operating launch vehicles

In 1958-1960, the OKB-1 team led by S.P. Koroleva, on the basis of the upgraded R-7a rocket, a four-stage Molniya medium-class launch vehicle was created, which was intended for the study of the Moon and the planets of the solar system using automatic spacecraft, launching communication satellites of the Molniya type and spacecraft into highly elliptical orbits in the interests of the Ministry of Defense.

To deliver interplanetary space stations For the first time in Russian cosmonautics, the upper stage (block “L”) was developed for departure trajectories, starting from a near-Earth orbit. The launch of the propulsion system (PS) of block "L" takes place in zero gravity after an hour and a half of the rocket's flight in near-Earth orbit, so it was necessary to install a stabilization and orientation system on block "L" and ensure that the engine is started in zero gravity.

In 1963-1965, branch No. 3 OKB-1 (currently GNPRKTS TsSKB-Progress) actively worked to improve the flight performance of the Molniya launch vehicle, which resulted in the creation of the Molniya-M launch vehicle with a modified control system and increased energy performance of the first stage PS. The production of the first three stages of the upgraded launch vehicle was organized at plant No. 1 (currently GNPRKTS TsSKB-Progress).

The first launch of the modernized Molniya-M launch vehicle was carried out on October 4, 1965 with the Luna-7 spacecraft. On January 31, 1966, the Molniya-M launch vehicle successfully delivered the Luna-9 spacecraft into orbit, which made a soft landing on the lunar surface in the region of the Ocean of Storms.

Subsequently, in the period 1966-1972, with the help of this launch vehicle, five automatic interplanetary stations were launched on the flight path to Venus. However, the Molniya-M launch vehicle was most often used to launch Molniya-type communication satellites and spacecraft of the Kosmos series into highly elliptical orbits.

On September 30 at 21:01 Moscow time, the last launch of the Molniya-M launch vehicle was successfully carried out from the launch pad of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, which completed the flight program of this oldest Russian rocket.

From the beginning of operation to the present day, 280 launches of the Molniya-M launch vehicle have been carried out from the Baikonur and Plesetsk cosmodromes, which confirmed the operational reliability index of 0.980.

This carrier was replaced by a new medium-class launch vehicle
"Soyuz-2" developed by FSUE "GNPRKTS "TsSKB-Progress" with the upper stage "Fregat" (FSUE "NPO named after Lavochkin), which has a higher carrying capacity and, due to the use of the upper stage, can bring spacecraft to Various types orbits.

The main characteristics of the launch vehicle "Molniya-M"

The main characteristics of the launch vehicle "Soyuz-2.1b" with the RB "Fregat"

Press service of TsSKB-Progress

The prospect of creating a multi-stage carrier of spacecraft on the basis of the R-7 rocket opened up new opportunities for the study of the Moon and the nearest planets of the solar system - Venus and Mars.
The Decree of the Government of June 4, 1960 "On Plans for the Exploration of Outer Space" ordered the creation of a four-stage launch vehicle for flights to Mars and Venus.
A new four-stage launch vehicle was developed on the basis of the R-7 rocket. As the III stage (block I), the II stage of the R-9 rocket with the engine developed by S.A. was used (with refinement). Kosberg, and the IY stage - block L, developed by OKB-1, on which the 11D33 liquid-propellant rocket engine was first used closed circuit, also developed by OKB-1.
The launch of the control unit L was supposed to take place in weightlessness after an hour and a half of flight in orbit around the Earth, and not immediately after the completion of the third stage, therefore, on the L block it was necessary to install a stabilization and orientation system for the pause time and an engine start support unit in weightlessness. At block L, a control system for blocks I and L was also installed, developed by research institutes under the leadership of N.A. Pilyugin.
The development of AMS for a flight to Venus was carried out in the second half of 1960.

The first successful launch of a launch vehicle with AMS on board took place on February 12, 1961. AMS with upper stage L went into orbit, circled the Earth and over Equatorial Africa for the first time in the world started towards Venus. This station was named "Venus-1".
November 1, 1962 was the first successful launch of AMS towards Mars. This station was named "Mars-1".

In the period from October 1960 to March 1964, a series of emergency LV launches took place, the cause of which was the failure to start the engine of block L. An analysis of the accidents made it possible to identify the cause of the failures. A design error was made, as a result of which the IV stage engine (block L) did not start. Block L had a separate launch support unit, on the truss structure of which there was an orientation and stabilization system, as well as engine automation with power supply batteries. The control system had to switch the power supply of the orientation and stabilization system of the batteries of the launch support unit to the batteries of the L unit 70 s before the engine of the L unit was turned on. However, the power supply was not switched, and the L unit was in uncontrolled mode for 70 s. The operation of the block could be successful if the angular perturbations of the block did not change its position more than the permissible one, the power supply at that moment was turned on from the control system of the L block. If the perturbations were greater than the permissible ones, the gyroscopes became on stops and the engine of the L block did not turn on. The bug that caused so much trouble has been fixed. The launch of the AMS, made on April 24, 1964 towards Venus, passed without remarks on the launch vehicle.
It should be noted that the launch of rocket unit L in an intermediate orbit under zero gravity conditions was carried out for the first time. The conditions of its flight, the nature of the environment, the influencing factors were unknown. There were a lot of unknowns, encountered for the first time, but there was nowhere and no one to learn from. I only learned from my own experience. This explains the large number of failures of block L. An additional difficulty was the fact that the launch of block L took place over the Atlantic, in the region of the Gulf of Guinea. At that time, it was not possible to receive telemetric information from the IV stage in real time, the information came from the ships of the command and measurement complex only in the recording and with a great delay.
On April 23, 1965, the launch vehicle under consideration successfully launched the Molniya-1 active relay into orbit. to build with its help a long-range radio communication line between Moscow and Vladivostok. On May 1, 1965, with the help of this satellite, the inhabitants Far East for the first time they saw on their TV screens a live broadcast of a military parade and a demonstration of workers on Red Square in Moscow. After that, the launch vehicle began to be called "Lightning".

Developer OKB-1 Manufacturer TsSKB-Progress Main characteristics Number of steps 4 Length 43 440 mm Diameter 10 300 mm starting weight 305 t Launch history State operation completed Launch locations Plesetsk , Baikonur First start October 10 1960 Last run September 30th 2010 First stage - Blocks B, C, D, D sustainer engine RD-107 MM Fuel kerosene Oxidizer liquid oxygen Second Stage - Block A sustainer engine RD-108 MM Fuel kerosene Oxidizer liquid oxygen Third stage - Block I sustainer engine RD-0107 Fuel kerosene Oxidizer liquid oxygen Fourth stage - Block L sustainer engine C1.5400 Fuel kerosene Oxidizer liquid oxygen

First launch RN 8K78 from the cosmodrome Baikonur - October 10 1960, and with Plesetsk Cosmodrome It was performed February 19 1970. Total from the spaceport Plesetsk 229 launches were carried out launch vehicle"Lightning". On September 30, 2010, the last launch in history was made from the Plesetsk cosmodrome launch vehicle"Lightning-M". After nearly half a century of successful operation, this model has been replaced by a more modern one - Soyuz-2 with booster block Frigate". Soyuz-2 with booster block Fregat has more flexible capabilities than Molniya-M, due to the higher refueling of the booster block, compared to block L of the Molniya missile, the ability to repeatedly turn on the RB engine, digital system control with terminal guidance and other innovations associated with the rejection of the archaic analog control system.

Characteristics

• Length: 43 440 mm
• Diameter: 10 300 mm
• Launch weight: 305,000 kg

see also

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Links

• . RCC Progress. Retrieved 7 October 2014.

Soviet and Russian rocket and space technology historical RN Operating launch vehicles Launch vehicles under development RN based ICBM RN based SLBM Booster blocks Reusable space systems

An excerpt characterizing Lightning (launcher)

The third party, in which the sovereign had the most confidence, belonged to the court makers of transactions between both directions. The people of this party, for the most part non-military and to which Arakcheev belonged, thought and said what people usually say who have no convictions, but who wish to appear as such. They said that, without a doubt, a war, especially with such a genius as Bonaparte (he was again called Bonaparte), requires the most profound considerations, a deep knowledge of science, and in this matter Pfuel is a genius; but at the same time it is impossible not to admit that theoreticians are often one-sided, and therefore one should not completely trust them, one must listen both to what Pfuel's opponents say, and to what practical people, experienced in military affairs, and from everything say take the average. The people of this party insisted that, by holding the Drissa camp according to the Pfuel plan, they would change the movements of other armies. Although neither one nor the other goal was achieved by this course of action, it seemed better to the people of this party.
The fourth direction was the direction of which the most prominent representative was the Grand Duke, the heir to the Tsarevich, who could not forget his disappointment at Austerlitz, where, as if at a review, he rode in front of the guards in a helmet and tunic, hoping to valiantly crush the French, and, unexpectedly falling into the first line , forcibly left in general confusion. The people of this party had in their judgments both the quality and the lack of sincerity. They were afraid of Napoleon, they saw strength in him, weakness in themselves and directly expressed it. They said: “Nothing but grief, shame and death will come out of all this! So we left Vilna, we left Vitebsk, we will leave Drissa too. The only thing left for us to do wisely is to make peace, and as soon as possible, before we are driven out of Petersburg!”
This view, widely held in higher spheres army, found support both in St. Petersburg and in Chancellor Rumyantsev, who, for other state reasons, also stood for peace.
The fifth were adherents of Barclay de Tolly, not so much as a person, but as a minister of war and commander in chief. They said: “Whatever he is (they always started like that), but he is an honest, efficient person, and there is no one better than him. Give him real power, for war cannot go on successfully without unity of command, and he will show what he can do, as he showed himself in Finland. If our army is organized and strong and retreated to Drissa without suffering any defeats, then we owe this only to Barclay. If now they replace Barclay with Bennigsen, then everything will perish, because Bennigsen had already shown his incapacity in 1807,” said the people of this party.
The sixth, the Bennigsenists, said, on the contrary, that after all there was no one more efficient and more experienced than Bennigsen, and no matter how you turn around, you will still come to him. And the people of this party argued that our entire retreat to Drissa was a shameful defeat and an uninterrupted series of mistakes. “The more mistakes they make,” they said, “the better: at least they will soon realize that this cannot go on. And what is needed is not some kind of Barclay, but a person like Benigsen, who already showed himself in 1807, to whom Napoleon himself gave justice, and such a person who would be willingly recognized as the authority - and such is only one Benigsen.
Seventh - there were faces that always exist, especially under young sovereigns, and who were especially numerous under Emperor Alexander - the faces of the generals and the adjutant wing, passionately devoted to the sovereign, not as an emperor, but as a person who adores him sincerely and disinterestedly, as he adored Rostov in 1805, and seeing in it not only all virtues, but also all human qualities. Although these persons admired the modesty of the sovereign, who refused to command the troops, they condemned this excessive modesty and wished only one thing and insisted that the adored sovereign, leaving excessive distrust of himself, openly announce that he was becoming the head of the army, would amount to the headquarters of the commander-in-chief and, consulting, where necessary, with experienced theoreticians and practitioners, he himself would lead his troops, whom this alone would bring to the highest state of inspiration.

Launch vehicle "Molniya-M"

"Lightning" (GRAU index - 8K78) - a one-time four-stage middle class. Included in the R-7 launch vehicle family.

Designed in OKB-1 in 1959-1960. Manufacturer: GNP RCC "TsSKB-Progress". The design and engine of the third stage (Block "I") are based on the design and engine of the second stage of the R-9A (8K75) combat missile, the design of the 4th stage Block "L" is based on the design of the block "E" of the 8K72 rocket, however, the engine was used fundamentally new, closed circuit and with the ability to launch in zero gravity. It was developed for launching to and, then - for launching lunar vehicles of the E-6 and E-6C series ("Luna-4" - "Luna-14"), for which the control system was significantly modified. Gained fame in connection with the launches of "Lightning" on highly elliptical. Later used to launch warning system satellites missile attack(SPRN) "Oko", also into synchronous highly elliptical orbits.

After the modernization of the engines of the first and second stages, it received the name "Lightning-M". Served as the basis for the creation of three-stage options "Sunrise" and "Soyuz".