Russian Launch Vehicles and their Spacecraft: Thoughts & News

So you are him Gopnik?

Good work mate!

lancelot wrote:Angara 5 has a center core with four side boosters. There were plans for an Angara 3 which had a center core and two site boosters.
It was cancelled so it wouldn't compete with Soyuz.

It has not been developed (cancelled is a little too strong a word..) because the military didn't see a need for it, and the Angara was originally developed for national security payloads. A-3 would be no better than Zenit, which at that time (prior to 2014) they had no qualms about using.

Angara 3 would require no extra tooling and little development effort.

Instead they make a new rocket, Soyuz 5, which will likely use facilities in Baikonur increasing the need to rent Baikonur indefinitively.

True, but A-3 is just a variant of the Angara, and adds nothing except filling a payload capability slot. Soyuz-5 unlocks an entire new category of clustered configurations that can deliver SHLV capability.  Soyuz-5 just makes so much sense.

They can't find the money to develop the hydrogen upper stage for Angara, which has had the hydrogen rocket engine developed and laying fallow for over a decade. This would increase Angara's satellite launch capabilities decreasing the need to launch from lower latitude launch sites outside the Russian Federation. But they can find money to develop whole new rockets using new production RD-171 engines and whole new stages to be launched at Baikonur. Master Chief Rogozin at work.

Firstly, a nation with ~600B USD equivalent in their reserves can certainly afford to fund a hydrolox U/S.  The issue is simply that currently they don't have a pressing case for it yet.  Angara serial manufacture is only now coming online, they don't yet have payloads that require the extra lift, and the cost of developing the stage is just a small part of the deal as you need to  invest big money in hydrogen infrastructure at the pads.   Where will they commit to build LH2 tanks/pumps and rail/truck offloading facilities?  Baikonour?  Its already there from Soviet days and its slowly decaying in the desert as the kazahs won't pay to maintain it.  Plesetsk?  Nope, cuz the military don't want hydrogen. Vostochny?  Not ready yet as they are still building Angara pad stage 1.

Roskosmos will commit money to the KTVK stage when the time is right and the necessary infrastructure is underway. Thats called sensible planning.

Your closing words invoke the Rogozin boogeyman, so thanks for invalidating your own complaints.  Rogozin is just a manager, he doesn't make the decisions, he just announces the consensus.  Despite all the BS thrown at him, he and his team did restore the Vostochny project and curb the corruption/theft by local dodgy contractors, the Angara pad is proceeding nicely, Soyuz 5 looks to be on track and Angara serial manufacturing is across the line and starting to ramp up as testing proceeds.  Those are the only criteria that should be used when judging his performance, not on his social media style or that he might be packing on a few extra pounds....  

Big_Gazza wrote:Your closing words invoke the Rogozin boogeyman, so thanks for invalidating your own complaints.  Rogozin is just a manager, he doesn't make the decisions, he just announces the consensus.  Despite all the BS thrown at him, he and his team did restore the Vostochny project and curb the corruption/theft by local dodgy contractors, the Angara pad is proceeding nicely, Soyuz 5 looks to be on track and Angara serial manufacturing is across the line and starting to ramp up as testing proceeds.  Those are the only criteria that should be used when judging his performance, not on his social media style or that he might be packing on a few extra pounds....

If he does not make decisions he isn't a manager. He's a decoration. With regards to Vostochny's mismanagement, it had to become a national scandal shown on TV for the corruption to be handled and I doubt he had much to do with cleaning it up. He seems to lack both political power and management ability.

miketheterrible wrote:So you are him Gopnik?

Good work mate!

Yup that's me and thanks.

thegopnik wrote:I felt like doing cost comparison launches and payloads between Space X and Roscosmos. Any additional info that I should have added let me know. https://qr.ae/pGnMVJ

It was covered here before, but the sub $100,000,000 launch prices claimed by Space-X are BS. They do not count direct cost offsets from the US government.
And that is not the same thing as Roscosmos and the associated subcontractors being government run. They operate on cost recovery and not on accounting
scams. I posted a video by Ostashko on the real cost to send the two austronauts to space a few months ago but can't find it now.

kvs wrote:

thegopnik wrote:I felt like doing cost comparison launches and payloads between Space X and Roscosmos. Any additional info that I should have added let me know. https://qr.ae/pGnMVJ

It was covered here before, but the sub $100,000,000 launch prices claimed by Space-X are BS.   They do not count direct cost offsets from the US government.
And that is not the same thing as Roscosmos and the associated subcontractors being government run.   They operate on cost recovery and not on accounting
scams.   I posted a video by Ostashko on the real cost to send the two austronauts to space a few months ago but can't find it now.  

Is it somewhere in this thread or another one please let me know, I like running costs and payload comparisons.

The decision on the super-heavy Yenisei project will be made no earlier than the end of 2021

source

SAMARA, May 14. / TASS /. The final decision on the super-heavy launch vehicle project will be made no earlier than the end of 2021, Dmitry Baranov, General Director of the Progress Rocket and Space Center (RSC) [TsSKB-Progress], told reporters on Friday.

“We have issued a draft design for a super-heavy rocket. Yes, perhaps we will have several additional options on the technical design. The main option is being considered - the option that was in the draft design. the technical project is about to end, "he said.

The super-heavy launch vehicle being developed in Russia was named Yenisei. It is planned to use it, among other things, for the lunar program. According to the federal target program, its first launch should be performed in 2028.

The RAS [Russian Academy of Sciences] Space Council recommended that the leadership of the Academy of Sciences and Roscosmos appeal to the President of Russia on the issue of postponing the creation of a super-heavy rocket complex. The decision specifies that the project should work out the most breakthrough, promising and economically viable technologies.

In December 2020, the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin noted that the Russian super-heavy rocket should be created on the basis of new technical solutions. According to him, this launch vehicle needs a fundamentally new main engine, which allows achieving "hot redundancy" and multiple use.

Will they choose to proceed with a Soyuz-5 based kerolox 1st/2nd stack or will they go for Amur-esque modules with Methalox and reuseability?  

Soyuz-5 will be quicker and cheaper as it leverages both current developments and existing technologies.  Amur will ultimately be a technologically superior system with lower operating costs and greater long-term utility, but will take longer and cost significantly more IMHO as it requires new engine designs.

Admittedly, I'm rather in two minds, but I'd rather see a kerolox SHLV first launch in 2028-29 rather than a methalox in 2034-35 (my personal pessimistic estimate).  A kerolox solution is much less likely to be cancelled by any future budget-Nazis if it is based on Soyuz-5 building blocks.

Ideally I think they should proceed with Soyuz-5 based Yenisei SHLV (as per existing prelim design), and after demonstrating Amur, they could consider an evolutionary upgrade of Yenisei with Amur-based modules.  It would likely require a 2nd pad, but the redundancy of have both kerolox and methalox SHLVs would be a strategic bonus.

Place yer bets ladies and gentlement  

http://en.roscosmos.ru/22106/

Specialists of RSC Progress (Samara, part of Roscosmos) have finished welding the first stage oxidizer tank (tank ‘O’) for the new Soyuz-5 launch vehicle. The X-ray inspection confirmed the absence of defects in the welded seams.

Progress specialists have manufactured a full-size simulator of the oxidizer tank of the Soyuz-5 new generation rocket with a diameter of 4100 mm. After the installation of the in-tank equipment, tank ‘O’ will be sent to TsNIIMash (part of Roscosmos) for dynamic tests. Manufacturing of the Soyuz-5 first stage oxidizer tank is a significant milestone in the production of a new generation launch vehicle.

The Soyuz-5 perspective two-stage medium-class launch vehicle is being developed to ensure launches of unmanned spacecraft into sun-synchronous, highly elliptical, transfer and geostationary orbits, including the use of upper stages. The rocket will employ new engines: the first stage main engine is RD-171 MV developed by NPO Energomash and the second-stage engine RD-0124 MS developed by the Voronezh Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (both are parts of Roscosmos). The engines provide close-to-maximum performance and operate on oxygen-naphthyl fuel. The launches of the new carrier rocket are planned from the Baikonur Cosmodrome as part of the Russian-Kazakh Baiterek project.

https://www.kret.com/media/press/kret-vypustil-vosem-tysyach-datchikov-davleniya-dlya-raketnykh-dvigateley/

KRET has produced eight thousand pressure sensors for rocket engines
The products of KRET JSC of Rostec State Corporation are used at the launch of each Russian Soyuz launch vehicle. JSC "Ramenskiy Instrument-Making Plant" (part of JSC "KRET") produces sensors for monitoring the pressure in the combustion chambers of rocket engines. Devices play a significant role in ensuring safety and timely detection of engine problems.

In case of pressure drops in the combustion chamber, the sensors automatically transmit information about changes to the control units. The devices are installed on launch vehicles during the launch of both cargo and manned spacecraft into orbit. For example, KRET equipment was used on the Soyuz-2.1 launch vehicle, which in April launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome and launched a manned transport spacecraft into orbit.

“For many years the Concern has been producing products for the space industry. Our pressure sensors were used to equip the launch vehicle, which, 60 years ago, launched Vostok-1 into orbit, the very ship on which Yuri Gagarin flew into space. The quality of our products remains consistently high. A striking example is the successful launch of the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft on the carrier rocket of which our sensors were used, ”stressed Nikolay Kolesov, Director General of KRET JSC, curator of Novgorod and Mari branches of Soyuzmash Russia.- Pressure sensors for rocket engines are very complex devices. Depending on the type of engine, they can operate under a pressure of 55 to 61.2 atmospheres, which is about 20 times the pressure in car tires. The technology used to develop the sensors is unique. The equipment itself, on which the sensors are produced, has no analogues either - some machines were specially manufactured at the Ramensk Instrument-Making Plant and exist in a single copy. "

The full cycle of production and testing of a pressure sensor is about one and a half months. In this case, the device is designed for one-time use, since the rocket engine is a consumable equipment.

The key partners of RPZ JSC in the rocket and space theme are the leading enterprises of the aviation and space propulsion engineering of Russia, including PJSC Kuznetsov, JSC UEC-Perm Motors, NPO Voronezh Rocket Engine Building Center.

Big_Gazza wrote:
Will they choose to proceed with a Soyuz-5 based kerolox 1st/2nd stack or will they go for Amur-esque modules with Methalox and reuseability?  

Soyuz-5 will be quicker and cheaper as it leverages both current developments and existing technologies.  Amur will ultimately be a technologically superior system with lower operating costs and greater long-term utility, but will take longer and cost significantly more IMHO as it requires new engine designs.

Admittedly, I'm rather in two minds, but I'd rather see a kerolox SHLV first launch in 2028-29 rather than a methalox in 2034-35 (my personal pessimistic estimate).  A kerolox solution is much less likely to be cancelled by any future budget-Nazis if it is based on Soyuz-5 building blocks.

Ideally I think they should proceed with Soyuz-5 based Yenisei SHLV (as per existing prelim design), and after demonstrating Amur, they could consider an evolutionary upgrade of Yenisei with Amur-based modules.  It would likely require a 2nd pad, but the redundancy of have both kerolox and methalox SHLVs would be a strategic bonus.

Place yer bets ladies and gentlement  

Betting the farm on unproven solutions is idiotic. Its sole purpose is to please the masturbatory fantasies of fanboi inadequates such as the cult of Musk.

The transition to reusable CH4 based engines can be made down the line. In the case of the Yanisei, there is simply no volume of production that
would push costs down enough to matter. Russia needs a Zenit replacement and it is 99.9% of the way to getting one.

https://www.interfax.ru/russia/768527

Moscow. May 24. INTERFAX.RU - NPO Energomash has completed a series of engine tests for the manned spacecraft Eagle, they have confirmed the planned service life, Roscosmos reported.

"At the moment, climatic, corrosion and fire life tests of three engine copies have been completed, which experimentally confirmed the assigned service life of 7 years, including 560 days of flight operation in space," said the deputy chief designer for operation and testing of NIIMash (part of Energomash ) Vladimir Murkin, whose words are quoted in the state corporation.

The Rocket and Space Corporation Energia has already delivered 30 "modal models" of the engine for vibrodynamic and thermal vacuum tests, as well as 16 copies of the bench version of the MVSK02-01 engine, specially designed for firing bench tests.

In April, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, announced that the first flight of the Eagle could take place not to the ISS, but to a new Russian orbital station.

On February 20, Rogozin announced that ground tests of the ship would begin before the end of the month.

The spacecraft "Eagle" can be part of the complex for flights to other planets or asteroids, the chief designer of the spacecraft, Igor Khamits, said earlier.

At present, Russia is developing the reusable spacecraft Orel as part of the Federation's research and development work. The first flight of the ship without a crew is scheduled for 2023, with a crew in 2025. The spacecraft is designed to deliver people and cargo to space stations in low-earth orbit, and is also one of the key elements of the existing concept of lunar exploration. To create it, technologies are used that sometimes have no analogues in the world of cosmonautics.

The ship's crew will be up to four people. In the autonomous flight mode, the ship will be able to stay for up to 30 days, while flying as part of an orbital station - up to a year. The total mass of the spacecraft when flying to the orbital station will be equal to 14.4 tons (19 tons when flying to the Moon), the mass of the reentry vehicle is 9 tons. The length of the ship is 6.1 meters.

PapaDragon wrote:

owais.usmani wrote:https://www.interfax.ru/russia/768527

...have no analogues in the world...

If I hear this bullshit phrase just one more f*cking time...

Oh, I see another pattern of anti-Russian propaganda. It is they who promote this hatred to a quite ordinary speech turnover.

According to the resident Musk-loving ninny only Americans and their lickspittles are allowed to run around claiming that they are
best in the world.

Has many shots which I had never seen before. Amazing feat of human engineering!

In Russia, a rocket engine capable of operating for more than 3 thousand seconds has been tested,which is a record. This was announced on Sunday, May 30, by the chief designer of JSC "KB Khimavtomatiki" Viktor Gorokhov on the TV channel "Zvezda".

"We conducted such a long test, and the engine worked not only for 750 seconds per launch, but worked for more than 3 thousand seconds", the specialist said.

For comparison, he pointed out that usually on the first stages of rockets when launching into space, the engines work for about 140 seconds, and the duration of resource tests of the engines of the third stages of rockets is usually no more than 280 seconds.

According to Gorokhov, the new oxygen-kerosene engine is also the most economical, as it is arranged according to a closed circuit.

https://www.roscosmos.ru/31309/

The Progress Rocket and Space Center (part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) underwent comprehensive tests of separation and separation equipment for the assembly and protection unit (SZB) of the scientific energy module (NEM).

The tests were carried out in three stages, for which three experimental installations were manufactured in the Progress RCC. In October 2020, the means of separating the transition compartment from the support compartment were successfully tested. In February 2021, the experimental development of the means of separating the support compartment from the NEM was completed. The third, final stage took place in May - the means of separating the head fairing were tested.

The tests of the separation means were carried out in the order in which the separation process will take place in real operating conditions. They have demonstrated and confirmed the reliable operation of the separation systems and the shockless separation of the transition compartment, support compartment and head fairing. In addition, the operability of the prototypes of the means for separating the compartments of the SZB NEM and the compliance of the obtained data with the requirements of the technical specifications were confirmed.

Btw, did they add a trampoline in the photo to troll PapaDragon?

https://www.roscosmos.ru/31376/

At the Baikonur cosmodrome, planned activities are continuing to prepare for the launch of the Nauka laboratory module to the International Space Station. At site No. 200, a joint crew of specialists from the Yuzhny Space Center (a branch of the Center for the Operation of Ground Space Infrastructure Facilities, part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) took place, after which work began on preparing the units and systems of the launch complex for the upcoming launch.

In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection, all events are held in strict compliance with all epidemiological standards. The launch of the Proton-M carrier rocket with the Nauka laboratory module is scheduled for July 2021 from the launcher No. 39 of the site No. 200 of the Baikonur cosmodrome.

The Nauka laboratory module is a research module of the Russian segment of the International Space Station, developed by the SP Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia. Korolev (equipment of on-board systems and scientific equipment) in cooperation with M.V. Khrunichev (general design and production, part of the State Corporation Roscosmos) in order to expand the functionality of the Russian segment of the ISS.

The "Science" module was created on the constructive and technological basis of the "Zarya" functional cargo block using the experience of designing a transport supply vehicle for manned scientific stations "Salyut" and modules for retrofitting the orbital complex "Mir". It will be located at the nadir port of the Zvezda service module and is intended for the implementation of the Russian program of scientific and applied research and experiments.

After the commissioning of the new module, the Russian segment will receive additional volumes for the arrangement of workplaces and storage of cargo, placement of equipment for the regeneration of water and oxygen, the conditions for the stay of cosmonauts will improve and become more comfortable, and the safety of the entire ISS crew will also increase.

https://tass.ru/kosmos/11682627

MOSCOW, June 17. / TASS /. The launch of the Soyuz-2 rocket in the interests of the country's defense and security is scheduled for June 25. This is stated in the message of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Komi Republic, circulated on Thursday.

"On June 25, 2021, the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket will be launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. The launch will take place in the interests of the country's defense and security. The reserve launch date is set on June 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30, 2021," the message says.

It is most probably the first Pion-NKS, part of the Liana ELINT system.