Russian Launch Vehicles and their Spacecraft: Thoughts & News

thegopnik wrote:what benefits does oxygen-naphthyl have over kerosene or methane?

thegopnik wrote:what benefits does oxygen-naphthyl have over kerosene or methane?

RD-0124MS with a thrust in the void of 60 tons runs on liquid oxygen and naphthyl
MOSCOW, 31 December. /TASS/. Specialists of the Voronezh Center for Rocket Engine Building have successfully completed the first long-term fire test of a new naphthyl-based RD-0124MS rocket engine designed for the second stage of the promising Soyuz-5 launch vehicle. This was announced on Saturday in Roskosmos.

"As part of the development tests, the engine with full-size nozzles for the first time worked on a firing stand for a time that was 40% longer than the standard flight life laid down in the technical specifications as part of a rocket. The engine was started and stopped in accordance with the test program," the report says.

The RD-0124MS liquid-propellant rocket engine with a thrust in the void of 60 tons runs on liquid oxygen and naphthyl. It consists of two blocks located on a common frame, each of the blocks includes two cameras. The engine provides swinging of the chambers in two planes, as well as operation when one of the units is turned off, including at a reduced thrust mode.

Soyuz-5 is being developed for the Russian-Kazakh project Baiterek. In 2018, a protocol was signed on amending the agreement between the governments of Kazakhstan and Russia on the creation of the Baiterek complex at Baikonur dated December 22, 2004. It determines the obligations of the parties under the project, the withdrawal from the lease and the transfer to the Kazakh side of the objects of the ground-based space infrastructure of the Zenit-M complex for modernization.

Kazakhstan is responsible for the creation of ground infrastructure through the modernization of the Zenit-M complex. Russia is developing the Soyuz-5 rocket, which is planned to be launched from there. The first launch is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023.

The Bailiff Service of the Republic of Kazakhstan informs that the property of TsENKI (Center for the Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure), located in Kazakhstan, has been arrested. The company, which is a subsidiary of the state-owned Roscosmos, is prohibited from withdrawing wealth and assets from Kazakhstan. The travel ban also extended to the head of the unit - until the end of the investigative actions, he cannot leave Kazakhstan.

The ban on the use of resources and the conduct of financial transactions, as well as the instability of negotiating positions in general, slows down the priority area of ​​work at Baikonur  - the construction of a new launch pad for the Soyuz-5 rocket. Such a kind of "weightlessness" can turn into a financial "black hole" - 62 billion rubles have been spent on a rocket, which, due to the lack of a launch pad, may no longer fly anywhere . On the joint project "Baiterek" it is also possible, apparently, to put an end to it, as well as on the whole idea to replace the Ukrainian "Zenith" with our own development.

Many cite “incorrect behavior” and harsh statements by the new head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, as the main reason for such actions. Back in 2022, when it came to postponing construction by six months, he criticized the delays in launching the launch pad , in particular, the Minister of Communications of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Bagdat Musin, who is engaged in the space industry in Kazakhstan.

In turn, Bagdat Musin calls the criticism of Yuri Borisov a " diplomatic miscalculation ." Our sources explained that Mr. Musin is using the situation for his own PR. It is obvious that he has good skills in undercover diplomacy. This is evidenced by his rapid career growth, as well as a penchant for excessive theatrical attacks. Our people love politicians who show their independence to Russia, and Musin is happy to once again play for the public by playing the card of independence.

Despite the fact that cooperation in the field of space is beneficial for both countries, it is not clear why Bagdat Batyrbekovich is trying to drive a wedge between Tokayev and Putin. Moreover, he uses various methods to denigrate Yuri Borisov. Sources of the kz4.news editorial office express fears that the actions of our minister can really lead to disagreements, which will primarily affect our economy and the development of the research base.

The actions of officials can turn into a serious blow to the entire bilateral space and research program. There is still no replacement for Baikonur, which has a unique geographical location, and there will never be. Maybe officials should calm down their personal ambitions in such a turbulent time, or go to aggravate the conflict.

My comrades from the Central Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering near Moscow sent this video, where dynamic tests of the experimental installation of the oxidizer tank of the first stage of the two-stage promising soyuz-5 semi-heavy launch vehicle (developed at the Samara Progress Rocket and Space Center) are currently underway.

My heart is glad that you guys continue the work we started in 2018. Do not give up, no matter how difficult it is now, and no matter how much you are dissuaded from moving further russian rocketry.

Launch vehicle "Start-1M" will be created in Russia

MOSCOW, 13 April. /TASS/. The Start-1M conversion launch vehicle was developed in the Russian Federation, its model was first presented at the Sphere congress, a TASS correspondent reports on Thursday from the scene.

According to the information presented at the stand of the Agat organization, the developer is the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (part of Roscosmos). "The complex provides for the preparation and launch of spacecraft (spacecraft - TASS note) weighing 150-700 kg into orbits with an altitude of 200-1,500 km from the Vostochny and Plesetsk cosmodromes," the organization's materials say.

It is clarified that the advantages of the complex are the high efficiency of removing the load, the low cost of the rocket, increased reliability, and the ability to use the existing infrastructure.

"JSC" Organization "Agat" took part in the assessment of the economic efficiency of the use of the complex," the materials say.