Soyuz 2 rocket
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| Soyuz 2 (Soyuz 2.1a/2.1b/STK) | |
 A Metop spacecraft ready for the launch atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket. |
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| Fact sheet | |
|---|---|
| Function | Orbital carrier rocket |
| Manufacturer | TsSKB-Progress |
| Country of origin | Russia |
| Size | |
| Height | 46.1 m (151.2 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.95 m (9.67 ft) |
| Mass | 305,000 kg (672,000 lb) |
| Stages | 2 or 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 7,800 kg (17,100 lb) |
| Payload to 800km SSO (With Fregat) |
4,500 kg (9,900 lb) |
| Launch History | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | LC-31/6, Baikonur LC-43 Plesetsk ELS, Centre Spatial Guyanais* * = Under construction |
| Total launches | 3 (2.1a: 2, 2.1b: 1) |
| Successes | 3 |
| Maiden flight | 2.1a: 8 November 2004 2.1b: 27 December 2006 |
| Boosters (Stage 0) | |
| No boosters | 4 |
| Engines | 1 RD-117 |
| Thrust | 1,021.097 kN |
| Specific impulse | 310 sec |
| Burn time | 120 seconds |
| Fuel | LOX/RP-1 |
| First Stage | |
| Engines | 1 RD-118 |
| Thrust | 999.601 kN (224,719 LBf) |
| Specific impulse | 311 sec |
| Burn time | 286 seconds |
| Fuel | LOX/RP-1 |
| Second Stage | |
| Engines | 1 RD-0124 |
| Thrust | 294 kN (66,093 LBf) |
| Specific impulse | 359 sec |
| Burn time | 300 seconds |
| Fuel | LOX/RP-1 |
| Third Stage (Optional) - Fregat | |
| Engines | 1 S5.92 |
| Thrust | 19.6 kN (4,406 LBf) |
| Specific impulse | 327 sec |
| Burn time | 877 seconds |
| Fuel | N2O4/UDMH |
Soyuz 2 is the collective designation for the new generation versions of the Russian Soyuz rocket. In its basic form, it is a carrier rocket for placing payloads into low Earth orbit, however it is often flown with an upper stage, which allows it to lift payloads into higher orbits, such as Molniya and Geosynchronous orbits.
The boosters and two core stages feature uprated engines with improved injection systems, compared to the Soyuz-U. The NPO Lavochkin manufactured Fregat is the most commonly used upper stage.
Soyuz 2 rockets are currently launched from LC-1 and LC-31 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and LC-43 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, launch facilities shared with earlier R-7 derived rockets, including the Soyuz-U and Molniya. A new launch site ELS (l'Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz) is currently being built at the Guiana Space Centre on the northern coast of South America.
Commercial Soyuz 2 flights are contracted by Starsem, and are currently launched from LC-31 at Baikonur. These will move to Kourou when the launch site is completed in 2008.
The Soyuz 2.1 is an advanced version with upgraded digital flight control and telemetry systems. These improvements allow it to be launched from a fixed launch platform, and adjust its heading in flight, whereas the launch platforms for earlier R-7 derived rockets had to be rotated as the rocket could not perform a roll to change its heading in flight. The Soyuz 2 has a higher performance rating, and higher payload capacity than the previous versions of the Soyuz. It has replaced the Molniya-M rocket, and is expected to replace the Soyuz-U and Soyuz-FG rockets which are currently in service alongside it, at some point in the near future. In late 2008, it will take over launches of Progress spacecraft, a role currently filled by the Soyuz-U, and in 2009, it will replace the Soyuz-FG as the carrier rocket for manned Soyuz missions.
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[edit] Suborbital test flight
On 8 November 2004, at 18:30 GMT (21:30 Moscow Time), the first Soyuz-2 carrier rocket, in the Soyuz-2.1a configuration, was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The rocket followed a sub-orbital trajectory, with the third stage and boilerplate payload re-entering over the Pacific Ocean.
[edit] Commercial launches
[edit] MetOp-A
The first attempt at launching a Soyuz 2 to orbit, with the MetOp-A satellite, occurred on 17 July 2006. It was scrubbed two hours before the launch by an automatic sequence, after the onboard computer failed to check the launch azimuth. Fuelling of the rocket was underway at the time, and all launch complex equipment and on-board preliminary checks had proceeded without incident. The rocket was left fuelled on the launch pad, for the next attempt on 18 July.
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (April 2008) |
[edit] Launch history
| Date and Time (GMT) | Configu- ration |
Serial Number | Launch Site | Result | Payload | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 November 2004 18:30 |
Soyuz 2.1a | LC-43, Plesetsk | Success | Zenit-8 (boilerplate) | Suborbital test | |
| 19 October 2006 17:28 |
Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat | LC-31, Baikonur | Success | MetOp | Weather satellite | |
| 24 December 2006 08:34 |
Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat | LC-43, Plesetsk | Success | Meridian | Communi- cations satellite |
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| 27 December 2006 14:28 |
Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat | LC-31, Baikonur | Success | COROT | Astronomy satellite | |
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Scheduled launches |
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| May(TBD) | Soyuz 2.1b | Plesetsk | Cosmos (Persona?) |
Imaging reconnaissance satellite(?) |
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| TBD | Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat | Baikonur | Meteor-M, Universitetskiy- Tatyana-2, Sterkh-2 |
Weather satellite and small piggyback science sats |
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| TBD | Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat | Plesetsk | Meridian-2 | Communi- cations satellite |
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Encyclopedia Astronautica article on Soyuz 2.1 (Note - Rocket is mistakenly called Soyuz ST)
- Encyclopedia Astronautica article on Soyuz 2.1/Fregat (Note - Rocket is mistakenly called Soyuz ST)
- European Space Agency about Soyuz-ST (Russian name Soyuz-STK)
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