Soyuz-U
 A Soyuz-U rocket launching the Soyuz 19 mission, part of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. |
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| Function | Orbital carrier rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | TsSKB-Progress |
| Country of origin | Soviet Union (Russia) |
| Size | |
| Height | 51.1 m for Soyuz-U; 47.3 m for Soyuz-U/Ikar and 46.7 m for Soyuz-U/Fregat |
| Diameter | 10.3 m |
| Mass | 313,000 kg (Soyuz-U); 308,000 kg (Soyuz-U/Ikar and Soyuz-U/Fregat) |
| Stages | 2 (Soyuz-U) or 3 (Soyuz-U/Ikar and Soyuz-U/Fregat) |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 6,900 kg from Baikonur and 6,700 kg from Plesetsk |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | LC-1 & LC-31, Baikonur; LC-16 & LC-43 Plesetsk |
| Total launches | 714 |
| Successes | 695 |
| Failures | 19 |
| Maiden flight | 18 May 1973[1] |
The Soyuz-U launch vehicle (LV) is an improved version of the original Soyuz LV. Soyuz-U is part of the R-7 family of rockets based on the R-7 Semyorka missile. Members of this rocket family were designed by the TsSKB design bureau and constructed at the Progress Factory in Samara, Russia. (These two are now a united company, TsSKB-Progress). The first Soyuz-U flight took place on 18 May, 1973, carrying as its payload Kosmos 559, a Zenit military surveillance satellite.[1]
The Soyuz-U vehicle replaced earlier Soyuz launch vehicle variants and the Voskhod rocket, all of which were closely related vehicles derived from the Soviet R-7 ICBM. The Soyuz-U is a unified, single vehicle capable of launching manned and unmanned payloads.
Soyuz-U is still in use today, making several launches a year.
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Versions
Soyuz-U/Ikar is version of Soyuz-U, using Ikar as its 3rd stage, produced by the same company, TsSKB-Progress. Ikar is used to impove capabilities of Soyuz-U and deliver various payloads with mass 750 kg to 3920 kg to heights 250 km to 1400 km. Ikar's performance is lower than that of Fregat, but it is more precise in maneuvring and autonomously it can operate longer than Fregat.
Another version of Soyuz-U is Soyuz-U/Fregat with Fregat as its 3rd stage, developed and produced by Lavochkin Association in Khimki.
There was also one variant of Soyuz-U, the Soyuz-U2 launcher. It had the same hardware as the basic Soyuz-U, but used a high energy, synthetic kerosene Syntin instead of normal kerosene as the first stage fuel. This variant last flew in 1996, after production of Syntin ended.
Soyuz-U became a basic platform for development of Soyuz-FG launch vehicle, which uses all-new first stage. However, in future both Soyuz-U and Soyuz-FG will be replaced by the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle.
Launches of human spaceflight missions
The first use of a Soyuz-U to launch a human spaceflight mission took place 2 December 1974, when the Soyuz 16 crew was launched in preparation for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). Soyuz 19, which as part of the ASTP docked with the last Apollo spacecraft ever flown, was also launched by a Soyuz-U rocket.[1]
On 6 July 1976 a Soyuz-U launched Soyuz 21, which took a crew of two to the Salyut 5 space station. Many subsequent space station crews were launched on Soyuz-U launchers. The final human spaceflight mission to utilize the Soyuz-U was Soyuz TM-34, a Soyuz ferry flight to the International Space Station.
Recent missions
Lately Soyuz-U vehicles have been used by the Russian Federal Space Agency mostly with Progress-M robotic cargo spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station (ISS).
The most recent Soyuz-U mission launched Progress M-01M to the ISS on 26 November 2008.[2]
Its most recent non-Progress launch was on 14 November 2008, when a Soyuz-U was used to carry the Kosmos-2445 spacecraft to orbit. As of February 2008, a total of 714 Soyuz-U launch vehicles were launched, with 19 launch failures and 695 successes, making it one of the most reliable LVs ever made.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c Mark Wade (26 March 2001). "Soyuz 11A511U". Friends and Partners. http://www.friends-partners.org/partners/mwade/lvs/soya511u.htm.
- ^ The Associated Press (November 26, 2008). "Russia sends upgraded cargo ship to space station". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Nov26/0,4670,EURussiaSpaceStation,00.html. Retrieved on November 30 2008.
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External links
- (PDF) Soyuz Launch Vehicle Users Manual
- Astronautix.com entry on Soyuz-U / 11A511U
- Astronautix.com entry on Soyuz-U2 / 11A511U2
- Russian Federal Space Agency about Soyuz-U
- Russian Federal Space Agency about Soyuz-U/Ikar
- Russian Federal Space Agency about Soyuz-U/Fregat
- Russian Federal Space Agency about Soyuz-U2
- LV's manufacturer TsSKB-Progress about Soyuz-U (in Russian)
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