Molniya (rocket)
Function | Mediumlaunch vehicle |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Energia |
Country of origin | Soviet Union |
Size | |
Height | 43.44 m |
Diameter | 10.3 m |
Mass | 305,000 kg |
Stages | 4 |
Associated rockets | |
Family | R-7 |
Launch history | |
Status | Retired |
Launch sites | Baikonur,Plesetsk |
Total launches | 40 |
Success(es) | 20 |
Failure(s) | 9 |
Partial failure(s) | 11 |
TheMolniya(Russian:Молния,meaning "lightning" ),GRAUIndex8K78,was a modification of the well-knownR-7 Semyorkarocket and had four stages.[1][2]The rocket was given the nameMolniyadue to the large number ofMolniya communication satellitesthe rockets launched.[3]
The 8K78 resulted from a crash program by theKorolev Bureauto develop a booster for launching planetary probes. A larger third stage was added along with a fourth stage (Blok L) that was designed to fire in-orbit to send the payload out ofLEO(replacing the inaccurate direct ascent of the first generation Luna probes launched on the 8K72) and the core and strap-ons had the new uprated 8D74K first stage engines. The first couple of 8K78s flown used an 8K74 core however vehicles flown in 1962-63 used the older 8K71 core. The 8K74 core returned for vehicles flown in 1964 and later.
The initial 8K78s had a faulty Blok I design that was prone to vibration issues and pump cavitation. The Blok I was redesigned afterward and the improved version was first flown on 11 November 1963. The uprated 8K78M booster was introduced in 1965 but 8K78s continued to fly into 1967.[4][5][6][7]The Molniya also carried earlyVeneraprobes toVenus.[2]
Molniya (E6)was a minor revision adapted forLuna E-6series space probes where the guidance system for the entire launch vehicle was moved to the probe itself.[2]
Characteristics
[edit]- Length: 43.440 m
- Diameter: 10.300 m
- Launch mass: 305,000 kg
- Strap-On Boosters: Blok-B,V,G,D / 4 ×RD-107[2]
- Stage 1: Blok-A /RD-108K[2]
- Stage 2: Blok-I /RD-0108[2]
- Stage 3: Blok-L /S1.5400[2]
Launches
[edit]Molniya rockets were launched 40 times:[2]
Date | Version | Serial No. | LS | Payload | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10.10.1960 | Molniya | L1-4M | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Mars (1a) (1M #1) | Failure |
14.10.1960 | Molniya | L1-5M | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Mars (1b) (1M #2) | Failure |
04.02.1961 | Molniya | L1-7V | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Venera (1a) (1VA #1, Sputnik 7) | Partial failure |
12.02.1961 | Molniya | L1-6V | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Venera 1(1VA #2, Sputnik 8) | Success |
25.08.1962 | Molniya | T103-12 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Venera (2a) (2MV-1 #1, Sputnik 19) | Partial failure |
01.09.1962 | Molniya | T103-13 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Venera (2b) (2MV-1 #2, Sputnik 20) | Partial failure |
12.09.1962 | Molniya | T103-14 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Venera (2c) (2MV-2 #1, Sputnik 21) | Partial failure |
24.10.1962 | Molniya | T103-15 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Mars (1c) (2MV-4 #1, Sputnik 22) | Partial failure |
01.11.1962 | Molniya | T103-16 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Mars 1(2MV-4 #2, Sputnik 23) | Success |
04.11.1962 | Molniya | T103-17 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Mars (2a) (2MV-3 #1, Sputnik 24) | Partial failure |
04.01.1963 | Molniya (E6) | T103-09 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Luna E-6 No.2Luna (4c) (Ye-6 No.2, Sputnik 25) | Partial failure |
03.02.1963 | Molniya (E6) | G103-10 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Luna E-6 No.3Luna (4d) (Ye-6 No.3) | Failure |
02.04.1963 | Molniya (E6) | G103-11 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Luna 4(Ye-6 No.4) | Success |
11.11.1963 | Molniya | G15000-017 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Kosmos 21(Zond (1a)) (3MV-1A #1) | Partial failure |
19.02.1964 | Molniya (M) | T15000-019 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Zond (1b) (3MV-1A #2) | Failure |
21.03.1964 | Molniya (E6) | T15000-020 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Luna (5a) (Ye-6 No.6) | Failure |
27.03.1964 | Molniya (M) | T15000-022 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Kosmos 27(Zond (1c)) (3MV-1 #1) | Partial failure |
02.04.1964 | Molniya (M) | G15000-028? | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Zond 1(3MV-1 #2) | Success |
20.04.1964 | Molniya (E6) | T15000-021 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Luna (5b) (Ye-6 No.5) | Failure |
04.06.1964 | Molniya | G15000-018 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Molniya-1 (1a) (Molniya-1 2L) | Failure |
22.08.1964 | Molniya | G15000-019 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Kosmos 41 (Molniya-1 (1b)) (Molniya-1 1L) | Success |
30.11.1964 | Molniya | G15000-029 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Zond 2(3MV-4 #1) | Success |
12.03.1965 | Molniya (E6) | G15000-024 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Kosmos 60(Luna (5c)) (Ye-6 No.9) | Partial failure |
10.04.1965 | Molniya (E6) | U15000-022 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Luna (5d) (Ye-6 No.8) | Failure |
23.04.1965 | Molniya | U15000-035 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Molniya-1 1(Molniya-1 3L) | Success |
09.05.1965 | Molniya (M) | U15000-024 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Luna 5(Ye-6 No.10) | Success |
08.06.1965 | Molniya (M) | U15000-033 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Luna 6(Ye-6 No.7) | Success |
18.07.1965 | Molniya | U15000-032 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Zond 3(3MV-4 #2) | Success |
14.10.1965 | Molniya | U15000-034 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Molniya-1 2(Molniya-1 4L) | Success |
12.11.1965 | Molniya (M) | U15000-042 | Baikonur LC-31/6 | Venera 2(3MV-4 #3) | Success |
16.11.1965 | Molniya (M) | U15000-031 | Baikonur LC-31/6 | Venera 3(3MV-3 #1) | Success |
23.11.1965 | Molniya (M) | U15000-030 | Baikonur LC-31/6 | Kosmos 96(Venera (4a)) (3MV-4 #4) | Partial failure |
03.12.1965 | Molniya | U15000-048 | Baikonur LC-31/6 | Luna 8(Ye-6 No.12) | Success |
27.03.1966 | Molniya (M) | U15000-040 | Baikonur LC-31/6 | Molniya-1 (3) (Molniya-1 5L) | Failure |
25.04.1966 | Molniya (M) | N15000-037 | Baikonur LC-31/6 | Molniya-1 3 (Molniya-1 6L) | Success |
20.10.1966 | Molniya (M) | N15000-040 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Molniya-1 4 (Molniya-1 7L) | Success |
24.05.1967 | Molniya (M) | N15000-041 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Molniya-1 5 (Molniya-1 8L) | Success |
31.08.1967 | Molniya (M) | N15000-081 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Kosmos 174 (Molniya-1Yu 11L) | Success |
03.10.1967 | Molniya (M) | Ya15000-083 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Molniya-1 6 (Molniya-1 9L) | Success |
22.10.1967 | Molniya (M) | Ya15000-084 | Baikonur LC-1/5 | Molniya-1 7 (Molniya-1 12L) | Success |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Harvey, Brian (5 July 2007).Russian Planetary Exploration: History, Development, Legacy and Prospects.Springer. p. 73.ISBN978-0-387-46343-8.
- ^abcdefghi"Molniya (8K78)".Gunter's Space Page.Retrieved23 October2023.
- ^Reichl, Eugen (2019).The Soviet Space Program - The Lunar Mission Years: 1959 to 1976.Schiffer Publishing Ltd. p. 32.ASIN0764356755.
- ^Encyclopedia Astronautica Molniya-1Archived16 May 2008 at theWayback Machine
- ^Encyclopedia Astronautica Molniya 8K78MArchived8 May 2012 at theWayback Machine
- ^Encyclopedia Astronautica Molniya-2Archived2 June 2012 at theWayback Machine
- ^Lardier, Christian; Barensky, Stefan (2013).The Soyuz Launch Vehicle: The Two Lives of an Engineering Triumph.New York: Springer. p. 156.doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-5459-5.ISBN978-1-4614-5458-8.
"Molniya-M Carrier Rocket".РКЦ Прогресс.Retrieved7 October2014.