Zenit (rocket family)
carrier rocket | |
Manufacturer |
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Country of origin | |
Size | |
Height | 57–59.6 m (187–196 ft) |
Diameter | 3.9 m (13 ft) |
Mass | 444,900–462,200 kg (980,800–1,019,000 lb) |
Stages | 2 or 3 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | Zenit-2: 13,740 kg (30,290 lb) |
Payload to SSO | |
Mass | Zenit-2: 11,380 kg (25,090 lb) |
Payload to GTO | |
Mass | Zenit-3SL: 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) |
Launch history | |
Status | Active |
Launch sites | |
Total launches |
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Success(es) |
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Failure(s) |
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Partial failure(s) |
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First flight |
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Last flight |
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First stage | |
Powered by | 1 UDMH |
Zenit (
Zenit-3SL was launched by the
Zenit-3SL has launched 36 times with 32 successes, one partial success, and three failures. The first failure, the launch of a
On September 24, 2011
History
The Zenit-2 was the first Zenit to be designed for use as an orbital carrier rocket. It consists of two stages. The first uses an
Two launch facilities were constructed for the Zenit at Baikonour, however the second was only ever used twice. On October 4, 1990, an attempted launch of a Tselina-2 naval reconnaissance satellite ended in disaster as the booster suffered a first stage engine failure seconds into launch and fell back onto the pad, which was severely damaged in the ensuing explosion. The failure was traced to a leak in a LOX line that caused a fire in the thrust section of the booster. Estimated repair costs were about 45 million rubles, but the collapse of the Soviet Union meant that there were no funds available, so the pad was abandoned.
Following two failures in 1991–92 both caused by the second stage, the Zenit was on the verge of being cancelled entirely, but a successful flight in November 1992 saved the program.
The rate of Zenit launches slowed to a trickle during the 1990s due to the severely cash-strapped Russian Federation, and also because of Russia's reluctance to fly military payloads on a booster manufactured in now-independent Ukraine. On May 20, 1997, a launch of a Tselina-2 satellite failed when the first stage shut down 48 seconds into launch. The booster crashed downrange.
During the 2000s, Zenit would find a new lease on life as the basis of the international Sea Launch project whereby commercial flights would be undertaken from an offshore launch platform. The basic Zenit booster received several upgrades to the propulsion and avionics systems for Sea Launch as well as a third stage, and the first test with a dummy payload was carried out on March 27, 1999. In October, a Direct TV 1-R satellite was orbited successfully. An ICO F-1 comsat was lost in March 2000 due to a second stage guidance malfunction. There followed eight consecutive successful launches until Apstar 5 in 2004 suffered a premature third stage shutdown that left it in an incorrect orbit, but the satellite's onboard engines corrected it.
After nine successful launches, the Zenit produced a repeat performance of the 1990 disaster when on January 30, 2007, the first stage lost thrust and exploded. The flame deflector on the Sea Launch platform broke off and sank into the water. Loose debris had been sucked into a turbopump, resulting in engine failure.
By the late 2000s, the Zenit program at Baikonour was reviving and would see considerable success.
On February 1, 2013, an Intelsat satellite launched from the Sea Launch Odyssey platform in the equatorial Pacific. The nighttime launch performed nominally for about 20 seconds when the first stage abruptly lost thrust. Approximately 40 seconds after liftoff, all telemetry data ceased. Subsequent investigation showed that the Zenit had begun deviating from its flight path when the pitch and roll maneuver started. The onboard computer sensed an abnormal situation and sent an automatic shutdown command to the first stage at T+23 seconds, and impact with the ocean occurred about one minute after liftoff. Ultimately, the failure was traced to a defective hydraulic pump that controlled gimbaling of the first stage engines. This resulted in the booster starting an uncontrolled rolling motion which caused the computer system to terminate all thrust. Although anomalous conditions began around T+11 seconds, the Zenit's flight computer was "locked" to prevent engine shutdown until at least 20 seconds after liftoff so the booster would not come down on or near the launch complex. Impact occurred about two miles downrange, but attempts to recover booster debris were unsuccessful.
In February 2015, following a year of strained relations as a result of a
Strained relations between Ukraine and Russia after 2014 have led to
Despite the ongoing conflict between the two governments, a Zenit rocket was launched in December 2017, after a two-year hiatus, to deliver AngoSat 1.[8]
Production
The first and the second stages of the Zenit were designed by Yuzhnoye and are manufactured by
Variants
Zenit-2
The Zenit-2 was the first member of the rocket family. It consists of two stages. The first uses an
Energia booster
The Zenit first stage was used as a strap-on booster rocket for the
Zenit 2M and 2SLB
Zenit 2M is a new version of the Zenit 2 with an upgraded control system and modernized engines.
Zenit-3SL
Zenit-3SL is a three-stage carrier rocket developed for and used by the Sea Launch consortium.
It combines:[12]
- two-stage Zenit-2S built by Yuzhmash
- Energia
- nose-cone enclosure for protection of payload during launch, provided by Boeing.
Rockets used by Sea Launch are assembled in Long Beach, California. Launches occur from the Ocean Odyssey offshore launch platform, situated at the equator. Ocean Odyssey is also used to transport rockets to the launch site. The most recent launch of a Zenit-3SL occurred on 11 December 2015. The RD-171 engine of the Zenit-3SL first stage, and most of the control system of -3SL missiles were made in Russia.[13] However, according to the same source, it is not clear if Russia's component suppliers are still working together with Yuzhmash as of this date.
Zenit 3M and 3SLB
The Zenit-3M is a Zenit-2M with the
Zenit-3F
The Zenit-3F, also known as the Zenit-2SB/Fregat, is a 3-stage derivative of the Zenit-2M, using a
Specifications
Overview
Zenit-2 | Zenit-3SL | |
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Stages | 2 | 3 |
Total length | 57 m
|
59.6 m |
Total empty mass | 37,600 kg | 40,320 kg |
Total gross mass | 444,900 kg | 462,200 kg |
Payload | 13.74 tonne to LEO | ≈6 tonne to GTO |
Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome | Sea Launch ocean platform |
Launches | 21 (6 failed) as of 10 June 2004 | 31 (3 failed, 1 partial success) as of 1 February 2013 |
Success ratio | 71.4% | 91.1% |
Price per launch | ~$45 million | ~$90 million |
Payload capacities
Two stage version (Zenit-2)
Payload to LEO
|
13,740 kg | |
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Payload to PEO | 5,000 kg | |
Payload to GEO | Not designed for GEO |
Three stage version (Zenit-3SL)
Payload to LEO | 6,100 kg, 3rd stage structural limitation | |
---|---|---|
Payload to MEO | 3,965 kg (10,000 km, 45°) | |
Payload to GEO | 1840 kg | |
Payload to GTO | 5,250 kg (upgraded to 6,000+ kg) |
Launches
See also
References
- ^ Израиль корит Роскосмос за невыполненные обязательства (in Russian). Izvestia. 2008-05-06. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
- ^ a b c "Land Launch User's Guide Revision B" (PDF). Space International Services. 1 October 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ Harvey, Brian (2007). The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program. Chichester, UK: Praxis. pp. 167–175.
- ^ Bergin, Chris (1 February 2013). "Sea Launch Zenit 3SL with Intelsat 27 fails during first stage flight". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
- ^ Messier, Doug (6 February 2015). "Russia Severing Ties With Ukraine on Dnepr, Zenit Launch Programs". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ "Russia No Longer Interested In Ukrainian Built Launch Vehicles". SatNews. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ "How Crimea fractured Ukraine's space program". SpaceNews.com. 7 June 2016.
- ^ Zak, Anatoly. "Zenit delivers Angosat-1, but the spacecraft breaks contact with ground control". Russian Space Web. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ "Sea Launch: the Twenty-Fifth Launch of Zenit-3SL". Yuzhnoye. 2008-01-21. Archived from the original on 2013-11-11.
- ISBN 978-0-387-73984-7.
- ^ "Ukrainian Zenit rocket makes its return to flight". Spaceflight Now.
- ^ "Sea Launch Receives Zenit-3SL Hardware for Next Launches". Sea Launch. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.
- ^ Sudakov, Dmitry (26 July 2017). "Ukraine kills Antonov aircraft maker". PravdaReport. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Spacecraft Design". Astro Space Center of Lebedev Physical Institute.
- ^ "Angola's first communications satellite lifts off from Kazakhstan". Spaceflightnow.
External links
- Zenit Family
- Information at Encyclopedia Astronautica
- Information at National Space Agency of Ukraine
- Information at Buran web site
- Information at Orbital Report News Agency