Molniya (rocket)
{{Short description|Soviet rocket}}
{{Other uses|Molniya (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox Rocket
|name = Molniya (R-7 8K78)
|image = Molniya launch vehicle - panoramio.jpg
|caption = Molniya-M carrier rocket
|country-origin = Soviet Union
|manufacturer = Energia
|function = Medium launch vehicle
|height = 43.44 m
|diameter = 10.3 m
|mass = 305,000 kg
|stages = 4
|family = R-7
|comparable =
|status = Retired
|launches = 40
|success = 20
|fail = 9
|partial =11
|first =
|last =
}}
The Molniya ({{langx|ru|Молния}}, meaning "lightning"), GRAU Index 8K78, was a modification of the well-known R-7 Semyorka rocket and had four stages.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jKmIclMIwPAC&q=molniya+orbit+OKB-1+history&pg=PA73|page=73|isbn=978-0-387-46343-8|title=Russian Planetary Exploration: History, Development, Legacy and Prospects|last1=Harvey|first1=Brian|date=2007-07-05|publisher=Springer }}{{Cite web |title=Molniya (8K78) |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/molniya.htm |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} The rocket was given the name Molniya due to the large number of Molniya communication satellites the rockets launched.{{cite book |last1=Reichl |first1=Eugen |title=The Soviet Space Program - The Lunar Mission Years: 1959 to 1976 |date=2019 |publisher=Schiffer Publishing Ltd |page=32 |id={{ASIN|0764356755|country=au}} }}
History
The 8K78 resulted from a crash program by the Korolev Bureau to 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 of LEO (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.[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/molniya1.htm Encyclopedia Astronautica Molniya-1] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516082459/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/molniya1.htm |date=16 May 2008 }}[http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/mol8k78m.htm Encyclopedia Astronautica Molniya 8K78M] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508193711/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/mol8k78m.htm |date=8 May 2012 }}[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/molniya2.htm Encyclopedia Astronautica Molniya-2 ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602210633/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/molniya2.htm |date=2 June 2012 }}{{Cite book |last1=Lardier |first1=Christian |url=https://archive.org/details/soyuzlaunchvehic0000lard |title=The Soyuz Launch Vehicle: The Two Lives of an Engineering Triumph |last2=Barensky |first2=Stefan |date=2013 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4614-5458-8 |location=New York |pages=156 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4614-5459-5 |url-access=registration}} The Molniya also carried early Venera probes to Venus.
Molniya (E6) was a minor revision adapted for Luna E-6 series space probes where the guidance system for the entire launch vehicle was moved to the probe itself.
Characteristics
Launches
Molniya rockets were launched 40 times:
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Date !Version !Serial No. !LS !Payload !Result |
| 10.10.1960
|Molniya |L1-4M |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.2 Luna (4c) (Ye-6 No.2, Sputnik 25) |{{Partial failure}} |
| 03.02.1963
|Molniya (E6) |G103-10 |Baikonur LC-1/5 |Luna E-6 No.3 Luna (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 |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
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{cite web|title=Molniya-M Carrier Rocket|url=http://samspace.ru/products/launch_vehicles/rn_molniya/|publisher=РКЦ Прогресс|access-date=7 October 2014}}
{{Russian launch vehicles}}
{{Expendable launch systems}}
{{R-7 rockets}}
{{commons category|Molniya (rocket)}}