rokot
{{Short description|Russian space launch vehicle}}
{{Distinguish|Rokot Airport}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox rocket
| name = Rockot (Rokot)
| image = Rokot Rocket.jpg
| upright = 1.0
| caption = Rokot launch vehicle
| function = Orbital launch vehicle
| manufacturer = Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center
| country-origin = Soviet Union
| cpl = {{US$|41.8 million}}{{Cite web |title=Surplus Missile Motors: Sale Price Drives Potential Effects on DOD and Commercial Launch Providers |url=https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-17-609 |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=US Government Accountability Office |language=en}}
| height = {{cvt|29|m}}
| diameter = {{cvt|2.5|m}}
| mass = {{cvt|107000|kg}}
| stages = 3
| capacities =
{{Infobox Rocket/Payload|mass={{cvt|1950|kg}}|location=Low Earth orbit}}
{{Infobox Rocket/Payload|mass={{cvt|1200|kg}}|location=Sun-synchronous orbit}}
| status = Retired
| sites = Baikonur, 175/1
Plesetsk, 133/3
| first = 20 November 1990
26 December 1994 (orbital)
| last = 26 December 2019
| launches = 34
| success = 31
| partial = 1
| fail = 2
| stagedata = {{Infobox Rocket/Stage
| type = stage
| stageno = First
| height = {{cvt|17.2|m}}
| diameter = {{cvt|2.5|m}}
| engines = 3 RD-0233 (15D95)
1 RD-0234 (15D96)
| SI = {{cvt|310|isp}}
| burntime = 120 seconds
}}
{{Infobox Rocket/Stage
| type = stage
| stageno = Second
| height = {{cvt|2.8|m}}
| diameter = {{cvt|2.5|m}}
| engines = 1 RD-0235 (15D113)
1 RD-0236 (15D114)
| SI = {{cvt|310|isp}}
| burntime = 180 seconds
}}
{{Infobox Rocket/Stage
| type = stage
| stageno = Third
| name = Briz-KM
| engines = 1 S5.98M
| thrust = {{cvt|19.6|kN}}
| SI = {{cvt|326|isp}}
| burntime = 3,000 seconds
}}
}}
Rokot ({{langx|ru|Рокот}} meaning Rumble or Boom), also transliterated Rockot, was a Soviet Union (later Russian) space launch vehicle that was capable of launching a payload of {{convert|1,950|kg}} into a {{convert|200|km|adj=on}} Earth orbit with 63° inclination. It was based on the UR-100N (SS-19 Stiletto) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), supplied and operated by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. The first launches started in the 1990s from Baikonur Cosmodrome out of a silo. Later commercial launches commenced from Plesetsk Cosmodrome using a launch ramp specially rebuilt from one for the Kosmos-3M launch vehicle. The cost of the launcher itself was about US$15 million in 1999;{{cite book|last=Harvey|first=Brian|title=The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program|publisher=Springer|location=Germany|year=2007|edition=1st|chapter=Launchers and engines|isbn=978-0-387-71354-0}}{{cite web |url=http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/rokot.htm|title=Rokot|publisher=Encyclopedia Astronautica|access-date=16 September 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522020752/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/rokot.htm|archive-date=22 May 2013}} The contract with European Space Agency (ESA) for launching Swarm in September 2013 was worth €27.1 million (US$36 million).{{cite web|url=http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1309/12rockot/|title=Rockot launch clears way for long-delayed ESA mission|author=Stephen Clark|publisher=Spaceflight Now|date=12 September 2013|access-date=16 September 2013}}
Specifications
Rokot's total mass was 107 tonnes, its length 29 metres and its maximum diameter 2.5 metres. The liquid-fueled launch vehicle comprised three stages. The lower two were based on the Soviet UR-100N ICBM; the first stage used an RD-0233 / RD-0234 engine complex, while the second stage used an RD-0235. The third stage was a Briz-KM ({{langx|ru|Бриз-КМ}} meaning Breeze-KM), which has a mass of about 6 tonnes when fuelled, and is capable of flying for 7 hours and reigniting its engine six times during flight, allowing different satellites to be placed into different orbits. All stages used unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) as fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) as oxidiser. The Strela is a similar rocket, also based on the SS-19.
History
File:Подготовка ракеты Рокот к старту.png
The first suborbital test launch succeeded on 20 November 1990 from Baikonur Cosmodrome. On 26 December 1994, Rokot brought its first satellite into Earth orbit. In 1995, Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center formed a company with German DaimlerBenz Aerospace to market Rokot launches for commercial use. Later, the company was renamed to Eurockot Launch Services. Eurockot bought 45 Rokots from the Russian strategic missile forces to build its inventory. In 2000, Eurokot was partly bought by the German company Astrium GmbH, a shareholder of Arianespace. Astrium then held 51% of Eurockot's shares, while Khrunichev held 49%.
Although there are several silos in Baikonur capable of launching Rokots, it was decided to build an open, non-siloed launch pad at Plesetsk Cosmodrome instead. This is because of concerns that the amount of noise generated during a silo-based launch would damage satellites. In the new pad, Rokot was wheeled up to the structure in a vertical position, and then embraced by its launch tower. The payload was lifted by a crane and placed on top of the bottom two stages. The procedure was in contrast to other Russian launchers, which had traditionally been assembled horizontally and then transferred to the launch site via railways. The first launch from Plesetsk took place on 16 May 2000.
After six entirely successful launches, a launch failure occurred on 8 October 2005, leading to the loss of the European Space Agency's CryoSat spacecraft. The launch vehicle's second stage main engine did not shut down properly, leading to a catastrophic failure and the automatic termination of the launch mission by the onboard computer. As a result, the payload was lost. Following the failed CryoSat launch, all Rokot launches were suspended until the cause of the failure was identified. The root cause was unambiguously identified; it was a failure in programming of the Briz-KM (which was contracted to the company JSC "Khartron"). The failure of this high-profile mission led to major reforms in Khrunichev: the director of the company Alexander Medvedev was dismissed, new launch procedures were introduced, the lines of management were straightened out to catch errors and the new Khrunichev chief, Viktor Nesterov, was required to report directly to the head of the Russian Space Agency, Anatoli Perminov. Corrective measures for Rokot's return-to-flight were implemented for the South Korean KOMPSAT-2 Earth observation satellite launch which took place successfully on 28 July 2006. The Korean side reportedly praised the level of service they received, encouraging the Rokot team to rebuild its order book.
Another launch failure occurred in February 2011, when a Briz-KM malfunction{{cite web|script-title=ru:Военный спутник, запущенный на "Рокоте", скорее всего, утрачен |url=http://www.rian.ru/defense_safety/20110201/329151467.html|agency=RIA Novosti|access-date=1 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204194009/http://www.rian.ru/defense_safety/20110201/329151467.html|archive-date=4 February 2011|language=ru|date=1 February 2011|url-status=dead}} resulted in the Geo-IK-2 No.11 (Kosmos-2470) satellite being placed into a lower orbit than planned.
The Rokot version with a Ukrainian control system stopped flying after 2019, due to Ukraine's ban on technology exports to Russia.{{cite news |url=https://www.interfax.ru/russia/626327|title=Последний запуск ракет "Рокот" с украинской системой управления состоится до 2020 года|language=ru|trans-title=Last Rokot launcher with Ukrainian control system will fly before 2020|agency=Interfax|date=23 August 2018|access-date=24 October 2018}} Rokot had its final flight on 26 December 2019.{{cite web |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/12/rokot-final-launch-three-gonets-m-satellites/ |title=Rokot conducts final launch – carries three Gonets-M satellites to orbit |author=William Graham |publisher=NASASpaceFlight.com|date=26 December 2019|access-date=27 December 2019}} A fully Russian-made Rokot light carrier rocket, named Rokot-M, was expected to begin operations in 2024.{{cite web |url=https://tass.com/science/1446563 |title=Russia's Rokot-M carrier rocket to be launched in 2024 — Khrunichev Center |work=TASS |date=3 May 2022 |access-date=4 May 2022}} The Rokot-M launch vehicle is intended for the Russian defense department.{{cite web|url=https://ria.ru/20200615/1572959465.html|title=Запуск ракеты "Рокот" без украинских деталей запланировали на 2022 год |language=ru|trans-title=First launch of Rokot without Ukrainian parts is planned for 2022|agency=RIA Novosti|date=15 June 2020|access-date=5 July 2020}}
Launch history
=Rokot=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| scope="col" | Flight No.
! scope="col" | Date / time (UTC) ! scope="col" | Rocket, ! scope="col" | Launch site ! scope="col" | Payload ! scope="col" | Payload mass ! scope="col" | Orbit ! scope="col" | Customer ! scope="col" | Launch |
|---|
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;| 1
| 20 November 1990 | Rokot/Briz-K | Experimental Payload | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" | Suborbital test flight |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;| 2
| 20 December 1991 | Rokot/Briz-K | Experimental Payload | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" | Suborbital test flight |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;| 3
| 26 December 1994 | Rokot/Briz-K | Radio-ROSTO | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" | First orbital mission. Amateur radio satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;| N/A
| 22 December 1999 | Rokot/Briz-K | RSVN-40 | | | | {{Failure|Precluded}} |
| colspan="8" | No launch, launch vehicle irreparably damaged during preparation. Experimental payload. |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;| 4
| 16 May 2000 | Rokot/Briz-KM | SimSat-1 and 2 | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" |Iridium-mock-ups |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;| 5
| 17 March 2002 | Rokot/Briz-KM | GRACE-1 and 2 | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" | NASA research satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;| 6
| 20 June 2002 | Rokot/Briz-KM | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" | Communication satellites |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;| 7
| 30 June 2003 | Rokot/Briz-KM | MIMOSA | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" | NLS satellites and Monitor-E-Mockup |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|8
| 30 October 2003 | Rokot/Briz-KM | SERVIS-1 | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" |Japanese test satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|9
| 26 August 2005 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Monitor-E1 | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" |Earth observation satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|10
| 8 October 2005 | Rokot/Briz-KM | CryoSat | | | | {{Failure}} |
| colspan="8" |Earth observation satellite. Launch terminated after 2nd stage main engine was not shut down correctly, resulting in an explosion, causing the vehicle to exceed its flight envelope limit and thereby causing the automatic termination of the launch and the re-entry of the combined Rokot 2nd stage/3rd stage/CryoSat spacecraft stack |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|11
| 28 July 2006 | Rokot/Briz-KM | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" |Earth observation satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|12
| 23 May 2008 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Kosmos 2437 | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" |Communications and amateur radio satellites |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|13
| 17 March 2009 | Rokot/Briz-KM | GOCE{{cite web|url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/GOCE/ESA_launches_Earth_Explorer_mission_GOCE|title=ESA launches Earth Explorer mission GOCE|publisher=ESA|date=17 March 2009|access-date=16 February 2016}} | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" |ESA Earth observation satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|14
| 6 July 2009 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Kosmos 2451 | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" |Communications satellites |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|15
| 2 November 2009 | Rokot/Briz-KM | SMOS | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" |SMOS: ESA Earth-observation satellite; PROBA-2: Sun-observation satellite testing a new spacecraft platform |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|16
| 2 June 2010 | Rokot/Briz-KM | SERVIS-2 | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" |Japanese test satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|17
| 8 September 2010 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Gonets-M-2 | | | | {{Success}} |
| colspan="8" |Communications satellites |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|18
| 1 February 2011 | Rokot/Briz-KM | | | | {{Failure}} |
| colspan="8" |Geodesy satellite. Upper stage malfunction, reached lower orbit than planned. |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|19
| 28 July 2012 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Gonets-M-3 | | | |
| colspan="8" |Communications and amateur radio satellites |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|20
| 15 January 2013 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Kosmos 2482 | | | | {{Partial failure}}{{cite news|title=Russia's Rokot Launch Vehicle Also Readying for Return to Flight |author=Marcia Smith |date=August 6, 2013 |url=https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/russias-rokot-launch-vehicle-also-readying-for-return-to-flight/ |website=spacepolicyonline.com|access-date=March 15, 2023}} |
| colspan="8" |Communications satellites. Briz-KM failed around the time of spacecraft separation, resulting in the loss of one satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|21
| 11 September 2013 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Gonets-M-5 | | | | {{Success}}{{cite web |last1=Bergin |first1=Chris |title=Russian Rokot launch vehicle lofts three Gonets-M satellites |date=12 September 2013 |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/09/russian-rockot-three-gonets-m-satellites/ |publisher=NASASpaceflight.com |access-date=22 March 2020}} |
| colspan="8" |Communications satellites |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|22
| 22 November 2013 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Swarm A/B/C | | | | {{Success}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25028502|title=Esa's satellite Swarm launch to map Earth's magnetism|last=Amos|first=Jonathan|date=22 November 2013|publisher=BBC News}} |
| colspan="8" |Magnetosphere research satellites; Briz-km failed deorbit burn |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|23
| 25 December 2013 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Kosmos 2488 | | | | {{Success}}{{cite web |last1=Bergin |first1=Chris |title=Russian Rokot lofts three Rodnik satellites |date=25 December 2013 |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/12/russian-rokot-three-rodnik-satellites/ |publisher=NASASpaceflight.com |access-date=22 March 2020}} |
| colspan="8" |Communications satellites |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|24
| 23 May 2014 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Kosmos 2496 | | | |
| colspan="8" |Communications satellites |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|25
| 3 July 2014 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Gonets-M-8 | | | |
| colspan="8" |Communications satellites |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|26
| 31 March 2015 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Gonets-M-11 | | | | {{Success}}{{cite web |last1=Bergin |first1=Chris |title=Russian Rokot lofts another Gonets-M trio |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/03/russian-rokot-lofts-gonets-trio/ |website=NASASpaceflight.com |date=31 March 2015 |access-date=18 March 2020}} |
| colspan="8" |Communications satellites |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|27
| 23 September 2015 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Kosmos 2507 | | | |
| colspan="8" |Communications satellites |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|28
| 16 February 2016 | Rokot/Briz-KM | | | | {{Success}}{{cite web|url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-3/Third_Sentinel_satellite_launched_for_Copernicus|title=Third Sentinel satellite launched for Copernicus|publisher=ESA|date=16 February 2016|access-date=16 February 2016}} |
| colspan="8" |ESA earth observation satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|29
| 4 June 2016 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Kosmos 2517 (Geo-IK-2 No.12) | | | | {{Success}}{{cite news |title= Russian Rokot launches Geo-IK-2 – annoys environmentalists |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/06/russian-rokot-launches-geo-ik-2-environmentalists/ |work=NASASpaceflight.com |first1=William |last1=Graham |first2=Chris |last2=Bergin |date=4 June 2016}} |
| colspan="8" |Geodesy satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|30
| 13 October 2017 | Rokot/Briz-KM | | | |
| colspan="8" |Earth observation satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|31
| 25 April 2018 | Rokot/Briz-KM | | | |
| colspan="8" |Earth observation satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|32
| 30 November 2018 | Rokot/Briz-KM |Kosmos 2530 | | | |
| colspan="8" |Communications satellites. After launch, NORAD tracked another object (besides the Briz-KM upper stage) which could possibly be a fourth satellite.{{Cite web|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/rodnik-block16.html|title=Russian military launches a fresh satellite cluster|website=www.russianspaceweb.com|access-date=2018-12-02}} |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|33
| 30 August 2019 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Kosmos 2540 (Geo-IK-2 No.13) | | | |
| colspan="8" |Geodesy satellite |
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|34
| 26 December 2019 | Rokot/Briz-KM | Gonets-M-14 | | | | {{Success}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/12/rokot-final-launch-three-gonets-m-satellites/|title=Rokot conducts final launch – carries three Gonets-M satellites to orbit|date=2019-12-26|access-date=2020-03-06|website=NASASpaceFlight.com|last=Graham|first=William}} |
| colspan="8" |Final flight of Rokot; Communications and geodesy satellites; |
=Rokot-M=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| scope="col" | Flight No.
! scope="col" | Date / time (UTC) ! scope="col" | Rocket, ! scope="col" | Launch site ! scope="col" | Payload ! scope="col" | Payload mass ! scope="col" | Orbit ! scope="col" | Customer ! scope="col" | Launch |
|---|
| scope="row" rowspan = 2 style="text-align:center;|1
| data-sort-value="December 2024" | {{abbr|NET|No earlier than}} December 2024 {{cite web |last=Moskvich |first=Yekaterina |url= https://tass.com/science/1446563/|title=Russia's Rokot-M carrier rocket to be launched in 2024 — Khrunichev Center |work=TASS | date= 4 May 2022 |access-date=30 March 2024}} | Rokot-M/Briz-KM2 | No Payload (Test Flight) | | | | TBD |
| colspan="8" |First test flight of Rokot-M/Briz-KM2 |
See also
References
External links
{{Commons category|Rockot}}
- [http://www.khrunichev.ru/ Website of Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center], Launch Service Provider
- [http://www.russianspaceweb.com/rockot.html Rockot history] on RussianSpaceWeb.com
{{Universal Rocket}}
{{Russian launch vehicles}}
{{Expendable launch systems}}
Category:Space launch vehicles of Russia
Category:Universal Rocket (rocket family)