NASASpaceFlight.com Forum
International Space Flight (ESA, Russia, China and others) => Russian Launchers - Soyuz, Progress and Uncrewed => Topic started by: anik on 11/30/2005 06:10 pm
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Plan of the Russian launches in December 2005:
December 6 Baikonur Proton-M/Briz-M AMC-23 (WorldSat-3)
December 20 Plesetsk Kosmos-3M Gonets-D1M
December 21 Baikonur Soyuz-U Progress M-55
December 25 Baikonur Proton-K/DM-2 two Glonass and one Glonass-M
December 26 Baikonur Soyuz-FG/Fregat GIOVE A
December 29 Baikonur Proton-K/DM-3 KazSat
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Not much time for Christmas with all those launches! :o
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anik - 30/11/2005 10:10 PM
December 25 Baikonur Proton-K/DM-2 two Glonass and one Glonass-M
Unfortunately, I was mistaken!... :( Two Glonass-M and one Glonass!...
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I didn't know the Russians could launch on back to back days. Is there more than one pad at Baikonur?
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SpaceMad - 1/12/2005 11:37 PM
Is there more than one pad at Baikonur?
Yes, of course!!!... For example, Soyuz-U/FG rockets may be launched from areas 1 and 31, Proton-K/M rockets - from areas 81 and 200...
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And people say the USA won the space race.
Phooey!
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SpaceMad - 1/12/2005 8:37 PM
I didn't know the Russians could launch on back to back days. Is there more than one pad at Baikonur?
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It's an impressive place:
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And is that a Buran landing?
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In the back? It looks like it. Where is the new Angara pad there?
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Chris Bergin - 2/12/2005 8:46 PM
And is that a Buran landing?
Yeah!... The Buran landing on the aerodrom "Yubileiny"...
publiusr - 2/12/2005 8:47 PM
Where is the new Angara pad there?
The new Angara pad will be at the Plesetsk, not on the Baikonur!...
P.S.: But, publiusr, if you say about the using of the Angara rocket on the Baikonur within the framework of Russian-Kazakhstan "Bayterek" program, then the right launch pad on the area 200 will be reconstructed for its launch...
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Baikonur launch areas:
1 and 31 - for Soyuz-U/-FG rockets;
45 - for Zenit-2 rocket;
81 and 200 - for Proton-K/-M rockets;
90 - for Cyclone-2 rocket;
110 and 250 - for Energiya rocket
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All photos from Russian "Novosti kosmonavtiki" magazine website
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Thanks, they are great images of a very well used facility.
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Anik, I'm very interested in the progress of the Angara pad at Plesetsk. Are there any photos you might have to share? Are there any photos of the URM (universal rocket module) from Khrunichev? I've seen the mock-up's photo. Are they still working on the Baikal reusable stage? Thanks very much.
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lmike - 4/12/2005 4:36 AM
Anik, I'm very interested in the progress of the Angara pad at Plesetsk. Are there any photos you might have to share?
All photos from Russian "NK" magazine website's forum...
Also look at:
http://ido.kemsu.ru/space/foto/01.jpg
http://ido.kemsu.ru/space/foto/02.jpg
http://ido.kemsu.ru/space/foto/03.jpg
http://ido.kemsu.ru/space/foto/04.jpg
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lmike - 4/12/2005 4:36 AM
Are there any photos of the URM (universal rocket module) from Khrunichev? I've seen the mock-up's photo
I have seen only these two photos in Russian "NK" magazine (March 2005)...
Image 1: URM's fuel tank
Image 2: URM's engine
lmike - 4/12/2005 4:36 AM
Are they still working on the Baikal reusable stage?
Unfortunately, I do not know... :(
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Thank you! Together with the launch table completed and shipped (I've seen the photos of that, looks impressive) looks like the launch infrustructure construction is moving along for the first (first quarter of 2007?) launch of the 1.1 (or have they changed that?) config.
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lmike - 4/12/2005 3:01 PM
for the first (first quarter of 2007?) launch
I heard that not earlier than 2008...
lmike - 4/12/2005 3:01 PM
the 1.1 (or have they changed that?) config
Angara-1.1 or Angara-5...
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anik - 30/11/2005 10:10 PM
December 29 Baikonur Proton-K/DM-3 KazSat
KazSat's launch possibly will be postponed until February 2006...
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anik - 2/12/2005 2:42 PM
P.S.: But, publiusr, if you say about the using of the Angara rocket on the Baikonur within the framework of Russian-Kazakhstan "Bayterek" program, then the right launch pad on the area 200 will be reconstructed for its launch...
That's what I was thinking of.
I figured that Proton might be phased out. I still hate to see Chelomei's child die.
If an oil rich Muslim nation wanted a rocket fleet, then Europe could sell them plans for the all-hypergolic Ariane 4 (capsule launcher) with Proton as the station launcher. Then they would have an all-hypergolic fleet the way Glushko wanted at first.
I always thought China's next Long March should resemble the R-56 Monoblock Yangel wanted, with those big RD-270 engines--a giant Proton almost. Not as absurdly large as UR-700/900, but big enough for their needs.
Is anyone supporting the Energiya-class Angara-100? I might put some oil money into that if possible.
Here is a thought. Since you still have to 'rent' Baikonur from the Kazakhs, how about changing to all ocean launch for the biggest payloads?
The vehicle I propose is Sea Dragon, as advocated by Navy man Robert Truax, whose writings can be found in Aerospace America (The Future of Earth To Orbit Propulsion, Jan. 1999, p.34):
http://www.rocketryonline.com/Search/db_search.cgi?setup_file=Opinion&submit_search=yes&db_id=36
He is a great advocate of very large--but extremely simple--launch vehicles that use pressure-fed designs as advocated by a contact of mine whose name is John London, author of LEO ON THE CHEAP: http://www.dunnspace.com/leo_on_the_cheap.htm
Sea Dragon would be a perfect fit in such a shipyard--being far more easily assembled, than any submarine. This way, each ruble spent on space also goes to Russian shipyard workers and not Kazakhs!
The following links explain exactly what the Sea Dragon concept is:
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/searagon.htm
http://www.up-ship.com/apr/extras/seadragon/seadragon.htm
http://pub97.ezboard.com/fnuclearspacefrm13.showMessage?topicID=67.topic
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/lunar-04j.html
Big pressure-feds described.
http://www.optipoint.com/far/far8.htm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inside_ksc/message/12250
Please do not recoil at the size--for such a project is simple, and is actually quite small compared to Petronas, Kansei, the Troll platform Three Gorges Dam and other megastructures that are far more difficult to build. Indeed, large, simple structures can generate electricity: http://www.oceanpd.com/
The Sea Dragon concept perfectly fits Sea-Launch, in that the launch vehicle actually needs no platform--being towed out to sea to burn hydrogen and oxygen electrolysized from sea water. Truax suggested the use of an Aircraft carrier--but your large nuclear icebreakers would be a perfect fit--and could also be used for towing:
http://arcdev.neste.com/Vessels/IBN-Arctica.html
And this would be perfect to separate hydrogen from oxygen from Sea Water:
http://www.terradaily.com/news/nuclear-civil-05zzzb.html
The Command and Control ship you already use in SEA LAUNCH would be the only other asset required--seeing as no launch platform is needed. The former Soviet shipyards are hurting. There is talk of new submarine construction, as well as carrier replacements--but these craft are quite complicated with decks, pressure hulls, etc. and are not needed in this post-Cold War era. The same infrastructure needed for Sea Dragon would also be used for the construction of a Bering Strait Bridge. Sea Dragon is more easily built than any ship.
Sea Dragon is but a simple tube.
I wonder if many Russian shipworkers remember their space program with the pride that accompanied Sputnik. Baikonur must be rented at great cost. But a Sea Dragon program would have two patrons, for each dollar spent on space is a dollar that goes to keep Soviet shipworkers employed. With Sea-Launch, you have shown that you are not afraid of large scale construction. With the Sea Dragon Super Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle, you would be continuing a tradition--with the vehicle far simpler than the Zenit launch platform itself.
I read a nice article in Discover magazine about the new steels and must say that I am very excited about this prospect, and how amorphus steels may play a role.
Bob Truax (Sea Dragon's father--and a leader in Minuteman nozzle design) is in ill-health, and Bill Sprague is about all that is left outside of Interorbital:
http://www.spragueastronautics.com/
http://www.interorbital.com
That having been said--Todd Sedler at Northrup-Grumman/Newport-News seemed interested. NASA Chief Administrator Mike Griffin is looking for HLLV concepts, and Sea Dragon could perhaps be funded by those who would give us the Burj Dubai skyscraper and the developers of THE WORLD project.
If spaceflight is to really progress--we have to get outside of the comsat box. Heavy Lift is the future: http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2005/08/cev_launcher_tr.html
P.S.
It is possible to move very large objects over the water. Jack Shick, a member of the American Polar Society has a patent on Iceberg Utilization, as described on page17 of the Spring-Summer 2004 issue of The Polar Times (Vol. 3, No 5). He can be contacted at [email protected] His patent may be found at www.uspto.gov --enter patent number 6688105, or try the link below:
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6688105.WKU.&OS=PN/6688105&RS=PN/6688105
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anik - 30/11/2005 1:10 PM
Plan of the Russian launches in December 2005:
December 26 Baikonur Soyuz-FG/Fregat GIOVE A
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20051209/42408272.html
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Any update on the status of the new launch date for the December 6 Baikonur Proton-M/Briz-M AMC-23 (WorldSat-3)?
Busy time coming up for the Russians and one ESA on the 21st too!
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Andy L - 18/12/2005 7:27 AM
Any update on the status of the new launch date for the December 6 Baikonur Proton-M/Briz-M AMC-23 (WorldSat-3)?
The new launch date is December 29...
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Thanks Anik. I see there is a two day delay another launch. Would anyone be kind enough to make a new list of Russian launches in th period of December and early January?
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Andy L - 19/12/2005 8:17 AM
Would anyone be kind enough to make a new list of Russian launches in the period of December and early January?
The current plan of the Russian launches in December 2005:
December 20 Plesetsk Kosmos-3M Gonets-D1M
December 21 Baikonur Soyuz-U Progress M-55
December 25 Baikonur Proton-K/DM-2 two Glonass-M and one Glonass
December 28 Baikonur Soyuz-FG/Fregat GIOVE-A
December 29 Baikonur Proton-M/Briz-M AMC-23 (WorldSat-3)
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anik - 19/12/2005 6:27 PM
December 20 Plesetsk Kosmos-3M Gonets-D1M
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Thank you Anik. YOU ROCK!! :)
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Kosmos-3M rocket with Gonets-D1M satellite will be launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome at 19:40 UTC on December 20, according to Roskosmos website
Gonets-D1M is the satellite for Russian low-orbital system of a personal satellite communication
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Very little information around on this launch - maybe more when it's launched. I'll add a few lines into the story I'm writing at the moment.
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:o :( Oops!... Excuse me, please, but I should add with the big delay, that Kosmos-3M rocket will launch TWO satellites today - Gonets-D1M and Rodnik!... Rodnik is the satellite for Russian Ministry of Defense...
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Rodnik satellite will become Kosmos-2416 when will achieve the orbit...
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I can't work out the timezones, but did it launch already and did it go well? Thanks for your brilliant coverage Anik!
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The launch of a Cosmos-3M rocket with two satellites onboard from the Plesetsk space pad in Russia's Arkhangelsk region, which was originally planned for Tuesday evening, has been postponed to Wednesday, December 21, Russian Space Forces
spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov told Interfax on Tuesday.
"A mechanical fault in the automatic systems was revealed during the pre-launch procedures, and therefore the rocket launch was postponed to Wednesday," Kuznetsov said.
The rocket was to put into orbit a Cosmos spacecraft to operate for the Russian Defense Ministry needs and a Gonets-M satellite, which is to replenish an orbiting constellation of satellites incorporated in a multifunctional personal satellite communications system.
Gonets-M transmits digital, speech, text, and video data. The Gonets system is designed to transmit urgent reports during environmental disasters, maintain hot links in districts with inadequately developed infrastructure, provide the exchange of commercial, medical, scientific, and technological information between individual computers, and collect environmental information.
New launch time is 19:34:19 GMT.
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Thank you! :)
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anik - 20/12/2005 5:04 PM
:o :( Oops!... Excuse me, please, but I should add with the big delay, that Kosmos-3M rocket will launch TWO satellites today - Gonets-D1M and Rodnik!... Rodnik is the satellite for Russian Ministry of Defense...
Rodnik, what a great name! :)
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astropl - 20/12/2005 8:13 PM
The launch of a Cosmos-3M rocket with two satellites onboard from the Plesetsk space pad in Russia's Arkhangelsk region, which was originally planned for Tuesday evening, has been postponed to Wednesday, December 21, Russian Space Forces
spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov told Interfax on Tuesday.
"A mechanical fault in the automatic systems was revealed during the pre-launch procedures, and therefore the rocket launch was postponed to Wednesday," Kuznetsov said.
The rocket was to put into orbit a Cosmos spacecraft to operate for the Russian Defense Ministry needs and a Gonets-M satellite, which is to replenish an orbiting constellation of satellites incorporated in a multifunctional personal satellite communications system.
Gonets-M transmits digital, speech, text, and video data. The Gonets system is designed to transmit urgent reports during environmental disasters, maintain hot links in districts with inadequately developed infrastructure, provide the exchange of commercial, medical, scientific, and technological information between individual computers, and collect environmental information.
New launch time is 19:34:19 GMT.
Thanks Astropl,
That's THREE launches tomorrow now! This one, Soyuz-U Progress M-55 and the Ariane 5.
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Thanks for the information, astropl!
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astropl - 20/12/2005 8:13 PM
The launch of a Cosmos-3M rocket with two satellites onboard from the Plesetsk space pad in Russia's Arkhangelsk region, which was originally planned for Tuesday evening, has been postponed to Wednesday, December 21, Russian Space Forces
spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov told Interfax on Tuesday.
"A mechanical fault in the automatic systems was revealed during the pre-launch procedures, and therefore the rocket launch was postponed to Wednesday," Kuznetsov said.
The rocket was to put into orbit a Cosmos spacecraft to operate for the Russian Defense Ministry needs and a Gonets-M satellite, which is to replenish an orbiting constellation of satellites incorporated in a multifunctional personal satellite communications system.
Gonets-M transmits digital, speech, text, and video data. The Gonets system is designed to transmit urgent reports during environmental disasters, maintain hot links in districts with inadequately developed infrastructure, provide the exchange of commercial, medical, scientific, and technological information between individual computers, and collect environmental information.
New launch time is 19:34:19 GMT.
Thanks Astropl,
That's THREE launches tomorrow now! This one, Soyuz-U Progress M-55 and the Ariane 5.
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Chris Bergin - 20/12/2005 9:37 PM
That's THREE launches tomorrow now! This one, Soyuz-U Progress M-55 and the Ariane 5.
Yes, three in one day (exactly in 5 hours!) - it's clearly visible here on my site: http://astro.zeto.czest.pl/plan.htm - in Polish, but I think it's no big problem ;)
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Great info, Astropl - I can understand it, and you have the times - which is very helpful, thanks :)
Best wishes to Poland.
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http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?id=4154
Many thanks to Anik in Russia for live updating of the Russian information - best around by far. Thanks also to Astropl in Poland for bringing his launch plan information here.
It's Anik's decision, but we could use this thread for any update information on today's second launch (Kosmos-3M: Gonets-D1M and Rodnik/Kosmos-241). I'm assuming there won't be vast amounts of information with it being a Russian Military mission.
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Gonets-D1M sure does look alien!
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If they can manage to have these successes, the Russians will be able to back up that claim from the Energia head that they are the leader in this form of launch.
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Progress M-55 succesfully launched on time and in orbit now!
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Who's launching the Cosmos-3M rocket? Best places for updates?
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Well that one should have launched, but with no one reporting it, not even having it on a launch schedule, it's down to you Anik and Astropl :)
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Cosmos-3M launched succesfully!
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Excellent :) Thanks.
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I wish Energiya Buran could be brought back with more oil money.
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Both satellites are in preset orbit. Now waiting for Ariane...
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Great work Russia, you make it look easy.
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Flightstar - 21/12/2005 5:26 PM
Great work Russia, you make it look easy.
and for a 10th, at least of the cost... with few delays..
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anik - 19/12/2005 9:27 AM
December 25 Baikonur Proton-K/DM-2 two Glonass-M and one Glonass
December 28 Baikonur Soyuz-FG/Fregat GIOVE-A
December 29 Baikonur Proton-M/Briz-M AMC-23 (WorldSat-3)
Those to go. Don't they have Christmas Day in Russia? I'm sure I've seen a Christmas Day parade in Red Square on the TV before?
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They have Christmas Day, but in Orthodox Church it is on January, 7th (Julian calendar!). See here: http://www.ce-review.org/01/2/pozun2.html
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Ah, I see. Thanks :)
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1. Kosmos rocket launched
BY STEPHEN CLARK
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0512/21kosmos/
2. Jonathan's Space Report
http://planet4589.org/space/jsr/latest.html
A Gonets-D1M ('messenger') low orbit communications satellite was
launched on a light Kosmos-3M rocket on Dec 21 into a 1440 x 1450 km x
82.5 deg orbit. Gonets-D1M (or Gonets-M) is the civilian version of the
military Strela-3 low orbit communications constellation. The launch
also carried a military satellite called Rodnik, with cover name
Kosmos-2416. I don't know anything about Rodnik - the best guess may be
that it is an upgrade of the Strela-3. The Strela-3, originally flown in
groups of six on the retired Tsiklon rocket, has been launched in pairs
on Kosmos-3M since 2002 to the same orbit, so it makes sense that this
is another pair of Strela-3 buses but with improved payloads.
3. Proton-K rocket with three satellites (two Glonass-M and one Glonass) was transported on launch pad 81 today
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Photos of the old Kosmos-3M rocket's launch (October 27, 2005)...
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Good gift for Christmas - Proton with Uragans launched sucessfully!
http://astro.zeto.czest.pl/n051216.htm#05
http://www.rian.ru/technology/cosmos/20051225/42688399.html
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lmike - 4/12/2005 3:01 PM
the launch table completed and shipped (I've seen the photos of that, looks impressive)
The new info about launch table (LT) for Angara rocket was published in Russian Novosti kosmonavtiki magazine (December, 2005)...
The weight of LT (look at images 1 and 2) with the equipment is 1185 tons, its length and width are 14 meters, height is 5 meters...
In the near future a tank (look at the image 3) will be established on LT
Then a tank (diameter 10 meters, height 12 meters) will be filled with 1000 tons of water for static and dynamic tests of LT
After that LT will be inspected on presence of deformations, cracks or other damages...
The work with LT at Zvyozdochka enterprise, which has made LT, will be finished in March, 2006... After that LT will be disassembled on 16 blocks (weight of each from 20 to 50 tons) and will be sent by rail on the Plesetsk cosmodrome...
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Wow. Great info and photos, Anik. Spasibo!
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Am I correct in saying that this LT will accomodate 1.1 Angara to Angara-100 (the super heavy version)? A universal table for a universal rocket.
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lmike - 30/12/2005 4:38 PM
Great info and photos
By the way, lmike, you will find other photos (October 2005) of the launch table and the launch pad on http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/photogallery/gallery_060/index.shtml
lmike - 30/12/2005 4:41 PM
Am I correct in saying that this LT will accomodate 1.1 Angara to Angara-100 (the super heavy version)? A universal table for a universal rocket.
LT is made for three different Angara rockets (maybe for Angara-1.1, Angara-3 and Angara-5)...