Author Topic: Which Russian/Soviet LVs Integrated Horizontally? (Read 4240 times)

Proponent · « **on:** 05/20/2010 04:23 am »

We've seen lots of photos of R-7 derivatives being transported to the pad horizontally. Is this the way it's been done for most Soviet/Russian launch vehicles? What about Proton? N-1?

hop · « **Reply #1 on:** 05/20/2010 05:03 am »

Quote from: Proponent on 05/20/2010 04:23 am

We've seen lots of photos of R-7 derivatives being transported to the pad horizontally. Is this the way it's been done for most Soviet/Russian launch vehicles? What about Proton? N-1?

Yes to all. The N1 (later converted for Energia/Buran AFAIK) transporter was an impressive beast:
http://www.spaceistheplace.ca/n_1_on_transporter.jpg
http://www.aerospaceguide.net/pics/buran_trans.jpg

Horizontal transport is significantly easier if you use all liquid vehicles.

Satori · « **Reply #2 on:** 05/20/2010 09:14 am »

Isn't Rokot integrated on the pad?

Jim · « **Reply #3 on:** 05/20/2010 10:27 am »

All Russian rockets are integrated horizontally. Zenit, Proton, N-1, Soyuz, Cyclone, etc

tonthomas · « **Reply #4 on:** 05/20/2010 10:28 am »

In the case of Rockot the upper composite with payload and breeze-km meets the booster that was mated with the launch pad earlier.

Thomas

tonthomas · « **Reply #5 on:** 05/20/2010 10:31 am »

And the Dneprs booster gets its spacehead while sitting in a silo.

Thomas

Satori · « **Reply #6 on:** 05/20/2010 12:53 pm »

Quote from: tonthomas on 05/20/2010 10:28 am

In the case of Rockot the upper composite with payload and breeze-km meets the booster that was mated with the launch pad earlier.

Thomas

So, the integration is not done horizontally. I supose that the two lower stages are not integratad. I mean, the launcher is based on the lower stages of the UR-100N ICBM and I don't think that this two stages are separated before being integrated on the launch pad. Any way, this is one launcher that is not horizontally integrated.

zaitcev · « **Reply #7 on:** 05/23/2010 03:51 am »

Soyuz in Kourou is integrated vertically with its upper (additional) stage Fregat and the payload, the two being already encapsulated (at Site 3, no less, which is several kilomters away).

A similar scheme is proposed for Angara for some reason.

Phillip Clark · « **Reply #8 on:** 05/23/2010 10:59 am »

When launched from Kapustin Yar payloads were integrated with the second stage of the Cosmos-2/2M horizontally and then trundled out to the launch silo already containing the first stage. The second stage assembly was then raised to the vertical and lowered on top of the first stage, ready for launch.

At Plesetsk the Cosmos-2M was flown from a "normal" pad, with Intercosmos 8 being the view of the Cosmos-2M on the pad. I had always assumed that the vehicle was fully-intergrated horizontally, taken to the pad and then raised to the vertical, but it could have had the second stage stacked on the first stage at the pad.

The Cosmos-3/3M appears to have been integrated horizontally and the complete launch vehicle raised to the vertical at the pad.

anik · « **Reply #9 on:** 05/23/2010 03:15 pm »

What is Cosmos-2M rocket? Only Kosmos, Kosmos-2, Kosmos-3M and K65M-RB rockets were launched to the orbit from Kapustin Yar. Only Kosmos-2 and Kosmos-3M rockets were launched to the orbit from Plesetsk cosmodrome. Only Kosmos-1 and Kosmos-3M rockets were launched to the orbit from Baikonur cosmodrome. I did not see Kosmos-2M rocket.

Phillip Clark · « **Reply #10 on:** 05/27/2010 04:37 am »

Quote from: anik on 05/23/2010 03:15 pm

What is Cosmos-2M rocket? Only Kosmos, Kosmos-2, Kosmos-3M and K65M-RB rockets were launched to the orbit from Kapustin Yar. Only Kosmos-2 and Kosmos-3M rockets were launched to the orbit from Plesetsk cosmodrome. Only Kosmos-1 and Kosmos-3M rockets were launched to the orbit from Baikonur cosmodrome. I did not see Kosmos-2M rocket.

My understanding is that there were three designators applied to the launch vehicles derived from the R-12 missile:

63S1 Flew Oct '61 - Feb '66
63S1M Flew Oct '65 - Apr '66
11K63 Flew May '66 - Jun '77

The 63S1 was the Cosmos-2 vehicle and the 63S1M the Cosmos-2M. When production of the vehicle was relocated it was redesignated 1K63. I am not aware what the design differences were between the Cosmos-2 and -2M vehicles.