Russia to Develop Rocket for New-Generation Manned Spacecraft

[Kitspacer]

I think so. The Aurora/Christmas Island R-7 was to use NK-33 (on the core stage at least) instead of the single, four-nozzle engine currently used. With a hydrogen upper stage--and other improvements--this may be the 16 ton payload configuration the article spoke of. This pushes it beyond Long March and closer to Ariane 5 and Proton.

Try http://www.russianspaceweb.com
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/soyuz3_lv.html

Also, according to Astronautix the Nk-33/43 was successfully tested with Hydrolox and out to 214mT thrust.  Why don't they change out the strap-on engine packages and make it match Proton capability to boot?

[fregate]

I think so. The Aurora/Christmas Island R-7 was to use NK-33 (on the core stage at least) instead of the single, four-nozzle engine currently used. With a hydrogen upper stage--and other improvements--this may be the 16 ton payload configuration the article spoke of. This pushes it beyond Long March and closer to Ariane 5 and Proton.

Try http://www.russianspaceweb.com
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/soyuz3_lv.html

Also, according to Astronautix the Nk-33/43 was successfully tested with Hydrolox and out to 214mT thrust.  Why don't they change out the strap-on engine packages and make it match Proton capability to boot?

The Aurora/Christmas Island R-7  did not have an Upper Hydrogen stage.
About NK-33/43 - engines had not been manufactured since cancellation of LV N1 program (1974). Joint venture AeroJet/SNTK Kuznetsov could start production but they most likely do not have ENOUGH orders. (Supply/Demand equation).   

[Downix]

I think so. The Aurora/Christmas Island R-7 was to use NK-33 (on the core stage at least) instead of the single, four-nozzle engine currently used. With a hydrogen upper stage--and other improvements--this may be the 16 ton payload configuration the article spoke of. This pushes it beyond Long March and closer to Ariane 5 and Proton.

Try http://www.russianspaceweb.com
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/soyuz3_lv.html

Also, according to Astronautix the Nk-33/43 was successfully tested with Hydrolox and out to 214mT thrust.  Why don't they change out the strap-on engine packages and make it match Proton capability to boot?

The Aurora/Christmas Island R-7  did not have an Upper Hydrogen stage.
About NK-33/43 - engines had not been manufactured since cancellation of LV N1 program (1974). Joint venture AeroJet/SNTK Kuznetsov could start production but they most likely do not have ENOUGH orders. (Supply/Demand equation).   

Not enough yet.  If the R-7 starts using the NK-33/AJ26 along with Orbitals Taurus II, then demand may pick up enough.  Aerojet seems quite confident on manufacturing them, and have given me no reason to doubt them.

But with there being a few hundred, and only using 1-2 per launch, don't yet have a need to begin the toolup.  If the R-7 switched to NK-33, then they did the side-boosters also with it, then demand would start picking up, and I could easily see them then looking to restart production.

[Dmitry_V_home]

One more variant of a launch vehicle for a perspective spaceship PTK NP

[Damon Hill]

Solid strap-ons on a Russian rocket?  Oh my, times ARE changing.

[Danderman]

Solid strap-ons on a Russian rocket?  Oh my, times ARE changing.

Ukrainian, not Russian. The Ukrainians have some experience with solids that they are considering using for space launch.

[Dmitry_V_home]

Let's re-open topic (even it's already a history: Kliper had been replaced by MTV NG capsular spacecraft):
 

Central block of Soyuz-3 (aka Soyuz-2-3). 2005:

[Dmitry_V_home]

Blocks "Á", "Â", "Ã", "Ä" of Soyuz-3 (aka Soyuz-2-3). 2005:

[Stan Black]

Let's re-open topic (even it's already a history: Kliper had been replaced by MTV NG capsular spacecraft):
 

Centlal block of Soyuz-3 (aka Soyuz-2-3). 2005:

Will this feature the RD-110R stearing engine?

http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=9681

[Dmitry_V_home]

Will this feature the RD-110R stearing engine?

No.On this variant of Sojuz-3 it was planned to apply ÐÄ-191

[fregate]

News from RSC Energia (Russian only).
Corporation completed a Preliminary Design of Prospective Manned Transportation System (PPTS) and presented it for evaluation to RKA (Russian Federal Space Agency).
The biggest news - it will use a combined multi-parachute/solid motors/legs landing system.
A completed Technical Design will be submitted on 30th of June 2010.   
And guess what - propulsion system would be gaseous oxygen/Alcohol based. 
 

[kollapsderwellenfunktion]

so does this mean soft landing with parachutes as reserve ?

[fregate]

IMHO - the main parachute system (3 chutes) is deployed at altitude 1 km as a BACKUP landing system.
Landing Gears are deployed and solid rockets are ignited on altitude 500-700 m.   

AFAIK full details might be available on 1st of July. 

[fregate]

Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA) announced on 22nd of October an open tender "New Generation mid-class Integrated Launch Vehicle with increased capacity - Technical Design of the Integrated Launch Vehicle"
Codename RUS-M

Documentation pack download is available from this site on third tab (All documents in Russian, of course).
The requirements document title starts with "V ..." in a file name with extension .doc from the first .zip archive. 

Project Term   - 12 month (Dec 2010-Dec 2011)
Project budget - RUB 1,790,600,000  ($US 58,875,694) according to the currency exchange rate on 22th of October 2010.

ILS should contain the following sub-systems:
- Launch Vehicle;
- KeroLox booster 11С861-03 (Energia Block-DM Evolution); 
- Cryogenic booster KVRB;
- Launch Complex;
- System for fully automated launch preparation and LV launch;
- Data acquisition, measurement, monitoring and telemetry system;
- Means of transportation for ILS components;
- Training equipment for ILS components;

ILS Payload Capability: 
- at least 20 tonnes for manned and unmanned spacecrafts, orbital station modules and other payloads to the LEO (standard inclinations 51,7° and 63° degrees);
- at least 4.5 tonnes for GEO payloads.

Two-stage LV: 
- First stage is based on RD-180V KeroLox LREs;
- Second stage is based on RD-0146 Cryogenic Hydrogen-Lox LREs;
- Adaptation of KeroLox booster 11С861-03 to LV Rus-M;
- Adaptation of Cryogenic booster KVRB to LV Rus-M;
R&D design of both boosters were performed under R&D projects named "Dvina", "TK-Vostok" and  "Dvina-KVSK";
- Probability of falling LV fragments in designated areas for  - 0,989;   
- For a manned spacecraft payload G-forces should not exceed 4G;
- In case of emergency cut off of a single engine on the first stage manned spacecraft would be hoisted to non-standard LEO orbit or on a single orbit to provide an emergency DM water splashdown;

[Danderman]

I hope this goes better than the tender for Klipper a couple of years ago. That one disappeared into the ether.

[fregate]

I hope this goes better than the tender for Klipper a couple of years ago. That one disappeared into the ether.

Danderman, FYI - this is SECOND LV RUS tender (Technical Design), first one (Preliminary Design) had been completed in July 2010
Let's continue translation of technical specifications from Requirement Document:

For a standard LEO orbit (altitude 200 km inclination 51.6 degrees) an acceptable precision margins are the following:
- altitude derivations                  Δ=± 3,5 km;
- orbital period derivations               Δ=± 2,5 sec;
- inclination derivations               Δ=± 2 angle minutes;
- longitude of ascending node derivations   Δ=± 3 angle minutes.
Probability of achieving target orbit parameters precision (in normal launch mode) - at least 0.997

There are 2 thrust modes for first stage LREs (RD-180V):
-  80% (with throttling)
- 100% (without throttling).

One of the critical requirements is a guaranteed preservation of Launch Complex in case of emergency single first stage engine cut off by changing LV trajectory. 
LRE engine reliability should be at least 0.9 during qualifying flights and at least 0.999 for first manned flight. 

Preliminary location of launch complex
51° 52′ 32" Northern Latitude
128° 21' 43" Eastern Longitude

A Mobile Service Tower feasibility study to be performed (similar to MST created for Soyuz ST Launch Complex in Kourou);

A constrained budget for ILV (prices 2010) with all capital investments (without qualifying flights cost) should not exceed RUB 202,000 millions ($US 6,641,846,329), including cost of creation LV and Automated System for Launch Preparation and Control RUB 31 400 millions ($US 1,032,445,420).

GTO capability: 
- 6.5 tonnes (11С861-03 booster)
- 7.5 tonnes (KVRB booster)
GEO capability:
- 3.7 tonnes (11С861-03 booster)
- 4.5 tonnes (KVRB booster)
Probability of successful GTO/GEO missions based on propellant reserve - 0,9985
Boosters/LV evolution feasibility study for launching 8 tonnes on GTO and 5 tonnes on GEO to be performed.

BTW Dmitriy_V on "brother" NK forum noticed that Word Document has Company property value "Tsniimash" - that is an organization that prepared ALL requirements on behalf of the Russian Space Agency.

[Danderman]

There has been discussion here that the KVRB is so inefficient that its not cost effective to use (compared with Block-DM).

[InvalidAttitude]

At least this time the cost estimates somewhat realistic.

[fregate]

There has been discussion here that the KVRB is so inefficient that its not cost effective to use (compared with Block-DM).

How did you estimate efficiency of non-existent hardware (KVRB not in production yet)?
Yes it might be less efficient than Centaur upper stage, but AFAIK it would have the same cryogenic
engines (RD-0146) that planned to use on a second stage of RUS-M LV.
That alone would drive cost of production down.
And there is no way to achieve an objective 5 tonnes on GEO without KVRB!

[Danderman]

There has been discussion here that the KVRB is so inefficient that its not cost effective to use (compared with Block-DM).

How did you estimate efficiency of non-existent hardware (KVRB not in production yet)?
Yes it might be less efficient than Centaur upper stage, but AFAIK it would have the same cryogenic
engines (RD-0146) that planned to use on a second stage of RUS-M LV.
That alone would drive cost of production down.
And there is no way to achieve an objective 5 tonnes on GEO without KVRB!

There seems to be some confusion here between the KVRB and the H2 stage used by India.