Angara-1.2PP first launch - July 9, 2014

[russianhalo117]

Launch photos.

Photo by Denis Efremov

Nice view from 35/1 of where 35/2 is supposed to go if they ever get around to building it.

[anik]

Nice view from 35/1 of where 35/2 is supposed to go if they ever get around to building it

35/2 will be somewhere here to 2020:

[woods170]

"Success" is a definition that's only known to the Russian team. But to us mortals it looks like it went well, so congrats to all concerned.

All we know for sure, if the video is to be believed, is that Angara rose from the pad and into the clouds for several seconds.   Unless some independent tracking data is made available (it won't) we can only wonder if the rocket failed or succeeded after it entered the clouds.

This is all Elon's fault. 

 - Ed Kyle

You forgot a winking smiley.

[Artyom.]

Roscosmos video of the launch (HD):

[seshagirib]

^Looks like some kind of fluid cascading from the upper stages. It is clearly seen on the left side of the LV in the video. Must be condesation. Right?. As any thing else would be real bad, though it gives an impression of flameing on contact with the exhaust.

[ugordan]

Have you never seen an uninsulated LOX tank during launch by now?

[wannamoonbase]

Congrats to those involved.  A very long time coming so I'm sure there were plenty of guys with tears in their eyes after liftoff.

[Prober]

"Success" is a definition that's only known to the Russian team. But to us mortals it looks like it went well, so congrats to all concerned.

All we know for sure, if the video is to be believed, is that Angara rose from the pad and into the clouds for several seconds.   Unless some independent tracking data is made available (it won't) we can only wonder if the rocket failed or succeeded after it entered the clouds.

This is all Elon's fault. 

 - Ed Kyle

You forgot a winking smiley.

maybe you'd like another look into the crystal ball

[woods170]

"Success" is a definition that's only known to the Russian team. But to us mortals it looks like it went well, so congrats to all concerned.

All we know for sure, if the video is to be believed, is that Angara rose from the pad and into the clouds for several seconds.   Unless some independent tracking data is made available (it won't) we can only wonder if the rocket failed or succeeded after it entered the clouds.

This is all Elon's fault. 

 - Ed Kyle

You forgot a winking smiley.

maybe you'd like another look into the crystal ball

Not yours my friend. It's been known to malfunction 

[hrissan]

^Looks like some kind of fluid cascading from the upper stages. It is clearly seen on the left side of the LV in the video. Must be condesation. Right?. As any thing else would be real bad, though it gives an impression of flameing on contact with the exhaust.

That flow is oxygen from first stage's oxygen tank pressure relief valve, it reacts with fuel-rich exhaust on contact with it, this is nominal.

Source: http://zelenyikot.livejournal.com/40581.html

[Nicolas PILLET]

Pictures : http://мультимедиа.минобороны.рф/multimedia/photo/gallery.htm?id=17245@cmsPhotoGallery

[asmi]

That flow is oxygen from first stage's oxygen tank pressure relief valve, it reacts with fuel-rich exhaust on contact with it, this is nominal.

There is no fuel-rich exhaust - RD-191 is oxygen-rich closed-cycle engine and therefore exhaust contains excess oxygen and no fuel.

[JWag]

At the risk of going further off-topic:

I had understood that the pre-burners in an ORSC engine were oxygen-rich, but that the main combustion chamber (and its exhaust product) were slightly fuel-rich. Fuel-rich exhaust burns cooler and ensures there is little free hot oxygen to react to the metals in the combustion chamber and nozzle. The reason for the oxygen-rich preburners is to eliminate the possibility of coking when using kerosene.

Please correct me if I'm wrong; I'm merely regurgitating what I think I remember reading and would not be surprised if I was wrong.

[baldusi]

At the risk of going further off-topic:

I had understood that the pre-burners in an ORSC engine were oxygen-rich, but that the main combustion chamber (and its exhaust product) were slightly fuel-rich. Fuel-rich exhaust burns cooler and ensures there is little free hot oxygen to react to the metals in the combustion chamber and nozzle. The reason for the oxygen-rich preburners is to eliminate the possibility of coking when using kerosene.

Please correct me if I'm wrong; I'm merely regurgitating what I think I remember reading and would not be surprised if I was wrong.

You are right, ORSC RG-1/LOX are usually run at an 2.73 O/F ratio rather than stoichiometric (>3.5). For the same reason CH4 are usually 3.2 to 3.6 (rather tha 4) and H2 5.5 to 6.0 (rather than 8.0).

[Prober]

That flow is oxygen from first stage's oxygen tank pressure relief valve, it reacts with fuel-rich exhaust on contact with it, this is nominal.

There is no fuel-rich exhaust - RD-191 is oxygen-rich closed-cycle engine and therefore exhaust contains excess oxygen and no fuel.

while we are on this topic counting the naro launches this makes what the 4th test launch of the RD-191?

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Probably the best news feature of this flight I have seen - from rocket assembly to launch operations to impressive new views of the launch!  http://www.vesti.ru/only_video.html?vid=608799

P.S. It seems that when discussing foreign competition to Angara the one rocket they mentioned is - yup you guessed it - the Falcon 9. Anyone who can speak Russian can help with what was discussed inside?

[baldusi]

That flow is oxygen from first stage's oxygen tank pressure relief valve, it reacts with fuel-rich exhaust on contact with it, this is nominal.

There is no fuel-rich exhaust - RD-191 is oxygen-rich closed-cycle engine and therefore exhaust contains excess oxygen and no fuel.

while we are on this topic counting the naro launches this makes what the 4th test launch of the RD-191?

Naro was RD-151, a lower thrust variant. This was, technically, the RD-191 debut. BTW, the RD-191 was not qualified until 2012 or 13.

[Stan Black]

That flow is oxygen from first stage's oxygen tank pressure relief valve, it reacts with fuel-rich exhaust on contact with it, this is nominal.

There is no fuel-rich exhaust - RD-191 is oxygen-rich closed-cycle engine and therefore exhaust contains excess oxygen and no fuel.

while we are on this topic counting the naro launches this makes what the 4th test launch of the RD-191?

Naro was RD-151, a lower thrust variant. This was, technically, the RD-191 debut. BTW, the RD-191 was not qualified until 2012 or 13.

I think the original engine for the first Angara launch flew on the third Naro
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=34292.msg1219693#msg1219693

[asmi]

P.S. It seems that when discussing foreign competition to Angara the one rocket they mentioned is - yup you guessed it - the Falcon 9. Anyone who can speak Russian can help with what was discussed inside?

The person questions economical efficiency of Angara series and states that Falcon-9 launch is two times cheaper. Not a word of where the data is coming from.

[owais.usmani]

Probably the best news feature of this flight I have seen - from rocket assembly to launch operations to impressive new views of the launch!  http://www.vesti.ru/only_video.html?vid=608799

I beg you to please upload it on youtube. For some reason vesti.ru never works for me.