Energija

Model by Energija / Buran, the double boosters can be seen on the side.

Representation of the Energija carrier system with four boosters

Representation of the Energija carrier system with the shuttle "Buran"

The Energija ( Russian Энергия , “energy”, “Tatkraft”; GRAU index 11K25, NATO designation SL-17) was a Soviet launch vehicle that was developed to transport heavy payloads such as the space shuttle Buran into orbit . The rocket was successfully used twice, in 1987 and 1988. The Energija was developed by the NPO Energija (now RKK Energija).

technology

The rocket was in two stages at a height of 58.8 m and a launch thrust of 35,000  kN . It was able to transport a payload of approx. 96 t in low-earth orbit and approx. 22 t in a geostationary transfer orbit , making it the most powerful rocket ever deployed alongside the Saturn V and the Falcon Heavy .

The first stage was formed by the boosters , which were developed parallel to the Energija as an independent Zenit rocket. With the RD-170 , the most powerful liquid rocket engine ever flown was used. The Zenit is still in use today and is currently the most technologically advanced operational Russian launcher. It is to be replaced by the Angara rocket in the future.

With the number of boosters: two, four, six or eight, which were connected in pairs, the payload capacity of the Energija could be changed. The booster was also disconnected later in flight in pairs. They were operated with liquid oxygen and kerosene and should be reusable thanks to the attached parachute systems. However, the return of the boosters to earth was not tested on the two flights of the Energija.

The central stage (second stage) was powered by four RD-0120 engines, each equipped with a combustion chamber , which burned liquid hydrogen and oxygen (LH2 / LOX), which was a novelty for Soviet space travel at the time. Since the central stage, similar to the space shuttle, consisted practically only of fuel tanks and did not have a payload adapter at the tip of the rocket, the payload to be transported had to be attached to the side of the central stage, which also enabled voluminous payloads.

In terms of its external appearance, the structure and construction of the Energija with the Buran space shuttle looked very similar to the American space shuttle . However, it was not a copy, but a construction based largely on different technologies, which, due to similar goals, also led to an outwardly similar shape. The most important difference between the two systems was that the Energija could take off without the Buran space shuttle, which was not possible with the space shuttle system. This made the Energija / Buran system more flexible in use. More on this in the article: Buran (Space Program) .

variants

An Energija-2 was planned as the next expansion stage , which should be completely reusable. For this purpose, the central stage should enter the atmosphere after the payload has been deposited and glide to a landing pad, using technologies developed for Buran.

Furthermore, with the Vulkan, a heavy variant of the Energija was planned, which had eight boosters and an additional upper stage powered by an RD-0120 engine. The volcano should be able to carry around 175 tons of payload into low Earth orbit. However, both variants were never developed to readiness for use.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, attempts were made to offer Energija commercially on the launch vehicle market in the early 1990s. Since the existing model was too big for the existing payloads, the Energija-M variant was designed. This was considerably smaller and managed with only two boosters and only one RD-0120 engine in the central stage. This enabled the rocket to be downgraded to the payload capacity of today's Delta IV Heavy or Ariane 5ECA rockets. However, Energija-M could not get any start-up orders at that time and so did not get beyond the planning stage. Only a full-size model ( mock-up ) was built, which was used to test the transport of the rocket and its erection on the launch platform.

commitment

When Energija was first launched on May 15, 1987, Poljus , a technology prototype for missile defense systems in space, was launched. The launch was successful, although Poljus did not reach orbit due to a control error in the satellite. During the second and final launch on November 15, 1988, the Buran space shuttle was brought into space unmanned. Return and landing were controlled automatically.

Later it was to be used both for the launch of heavy space station modules , communication satellites and military payloads as well as for the realization of the manned Mars flight .

However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991, there was no start and the program was discontinued due to budget constraints. Although there are several reports in the media of plans to revive the Energija, no plans have yet been confirmed.

Start list

This is a complete launch list for the Energija missile.

Serial No.	Date ( UTC )	Type	Ser.-No.	Launch site	payload	Type of payload	Payload in kg (gross 1 )	Orbit 1	Remarks
1	May 15, 1987	Energija TKS	6L	Ba 250	Poljus	Prototype of a military satellite	77,000	LEO	success
2	November 15, 1988	Energija Buran	1L	Ba 110L	Buran 1.01	space shuttle	about 80,000?	LEO	success

¹ Gross weight = (satellites + adapter, housing etc.)

¹ NOT necessarily the target orbit of the payload - but the path on which the payload from the upper level is to be deployed.

Web links

Commons : Energija  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Energia.ru (English)
• Raumfahrer.net: Energija and Buran
• Bernd Leitenberger's page on Energija
• Buran site with a lot of information about the Energija (English / Russian)
• Energia - All about the HLLV (English)
• Buran-Energia.com - Energia (English)