Cosmos (rocket)

Kosmos launcher - show of economic success, Moscow

A Kosmos-3M is being prepared for launch

Kosmos ( Cyrillic Космос) is the name for a Soviet or Russian launch vehicle . As was common in the Soviet Union at the time, it was named after its first payload, the Kosmos-1 satellite, and was in use from 1964 to 2010. With Kosmos, the Soviet Union had a smaller rocket than other Soviet launch vehicles for launching lighter satellites.

Cosmos B-1

The first Kosmos rocket was called Kosmos B-1. B stood in the US reconnaissance for the second basic type of launch vehicle, 1 for the number of upper levels, other names: SL-7 (US Department of Defense), Kosmos 2I, Kosmos 11K63, Kosmos 63S1, Sandal; Variant Kosmos 63SM; Variant Kosmos 63S1M, also referred to as Kosmos 2M. It emerged from the medium-range missile R-12 (known in the West as SS-4 Sandal ), which was developed in the Jangel design office (OKB-586) . The maximum payload in low earth orbit was 420 kg. The first launch took place on October 26, 1961 in Kapustin Jar . By 1977 there had been 166 starts, 21 of which failed. The first stage of the rocket was powered by RP-1 (a type of kerosene) and nitric acid , the second stage with liquid oxygen and UDMH (asymmetrical dimethylhydrazine). The first stage had a four-chamber RD-214 engine with pump delivery. The second stage used the RD-119 engine with four fixed control nozzles. The start took place from a silo. The placement of the upper stage in the silo was shown in various representations.

Cosmos C-1 and 3M

Kosmos-3M in the special version for SAR magnifier

The successor Kosmos C-1 (that corresponded to the third basic type with an upper level, other names: SL-7 (US Department of Defense), Kosmos 1, Kosmos 65S3, Skean; variant Kosmos 11K65, more often referred to as Kosmos 3) went out of the larger one Medium-range missile R-14 (US designation SS-5 Skean ). The payload is significantly larger at 1400 kg in an orbit in 400 km (700 kg in a 1,600 km orbit). The first launch took place on May 15, 1967. The first stage of the rocket used in the RD-216M UDMH and dinitrogen tetroxide , the second stage nitric acid, dinitrogen tetroxide and UDMH. The rocket thus only contains storable propellants.

The variant Kosmos 11K65M, also referred to as Kosmos 3M , used an improved second stage S-3M. The German satellite reconnaissance system SAR-Lupe was brought into space with these rockets in the years 2006–2008 . The rocket is 32.4 m long, with a diameter of 2.4 m, and has a takeoff weight of 109 t. This means that it can transport a payload of 1,500 kg to a height of 250 km. The maximum altitude is 1,700 km.

The start took place either in Kapustin Jar (48 ° inclination ) or Plesezk (66 ° to 98 ° inclination).

With the variant Kosmos 65MP, also referred to as Kosmos 3MP, the space shuttle models Bor-4 and 5 were tested for their re-entry properties. Suborbital or near-Earth orbits have been reached.

The use of this missile was discontinued.

Technical specifications

For Kosmos 3M.

• size
  • Height: 32.4 m
  • Diameter: 2.4 m
  • Takeoff weight: 109 t
  • Levels: 2
• capacity
  • Payload to LEO 1500 kg
  • Payload to SSO 775 kg
• Start story
  • Status: in use
  • Starting point: Plesetsk or Kapustin Yar
  • Number of starts: 439 (419 of them successful)
  • First launch: May 15, 1967
• First stage R-14U
  • Engine: 1 RD-216
  • Bottom thrust: 1486 kN
  • Vacuum thrust: 1728 kN
  • Specific impulse: 2429 Ns / kg
  • Burning time: 170 s
  • Fuel: Dinitrogen Tetroxide / UDMH
• Second stage
  • Engine: 1 RD-219
  • Thrust: 883 kN
  • Specific impulse: 2875 Ns / kg
  • Burning time: 1620 s
  • Fuel: Dinitrogen Tetroxide / UDMH

Accidents

• On June 26, 1973 at 1:32 a.m., a routine launch of a Kosmos-3M was planned. However, take-off preparations stalled when the fuel tank was overfilled due to a sensor malfunction. The personnel emptied some of the fuel and refueled the launcher. Apparently a leak developed in the fuel tank at this point and 15 seconds before the start the start-up sequence was automatically canceled. A team of more than 40 people tried to deactivate the vehicle. At 4:18 a.m. and 4:20 a.m., two crews of 13 people were sent to the launch pad, and at 4:22 a.m., a double explosion rocked the complex, causing a fire to break out. Seven people were directly killed, 13 injured, and two of them later died in a hospital. The tragedy was not reported at the time and the victims were buried in a mass grave in Mirny. A memorial to the victims of the disaster was inaugurated in 1974.

See also

• List of space disasters

Web links

• Bernd Leitenberger: The Kosmos launchers
• Gunter's Space Page: Kosmos-1 / -3 / -3M (English)
• Website of Cosmos International ( Memento from March 29, 2018 in the Internet Archive ), former German launch service provider for Kosmos-M (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Russia does not resume production of the Kosmos-3M launcher . In: Sputnik News . RIA Novosti. April 9, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
2. ↑ russianspaceweb.com: Plesetsk Cosmodrome , accessed March 11, 2018