The Cyclone-4M is a
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
carrier rocket which is being developed for commercial satellite launches.
History
The Cyclone-4M is derived from the
Tsyklon-4, which started its life as an all-
hypergolic
A hypergolic propellant is a rocket propellant combination used in a rocket engine, whose components spontaneously ignite when they come into contact with each other.
The two propellant components usually consist of a fuel and an oxidizer. The ...
three-stage-to-orbit expendable launch vehicle planned for launch from a proposed site at the
Alcântara Launch Center in Brazil. However, Brazil backed out of the partnership with Ukraine in 2015, citing concerns over the project budget, the ongoing financial situation in both countries, and the future of the commercial launch market.
In March 2017, Canadian company
Maritime Launch Services
Maritime Launch Services (MLS) is a Canadian space transport services company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Nova Scotia, Canada. MLS will rely on Ukrainian Cyclone-4M rockets by Pivdenne to launch polar and sun synchronous orbit from Canso ...
announced plans to begin launching a modified version, the Cyclone-4M, which features a
Zenit
Zenit, meaning "zenith", may refer to:
Spaceflight and rocketry
* Zenit (rocket family), a Soviet family of space launch vehicles
* Zenit (satellite), a type of Soviet spy satellite
* Zenit sounding rocket, a Swiss rocket
Sports
* Zenit (sports ...
-derived
LOX
Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an applica ...
RP-1 first stage in place of the originally planned
R-36 ICBM-based first- and second-stage.
In November 2021, Maritime Launch Services CEO Stephen Matier stated that
Nanoracks was to be the first client to fly a payload on the Cyclone-4M.
Design
This new first-stage design would use four kerolox engines derived from the
RD-120 used on the second stage of the Zenit. The standard RD-120, however, while manufactured in Ukraine, uses a number of Russian-made components which would have to be replaced with Ukrainian-made equivalents. It is also planned to fit each of these engines with a gimballing mechanism for steering (in the Zenit second stage the RD-120 is fixed to the frame while an
RD-8 four-nozzle vernier engine takes care of the steering).
Cyclone-4M is planned for launch from a site in
Canso
The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) is a representative body of companies that provide air traffic control. It represents the interests of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). CANSO members are responsible for supporting ov ...
,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
. Construction was originally scheduled to begin in 2018,
but repeated delays have pushed the start of construction to no earlier than late 2021.
The second stage completed qualification tests in October 2019.
Construction at Canso finishes in 2024 or 2025;
as of December 2022, the maiden flight of Cyclone-4M will take place in 2025.
It is planned to launch up to 8 times per year.
References
External links
*
{{Expendable launch systems
Space launch vehicles of Ukraine
Proposed space launch vehicles
Yuzhmash space launch vehicles