Yenisei (Russian:
Енисей), project name RN STK-1 (Raketa-Nositel' SverkhTyazhologo Klassa - Carrier rocket super-heavy class), was the first
super-heavy launch vehicle being developed by the
Russian space industry
Russia's space industry comprises more than 100 companies and employs 250,000 people. Most of the companies are descendants of Soviet design bureaux and state production companies. The industry entered a deep crisis following the dissolution of t ...
since the
fall of the USSR
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
. The main developer is
RSC Energia
PAO S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (russian: Ракетно-космическая корпорация «Энергия» им. С. П. Королёва, Raketno-kosmicheskaya korporatsiya "Energiya" im. S. P. Korolyov ...
.
It is being developed within the framework of the federal target program "Creation of a super-heavy class space rocket complex for 2020-2030" and the program cost is estimated at 1.5 trillion roubles (US$1.6 billion). It is the main rocket of the
Russian Lunar program.
The final design for the rocket was expected to be complete by autumn 2021,
but the program appears to have been paused or stopped just before this expected completion date.
The first launch is expected to happen in 2028 from the
Vostochny cosmodrome
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft, by analogy to a seaport for ships or an airport for aircraft. The word ''spaceport'', and even more so ''cosmodrome'', has traditionally been used for sites capable ...
.
Based on the Yenisei launch vehicle, the Don launch vehicle (RN STK-2) is being developed by adding another stage.
It looks like this proposal has been at least paused.
Development
The rocket got its name at the end of 2018, before that it was called "RN STK" (super-heavy launch vehicle).
Chronology of development.
Planned events
* October 2021 - end of technical design.
* 2026-2028 - construction and commissioning of infrastructure for a super-heavy launch vehicle and a medium-class rocket for launching crewed spacecraft from the
Vostochny cosmodrome
The Vostochny Cosmodrome (russian: Космодром Восточный, ''Kosmodrom Vostochny'', "Eastern Spaceport") is a Russian spaceport (still partly under construction) above the 51st parallel north in the Amur Oblast, in the Russian ...
.
Design
The first stage will consist of 6 blocks, each block will be based on the first stage of the planned
''Irtysh'' / ''Soyuz-5'' rocket with an
RD-171MV engine.
The second stage will consist of one block - matching the first stage of
Soyuz-6 - with
RD-180
The RD-180 ( rus, РД-180, Ракетный Двигатель-180, Raketnyy Dvigatel-180) is a rocket engine designed and built in Russia. It features a dual combustion chamber, dual-nozzle design and is fueled by a RP-1/LOX mixture. The RD-18 ...
as engine.
The upper stage will be
KVTK
Accelerating braking unit:
Block DM
Proposed variants
Flight tests
Flight tests of a super-heavy launch vehicle will take place in two stages from 2028 to 2035.
The first stage of testing will take place in 2028–2032. It involves the launch of a crewed spacecraft, a lunar take-off and landing complex (LVPK) and other payloads on the trajectory of the flight around the Moon and circumlunar orbits in order to work out the elements of a crewed complex, create a station in the orbit of the Moon, and land on the lunar surface.
The second stage of testing will take place in 2032–2035. It is planned to launch LVPK and other uncrewed payloads for the construction and operation of a base on the lunar surface. In addition, this stage involves participation in international programs related to the study of Mars.
Applications
The super-heavy rocket is supposed to be used in the
Russian lunar program, since the carrying capacity of the
Angara-A5V launch vehicle (37.5 tons to LEO) is insufficient for these purposes.
Lunar program payloads
* 20-ton
Orel spacecraft.
* 27-ton lunar landing and takeoff complex (LPVK).
* 32-ton lunar base module.
Satellite constellation
* Spacecraft up to 30 tons to
geostationary orbit
A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitud ...
* Space telescopes 30-40 tons to the
L2 Lagrange point in the Sun-Earth system
See also
*
Space Launch System
The Space Launch System (SLS) is an American super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle developed by NASA. As of 2022, SLS has the highest payload capacity of any rocket in operational service, as well as the greatest liftoff thrust of any r ...
*
Falcon Heavy
Falcon Heavy is a partially reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle that is produced by SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer. The rocket consists of two strap-on boosters made from Falcon 9 first stages, a center core also made from a Falc ...
*
Starship
A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for interstellar travel, traveling between planetary systems.
The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 188 ...
*
Long March 9
Long March 9 (, LM-9 or Changzheng 9, CZ-9) is a Chinese super-heavy carrier rocket concept that is currently under development. It is the ninth iteration of the Long March rocket family, named for the Chinese Red Army's 1934–35 Long March cam ...
References
{{Expendable launch systems
Space launch vehicles of Russia
Expendable space launch systems