The Zenit-3F, Zenit-3SLBF or Zenit-2SB/Fregat is an expendable

carrier rocket A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload (spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pads, supported by a launch control center and syste ...

. It is a member of the Zenit family of rockets, which were designed by

Yuzhnoye Design Bureau Pivdenne Design Office ( uk, Державне конструкторське бюро «Південне» ім. М. К. Янгеля , lit=State design bureau "Southern", named after M. K. Yangel, translit=Derzhavne konstruktors ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

. Launches of Zenit-3SLBF rockets are conducted from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45/1. The rocket consists of a Zenit-2SB (Zenit-2M) core vehicle, with a

Fregat-SB Fregat (russian: Фрегат, ''frigate'') is an upper stage developed by NPO Lavochkin in the 1990s, which is used in some Soyuz and Zenit launch vehicles, but is universal and can be used as a part of a medium and heavy class launch vehicl ...

upper stage, developed by NPO

Lavochkin NPO Lavochkin (russian: НПО Лавочкина, OKB-301, also called Lavochkin Research and Production Association or shortly Lavochkin Association, LA) is a Russian aerospace company. It is a major player in the Russian space program, being th ...

of Russia, in place of the Block-DM used on the

Zenit-3SL The Zenit-3SL is an expendable carrier rocket operated by Sea Launch. First flown in 1999, it has been launched 36 times, with three failures and one partial failure. It is a member of the Zenit family of rockets, and is built by the Yuzhnoye ...

and 3SLB. The first launch of a Zenit-3F took place on 20 January 2011. The payload was an Elektro-L new generation weather satellite. A Zenit-3F was also used to successfully launch the Spektr-R radio astronomy satellite on 18 July 2011.

Launches

References

{{rocket-stub Zenit (rocket family) Vehicles introduced in 2011