Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

R-7 (rocket family)

R-7 Semyorka and its variants used as launchers in the early Soviet space program

The R-7 (Russian: Р-7) rocket family is a series of launch vehicles descended from the Soviet R-7 Semyorka, developed in the 1950s as the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). While the R-7 proved impractical as a weapon, it became a cornerstone of the Soviet and subsequent Russian space programs. Over time, its design was largely standardized into the Soyuz rocket, which continues to operate in its modernized form, the Soyuz-2. More R-7 rockets have been launched than any other family of orbital rockets.

Background

The R-7, developed by OKB-1 in Kaliningrad, a Soviet design bureau led by rocket pioneer Sergey Korolyov, was the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Initially designed to deliver nuclear warheads to American targets, it was first successfully tested on 21 August 1957.

The R-7's basic design comprises a central core stage (Block A) and four strap-on boosters (Block B, V, G, and D), fueled by refined kerosene (RG-1), mixed with cryogenic liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidizer. Its stage numbering differs from conventional rockets: the boosters are considered the first stage, and the core stage is the second, though they ignite simultaneously at liftoff. The boosters burn for approximately two minutes before jettisoning, while the core stage continues to burn for about five minutes.

The R-7's impracticality as a weapon became quickly apparent. Its huge launch complexes were vulnerable to attack, the 10 hours it took to prepare for launch hindered its operational readiness, and its reliance on a cryogenic oxidizer meant that it could not be left on alert for more than an hour.[1][2]

However, due to the weight of Soviet nuclear warheads, the R-7 possessed a significantly greater payload capacity than early U.S. ICBMs. This advantage made the R-7 suitable for space launch missions, giving the Soviet Union a substantial head start in the Space Race. An unmodified R-7 launched Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite. With the addition of upper stages, the R-7 spawned numerous variants, each optimized for specific missions. The Vostok variant carried the first human into orbit, Yuri Gagarin. Other variants, such as Luna, Voshkod, and Molniya, were used for lunar probes, reconnaissance satellites, and communications satellites. Later modifications were standardized around multipurpose Soyuz design, first used in 1966. Its modernized version, the Soyuz-2, continues to serve as a workhorse for the Russian space program.[3]

Production of the R-7 family moved to the Progress Aviation Factory in Samara, Russia, in 1959. Over time, complete responsibility for the entire R-7 family shifted from the main OKB-1 office in Kaliningrad to Samara. The design facilities in Samara evolved from an OKB-1 subsidiary into the independent Central Specialized Design Bureau (TsSKB) in 1974. TsSKB and the Progress factory collaborated on the design, development, and production of Soyuz rockets. In 1996, TsSKB and the Progress factory merged to form a single company, Rocket and Space Centre "Progress" (RKTs Progress).[3]

R-7 rockets are launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Plesetsk Cosmodrome, and Vostochny Cosmodrome and were previously launched from the Guiana Space Centre between 2011 and 2022.

Summary of variants

All the R-7 family rockets are listed here by date of introduction. Most of the early R-7 variants have been retired. Active versions (as of 2022) are shown in green.

Name GRAU
index 		Function N°
Stages[a] 		Maiden flight Final flight Launches[b] Remarks
Total Success Failure
(+ partial)
R-7 Semyorka 8K71 ICBM 2 15 May 1957 27 February 1961 27 18 9 World's first ICBM
Sputnik-PS 8K71PS Carrier rocket 2 4 October 1957 3 November 1957 2 2 0 World's first carrier rocket
Launched Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2
Sputnik 8A91 Carrier rocket 2 27 April 1958 15 May 1958 2 1 1 Launched Sputnik 3
Luna 8K72 Carrier rocket 3 23 September 1958 16 April 1960 9 2 7 Launched first Lunar probes
R-7A Semyorka 8K74 ICBM 2 23 December 1959 25 July 1967 21 18 3 The only operational ICBM version. Improved range and guidance system. Only 6 launch positions were available. Used as a base for 11A57 and later mods
Vostok-L 8K72L Carrier rocket 3 15 May 1960 1 December 1960 4 3 1 Variant of Luna, used to launch prototype Vostok spacecraft
Molniya 8K78 Carrier rocket 4 20 January 1960 3 December 1965 26 12 14 Designed to send payloads out of LEO
Vostok-K 8K72K Carrier rocket 3 22 December 1960 10 July 1964 13 11 2 Used for crewed Vostok missions
First rocket to launch a man into space
Molniya-L 8K78L Carrier rocket 4 Unbuilt
Vostok-2 8A92 Carrier rocket 3 1 June 1962 12 May 1967 45 40 5 Used for launching Zenit reconnaissance satellites throughout the 1960s
Polyot 11A59 Carrier rocket 2 1 November 1963 12 April 1964 2 2 0
Voskhod 11A57 Carrier rocket 3 16 November 1963 29 June 1976 300 277 23 Launched crewed Voskhod 1 and Voskhod 2 missions
Molniya-M 8K78M Carrier rocket 4 19 February 1964 30 September 2010[4] 297 276 21 Improved version of Molniya
Vostok-2M 8A92M Carrier rocket 3 28 August 1964 29 August 1991 94 92 2 Modified version for launching Meteor weather satellites into higher orbits
Soyuz/Vostok 11A510 Carrier rocket 4 27 December 1965 20 July 1966 2 2 0 Launched with prototype US-A satellites
Soyuz 11A511 Carrier rocket 3 28 November 1966 24 May 1975 30 28 2 Used for crewed Soyuz launches.
Soyuz-B 11K55 Carrier rocket 3 Unbuilt
Soyuz-V 11K56 Carrier rocket 3 Unbuilt
Soyuz-R 11A514 Carrier rocket 3 Unbuilt
Soyuz-L 11A511L Carrier rocket 3 24 November 1970 12 August 1971 3 3 0 Created to test the LK lunar lander in LEO
Soyuz-M 11A511M Carrier rocket 3 27 December 1971 31 March 1976 8 8 0 Built to launch crewed Soyuz 7K-VI spacecraft, eventually used to launch reconnaissance satellites
Soyuz-U 11A511U Carrier rocket 3 or 4 18 May 1973 22 February 2017 786 765 22[5] Single most launched carrier rocket ever built
Used for crewed Soyuz launches.
Soyuz-U2 11A511U2 Carrier rocket 3 23 December 1982 3 September 1995 72 72 0 Used for crewed Soyuz launches.
Soyuz-FG 11A511U-FG Carrier rocket 3 or 4 20 May 2001 25 September 2019 70 69 1 Used for crewed Soyuz launches.
Soyuz-2.1a / Soyuz-ST-A 14A14A Carrier rocket 3 or 4 8 November 2004 Active 75 72 2+1p Used for crewed Soyuz launches from Soyuz MS-16 on 9 April 2020. In August 2019 the booster lofted the uncrewed Soyuz MS-14 into orbit in order to test the spacecraft on the new rocket.
Soyuz-2.1b / Soyuz-ST-B 14A14B Carrier rocket 3 or 4 27 December 2006 Active 90 87 2+1p
Soyuz-2.1v 14A15 Carrier rocket 3 28 December 2013 Active 12 11 1p 1st stage uses a completely new design utilizing surplus NK-33 engines from the Moon N-1 launcher and no boosters.
  1. ^ Including boosters
  2. ^ As of 22 May 2020

Korolev Cross

Korolev cross, Soyuz TMA-04M

The Korolev Cross is a visual phenomenon observed in the smoke plumes of the R-7 series rockets during separation of the four liquid-fueled booster rockets attached to the core stage.[6] As the boosters fall away from the rocket, they pitch over symmetrically due to aerodynamic forces acting upon them, forming a cross-like shape behind the rocket. The effect is named after Sergei Korolev, the designer of the R-7 rocket. When the rocket is launched into clear skies, the effect can be seen from the ground at the launch site.

See also

References

  1. ^ "R-7 History". World Space Flight. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  2. ^ Siddiqi, Asif (2000). Challenge to Apollo: the Soviet Union and the space race, 1945–1974 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA History Div. pp. 212–214. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Soyuz User's Manual" (PDF). Starsem. April 2001. pp. 197–201. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  4. ^ Mu, Xuequan (1 October 2010). "Russia sends military satellite into space". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 3 October 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  5. ^ In 1983, flight Soyuz T-10a caught fire on the launch pad before the end of the countdown, so it is not counted in the list of launches; this is why adding successes and failures yields 787 launches instead of 786.
  6. ^ NASA TV coverage of Soyuz TMA-12 launch
Quelle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korolyov_cross