The Russian space industry operates launch vehicles of several classes and types. To solve some problems, astronautics needs super-heavy class rockets, but this moment there is no such technology in our country. However, a promising project is already being developed. Over the next few years, the industry will have to develop and bring to testing the promising Energia-5V rocket.

The existence of plans to create a super-heavy launch vehicle Energia-5V was announced last fall. In mid-November 2016, a conference was held in Moscow dedicated to the problems of the development of rocket and space technology. During this event, the General Director of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation named after V.I. S.P. Queen Vladimir Solntsev. According to the head of the largest organization, there are plans to create a promising super-heavy launch vehicle. At the same time, it is planned to use a very interesting approach to shaping the appearance of the rocket.

new rocket It was proposed to build on a modular basis. Key nodes should have been borrowed from existing or developing rocket technology projects. So, the first and second stages should be taken from the project of a promising Phoenix medium-class rocket. The upper stage with engines using hydrogen fuel was planned to be borrowed from the designed Angara-A5V heavy rocket. As V. Solntsev noted, the Energy-5V project proposes the creation of a kind of constructor from which it will be possible to assemble a carrier of the desired configuration with the required characteristics. The purpose of this approach is to reduce the completion time and cost of the project.

By the time the information about the promising Energia-5V project was announced, there was already some information about two other launch vehicles planned to be used as a source of components and assemblies. So, it is known that the Angara-A5V rocket is a variant of another project of its family, which is distinguished by the use of a third stage with hydrogen-oxygen fuel pair engines. Such a modernization of the existing project, according to calculations, can significantly increase the payload.

The second source of aggregates is the Phoenix medium-class launch vehicle. Such a rocket will be able to lift up to 17 tons of cargo into low earth orbit, including manned spacecraft. Also, the rocket will be able to launch 2.5 tons of cargo into geostationary orbit, for which it will need an upper stage. The development of Phoenix is ​​scheduled to begin in 2018 and be completed by 2025. As early as last year, it became known that in the future, the units of this rocket could be used to create a promising carrier of a heavy or super-heavy class.

Last year, only the most general plans were announced, which determine the course of further work in the field of promising launch vehicles. A few months later, some details of the future Energy-5V project became known. As it turned out, the rocket and space industry plans to offer two versions of the rocket at once with different characteristics and capabilities.

Information about new plans within the framework of a promising project was published at the end of January by the TASS news agency. The information was obtained from an unnamed source in the space industry. At the same time, it was noted that the press center of RSC Energia refused to comment on such. Nevertheless, in this case, the published information is of great interest.

A TASS agency source said that by that time the approximate appearance of two super-heavy launch vehicles had been determined at once. Two versions of the Energia-5V rocket received their own working names Energia-5V-PTK and Energia-5VR-PTK. It was planned to present preliminary studies on two projects to the management of Energia Corporation, as well as to leading organizations in the rocket and space industry.

According to the announced information, both types of missiles will be built according to a three-stage scheme and use liquid-propellant engines. It is proposed to equip the first and second stages of two missiles with RD-171MV engines. The first should receive four such products, the second - two. The third stage will have to be equipped with two RD-0150 engines using hydrogen fuel. The two versions of the rocket will be close in their characteristics, but it is supposed to provide for some difference in capabilities.

The Energia-5V-PTK launch vehicle, according to existing calculations, will have a launch mass of 2368 tons. It will be able to launch up to 100 tons of payload into low Earth orbit. It will be possible to send up to 20.5 tons to the lunar orbit. The Energia-5VR-PTK project proposes to equip the rocket with an upper stage with hydrogen-fueled engines. In this configuration, the launch vehicle will have a launch weight of 2346 tons. The use of an upper stage will provide appropriate advantages in solving certain problems.

When using Energia-5V rockets to deliver the Federation manned spacecraft or a promising take-off and landing module for a lunar expedition into orbit, it is possible to use the so-called. interorbital tug. This product can be developed and built on the basis of one of the existing upper stages of the DM family.

Within a few next months enterprises of the rocket and space industry continued to work within the framework of a promising project. Among other things, the approximate terms for the creation of new launch vehicles and launch complexes for their operation were determined. On June 8, the TASS agency published new data on plans for the Energia-5V rocket. As before, the information was obtained from an unnamed industry source. In addition, similar to previous reports, TASS officials were unable to get a comment from officials, this time from the state corporation Roscosmos.

According to an unnamed source, the launch complex for Energia-5V rockets will be built at the Vostochny cosmodrome. According to current plans, construction work will be completed in 2027. The first launch of a super-heavy carrier from the latest launch pad will be performed in 2028. Some features of the future complex were also announced. As it turned out, the current plans of the rocket and space industry involve the creation of a universal launch pad.

A TASS source said that the launch pad for Energia-5V will be built according to the same principles as the universal start-stand complex 17P31 for the Energia carrier. This complex was built three decades ago at site No. 250 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome and was subsequently used for two launches of the Energia super-heavy rocket. What exactly are the principles of the launch pad for the old "Energy" should be transferred to new project- not specified.

It is alleged that the launch pad for the Energia-5V rocket will be universal and will allow launching equipment different types. With its help, it will be possible to send promising Soyuz-5 medium-class rockets into space, as well as other carriers made on their basis by connecting several blocks. Among other things, such a launch complex can be used together with promising super-heavy rockets of the Angara and Energia-5V families.

Also on June 8, it became known about plans to accelerate the development of a super-heavy rocket. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that the industry leadership had decided to speed up work on the subject of a super-heavy launch vehicle. To solve such problems, research work has already begun on the new RD-0150 engine. In the near future, this project will move into the experimental design stage.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the promising engine will be used on the Angara-A5V rocket, and will make it possible to increase its carrying capacity to 37 tons. power plant it is planned to be used as part of the third stage of a super-heavy rocket, which is currently being created.

After the publication of news about the planned construction of the launch complex at the Vostochny cosmodrome, the acceleration of work in general and the start of the development of a new engine, new messages about the promising Energia-5V project did not appear. Thus, only the most general information about the project, as well as the expected characteristics of the finished equipment. It is quite clear that the previously announced calculated information about the data and parameters may change significantly in the future. In addition, the fundamental points of the project may be revised. Finally, for one reason or another, the development of superheavy carriers may be canceled altogether.

It should be noted that, despite the similarity of names and belonging to the same class, the promising Energia-5V rocket is not directly related to the carrier created three decades ago. As follows from previously published information, a new superheavy rocket project will be created on the basis of modern ideas, solutions, components and assemblies. So, in order to save time and money, the authors of the project are considering the possibility wide application large modules borrowed from existing samples of rocket technology.

It is known that the first and second stages of the Energia-5V-PTK and Energia-5VR-PTK missiles will be built on the basis of the corresponding units planned for development within the Phoenix project. The third stage, in turn, will be borrowed from the heavy Angara-A5V, which is also quite far from testing. The missile will be able to use existing and future upper stages. Such an approach will really speed up and reduce the cost of project development, although it will not make it possible to implement all plans in the near future. The fact is that the first flight of the Angara-A5V rocket is scheduled for 2023, and the Phoenix will take to the air in about two years. For the design and preparation for testing of Energia-5V, it will be necessary to wait for the completion of related projects used as a source of nodes.

The same is true with engines. According to reports at the beginning of the year, the first and second stages of the superheavy carrier will be equipped with RD-171MV engines. As far as is known, such a modification of the already existing RD-171 is not yet ready and will appear only in the foreseeable future. The RD-0150 engine also does not yet exist, and its development is at the most early stages. Thus, the lack of the necessary engines will also prevent the completion of the Energia-5V project in the near future.

The announced characteristics of a promising superheavy launch vehicle are of great interest. A few months ago, it became known that rockets would be able to send up to 100 tons of cargo to low Earth orbit, and a little more than 20 tons could be delivered to the Moon. With the help of upper stages of one model or another, it will be possible to obtain the appropriate results. At the moment, serial launch vehicles with similar characteristics are not in operation in the world. Several projects are being developed, but so far they have not been able to reach test launches.

The appearance of a super-heavy launch vehicle can have the most serious impact on the further development of domestic cosmonautics. In the past, attempts were made in our country to develop this direction, but, for one reason or another, they did not give real results. Thus, the first domestic superheavy rocket N-1, capable of launching 75 tons of cargo into low earth orbit, was tested four times, and all launches ended in an accident. In the mid-seventies, the program was closed in favor of a new project.

The next attempt to master the superheavy direction was the Energia project. The maximum payload of such a rocket was 100 tons. It could put into orbit both traditional spacecraft and the Buran reusable transport ship. In 1987-88, two test launches took place, after which work had to be stopped. The project proved too expensive to implement at the time. Decay Soviet Union led to the closure of the project.

In the future, it was repeatedly proposed to create a new project for a super-heavy launch vehicle. For example, for some time the possibility of developing such a project within the framework of the Angara family was considered. However, for technical and economic reasons, it was decided to confine ourselves to heavy class equipment. The creation of a superheavy carrier was postponed indefinitely.

Another discussion of the possibility of creating such a rocket began several years ago. Last year, specific plans were announced, and at the beginning of 2017, it became known about the formation of the technical appearance of two missiles at once with similar characteristics and different capabilities. According to the latest data, these projects will be brought to the test only at the end of the next decade. In 2027, the necessary launch complex will be completed at the Vostochny cosmodrome, and the first launch will take place in 2028. At the same time, there is reason to believe that these deadlines may shift to the left, since the country's leadership has made a fundamental decision to speed up the work.

To date, the domestic rocket and space industry has managed to start developing a number of promising launch vehicles, which in the future will have to replace existing and operated models. The existing plans involve the creation of rockets of all classes, from light to super heavy. This will allow not only to modernize the fleet of carriers by replacing obsolete equipment, but also to expand the capabilities of the domestic cosmonautics, as well as increase its competitive potential. Nevertheless, it will take a lot of time to fulfill all plans and create all the desired missiles - the first results of current programs will appear no earlier than the end of this decade.

According to the websites:
http://tass.ru/
http://interfax.ru/
http://ria.ru/
https://lenta.ru/
https://news.sputnik.ru/

The Russian super-heavy rocket is planned to be launched in 2028, the construction of the corresponding launch pad at the Vostochny cosmodrome should be completed in 2027. The carrier will be called "Energy-5", it is being designed, the production will be entrusted. Such a rocket is practically not needed for near-Earth launches; its tasks may include sending missions to the Moon. Why in Russia they can still build a super-heavy rocket, but they are unlikely to be in time before the deadline, says.

"Constructor is being created"

The Energy-5V project was presented for the first time CEO Energia in November 2016. Currently, RKK is working on two missiles - Energia-5V-PTK and Energia-5VR-PTK (the latter with an oxygen-hydrogen upper stage). Carriers are capable of launching up to a hundred tons into a low reference orbit, up to 20.5 tons to an Earth satellite: a lunar version of the Federation spacecraft being developed by RSC or a lunar take-off and landing module.

According to the plan, the Energiya-5 super-heavy class rocket will unite five Soyuz-5 medium-class carriers - one module in the center (actually the second stage), four - on the sides (the first stage). The third stage will be borrowed from the Angara-A5V heavy rocket. Unfortunately, neither the Soyuz-5 nor the Angara-A5V have yet flown.

The Soyuz-5 carrier should replace the Zeniths assembled in Ukraine, which consist of more than 70 percent of Russian components, as well as Soyuz-2 rockets over time. It is planned to be used in manned astronautics, to launch a near-Earth version of the Federation spacecraft, as well as within. 30 billion rubles are allocated for Sunkar (the name of Soyuz-5 within the framework of the Russian-Kazakhstan Baiterek project) in the Federal Space Program for 2016-2025 (Phoenix development work).

The carrier should launch in 2022. Soyuz-5 will be able to launch up to 17 tons into a low reference orbit, the rocket provides two times fewer parts and assembly units than Soyuz-2. The RD-171 engine of the first stage of the Zeniths (and according to the plans of Soyuz-5) is still considered the most powerful liquid-propellant rocket engine in the world. Four such units (in the RD-170 version) were installed on the side boosters of the Soviet Energia super-heavy rocket.

The Angara-A5V is a heavy modification of the Angara family of rockets with an oxygen-hydrogen third stage that increases the payload capacity by ten tons (up to about 40 tons in low reference orbit). The development is estimated at 37 billion rubles, the entire program for the creation of the Angara-A5V, taking into account the deployment of the necessary infrastructure, will cost 150 billion rubles. The preliminary design of the Angara-A5V is planned to be completed in 2017, ground tests to be completed in 2025, and flight tests to begin no earlier than 2027.

Plans to create a super-heavy carrier within the framework of the Angara family (Angara-7 rocket) have long been abandoned. Moscow is responsible for the development and production of such missiles, which has long been trying to get out of the crisis with the help of multibillion-dollar injections. “Essentially, a constructor is created from which we will begin to model one or another type of media. All this is being done in order to reduce the time and cost,” says Solntsev about Energia-5V.

reinvent the wheel

In the history of Soviet cosmonautics there were two projects of superheavy carriers. The first rocket, N-1, was launched four times from 1969 to 1972, all unsuccessfully. This affected the space industry of the USSR - the successor Vasily Mishin resigned in 1974, his place was taken. He also decided to curtail the H-1 project and start work on a new superheavy carrier (“Energy”), which caused an ambiguous reaction among contemporaries.

Unfortunately, the technologies used to create the Soviet Energia superheavy rocket, both launches of which (in 1987 and 1988) were successful, have largely been lost, and their reproduction is not economically feasible. In the development of the Energia-Buran complex (the rocket and the reusable spacecraft it launches), as noted on the website of RSC Energia, “1206 enterprises and organizations of almost a hundred ministries and departments participated, the largest scientific and production centers of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus were involved and other republics of the USSR. In particular, if the production of kerosene-oxygen engines RD-170 was preserved, then the production of hydrogen-oxygen engines RD-0120 (four units were installed in the central unit of Energia, which is also the second stage) modern Russia unable.

Transition to a three-stage launch vehicle scheme and rational use oxygen-hydrogen fuel will allow, as RSC Energia decided, to reduce the total costs for development work on a new super-heavy rocket compared to copying the Energia launch vehicle (the Energia-Buran system cost the USSR 16.5 billion Soviet rubles).

Possible expenses for Energia-5 are still unknown. In 2015, it was estimated that the project, including the construction of the launch pad on Vostochny and related infrastructure, would take about 2.2 trillion rubles. Probably, this amount can be reduced, especially if it is possible to establish cooperation on the creation of the Soyuz-5 rocket with Kazakhstan and the S7 Space Transport Systems company, the owner of Sea Launch.

So it goes

In addition to Russia, China is also considering the creation of superheavy launch vehicles. In the US, such a missile is almost ready. The launch of the carrier is expected in 2017 Falcon Heavy(capable of launching 63.8 tons into a low reference orbit), in 2019 - SLS (Space Launch System, depending on the version, launches up to 70 and 129 tons into a low reference orbit), which participated in the development of the Saturn V carrier. Heavy already has one commercial contract, it is also planned to send tourists to the Moon and the Red Dragon ship to Mars with the help of this rocket. SLS, designed for missions to the Moon and Mars, can be used more than ten times. in May 2017, Deputy Prime Minister following a meeting with Vladimir Putin. Rogozin noted that such a rocket will appear only after 2025 and will be designed to fly not around the Earth, but around the Moon and other space bodies. "It new stage manned cosmonautics,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

The survey “Russia in the Space of the 21st Century: Ambition and Pragmatism”, conducted, showed: 51 percent of Russians believe that the country should be the first to create a base on the Moon, 50 percent should send an expedition to Mars. The opposite opinion is held by 41 and 44 percent, respectively. “In the attitude of Russians to space exploration, behind the romantic veil of distant wanderings and ambitions of the country, noticeable pragmatism is visible. The Russians would like to be the first in all significant projects, but would not like to pay one hundred percent of the costs,” says Ivan Lekontsev, an analyst at VTsIOM.

Since the first flight into space, man has sought to create the most powerful rockets and deliver as much cargo into orbit as possible. Let's compare all the most lifting launch vehicles in the history of mankind.

On November 23, 1972, the last fourth launch of the N-1 super-heavy launch vehicle was made. All four launches were unsuccessful and after four years of work on the H-1 were curtailed. starting weight of this rocket was 2,735 tons. We decided to talk about the five heaviest space rockets in the world.

The Soviet super-heavy launch vehicle H-1 has been developed since the mid-1960s at OKB-1 under the leadership of Sergei Korolev. The mass of the rocket was 2735 tons. Initially, it was intended to launch a heavy orbital station into near-Earth orbit with the prospect of assembling a heavy interplanetary spacecraft for flights to Venus and Mars. Since the USSR joined the "lunar race" with the United States, the H1 program was forced and reoriented for a flight to the moon.

However, all four test launches of the H-1 were unsuccessful at the stage of operation of the first stage. In 1974, the Soviet lunar landing manned lunar program was actually closed before reaching the target result, and in 1976, work on N-1 was also officially closed.

"Saturn-5"

The American Saturn-5 launch vehicle remains the most lifting, the most powerful, the heaviest (2965 tons) and the largest of the existing rockets that put a payload into orbit. It was created by the rocket designer Wernher von Braun. The rocket could launch 141 tons of payload into low Earth orbit and 47 tons of payload onto the trajectory to the Moon.

"Saturn-5" was used to implement the program of American lunar missions, including with its help the first landing of a man on the moon was carried out on July 20, 1969, as well as to launch the Skylab orbital station into low Earth orbit.

"Energy"

Energia is a Soviet super-heavy class launch vehicle (2400 tons) developed by NPO Energia. She was one of the most powerful missiles in the world.

It was created as a universal promising rocket to perform various tasks: a carrier for the Buran MTKK, a carrier for manned and automatic expeditions to the Moon and Mars, for launching new generation orbital stations, etc. The first rocket launch took place in 1987, the last - in 1988.

"Ariane 5"

Ariane 5 is a European launch vehicle of the Ariane family, designed to launch a payload into a low reference orbit (LEO) or a geotransfer orbit (GTO). The mass of the rocket compared to the Soviet and American is not so great - 777 tons. Produced by the European Space Agency. The Ariane 5 launch vehicle is ESA's main launch vehicle and will remain so until at least 2015. For the period 1995–2007 43 launches were made, of which 39 were successful.

"Proton"

"Proton" (UR-500, "Proton-K", "Proton-M") - a heavy-class launch vehicle (705 tons), designed to launch automatic spacecraft into Earth orbit and further into space. Developed in 1961-1967 in the OKB-23 subdivision (now the M.V. Khrunichev GKNPTs).

NASA infographic

The heavy Space Launch System launch vehicle with the Orion spacecraft as part of the Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) mission will not fly into space until June 2020. This was reported by NASA, writes The Verge.

According to the space agency, the choice of a new date is related to avoiding the risks that may arise during the production of the rocket. It is also planned to test the ship's emergency system, which should protect the crew if something happens to the rocket during launch. It's about about the so-called launch abort system, which consists of a small rocket capable of separating the Orion from the launch vehicle.

In the spring, NASA has already postponed the date of the first launch of the SLS to 2019. At the same time, it was decided to conduct an unmanned test flight aboard the Orion. The space agency intended to make the mission manned. In April, NASA had to admit that the launch, scheduled for November 2018, simply could not be carried out due to technical problems and limited budget.

NASA also released an animation that shows a prototype SLS rocket that could take humans to Mars. According to the agency's website, the SLS EM-1 rocket will be "the most powerful rocket in the world and mark a new era" in the study of outer space around the Earth. It is assumed that the first researchers will be delivered to the Red Planet in 2030.

The Ukrainian edition of Dialog writes that the "American novelty" - the super-heavy rocket SLS - "will finally finish off Russia as a space power."

Scott Pace, executive secretary of the National Space Council under the President of the United States, spoke to Scientific American about the country's strategy to maintain leadership in space. According to him, the United States can become a world leader in space exploration through complex and realistic projects. They involve both international partnerships and the participation of the private sector. S. Pace noted that this strategy differs from the actions of the USA and the USSR in the 1960s, when the leader was a country that created what a competing state could not.

In the meantime, Russia has reported on the launch of 55 military spacecraft over the past five years, which made it possible to tighten control over the launch areas of American ballistic missiles. Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, spoke about this at the last meeting of the Collegium of the Ministry of Defense, TASS reports. In particular, a new space missile system"Angara", which allows you to bring payloads to all types of near-Earth orbits from the territory of Russia. V. Gerasimov also said that Russia is developing a new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile. He noted that in five years, 12 Russian missile regiments were re-equipped with new-generation Yars complexes and the Strategic Missile Forces received over 80 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

On November 23, 1972, the last fourth launch of the N-1 super-heavy launch vehicle was made. All four launches were unsuccessful and after four years of work on the H-1 were curtailed. The launch weight of this rocket was 2,735 tons. We decided to talk about the five heaviest space rockets in the world.

The Soviet super-heavy launch vehicle H-1 has been developed since the mid-1960s at OKB-1 under the leadership of Sergei Korolev. The mass of the rocket was 2735 tons. Initially, it was intended to launch a heavy orbital station into near-Earth orbit with the prospect of assembling a heavy interplanetary spacecraft for flights to Venus and Mars. Since the USSR joined the "lunar race" with the United States, the H1 program was forced and reoriented for a flight to the moon.

However, all four test launches of the H-1 were unsuccessful at the stage of operation of the first stage. In 1974, the Soviet lunar landing manned lunar program was actually closed before reaching the target result, and in 1976, work on N-1 was also officially closed.

"Saturn-5"

The American Saturn-5 launch vehicle remains the most lifting, the most powerful, the heaviest (2965 tons) and the largest of the existing rockets that put a payload into orbit. It was created by the rocket designer Wernher von Braun. The rocket could launch 141 tons of payload into low Earth orbit and 47 tons of payload onto the trajectory to the Moon.

"Saturn-5" was used to implement the program of American lunar missions, including with its help the first landing of a man on the moon was carried out on July 20, 1969, as well as to launch the Skylab orbital station into low Earth orbit.

"Energy"

Energia is a Soviet super-heavy class launch vehicle (2400 tons) developed by NPO Energia. It was one of the most powerful missiles in the world.

It was created as a universal promising rocket to perform various tasks: a carrier for the Buran MTKK, a carrier for manned and automatic expeditions to the Moon and Mars, for launching new generation orbital stations, etc. The first rocket launch took place in 1987, the last - in 1988.

"Ariane 5"

Ariane 5 is a European launch vehicle of the Ariane family, designed to launch a payload into a low reference orbit (LEO) or a geotransfer orbit (GTO). The mass of the rocket compared to the Soviet and American is not so great - 777 tons. Produced by the European Space Agency. The Ariane 5 launch vehicle is ESA's main launch vehicle and will remain so until at least 2015. For the period 1995–2007 43 launches were made, of which 39 were successful.

"Proton"

"Proton" (UR-500, "Proton-K", "Proton-M") is a heavy class launch vehicle (705 tons), designed to launch automatic spacecraft into Earth orbit and further into outer space. Developed in 1961-1967 in the OKB-23 subdivision (now the M.V. Khrunichev GKNPTs).

"Proton" was a means of launching all Soviet and Russian orbital stations "Salyut-DOS" and "Almaz", modules of stations "Mir" and the ISS, planned manned spaceships TKS and L-1 / "Zond" (Soviet lunar flyby program), as well as heavy satellites for various purposes and interplanetary stations.