- Dnepr rocket
Infobox rocket
name =Dnepr (Dnipro/Konversiya)
caption =
function =Orbitalcarrier rocket
manufacturer =Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant
country-origin =Soviet Union (Ukraine )
cpl-year =
cpl =
height =34.3 m
alt-height =112.5 ft
diameter =3 m
alt-diameter =9.8 ft
mass = 211,000 kg
alt-mass =465,000 lb
stages = 3 (4 or 5 with SpaceTug upper stages)
LEO-payload = 4,500 kg
alt-LEO = 9,900 lb
payload-location = ISS
payload = 3,200 kg
alt-payload = 7,000 lb
payload2-location = TLI
payload2 = 550 kg (with ST-1)
alt-payload2 =
status = Active
sites = LC-109, Baikonur
Yasny
first=21 April 1999
last=
launches =12
success =11
fail =1
partial =
stage1engines =1RD-264
stage1thrust =4,520 kN
alt-stage1thrust =1,016,130 lbf
stage1SI =318 s
stage1time =130 seconds
stage1fuel =N2O4 /UDMH
stage2engines =1RD-0255
stage2thrust =755 kN
alt-stage2thrust =169,730 lbf
stage2SI =340 sec
stage2time =190 seconds
stage2fuel =N2O4 /UDMH
stage3engines =1RD-869
stage3thrust =18.6 kN
alt-stage3thrust =4,181 lbf
stage3SI =317 sec
stage3time =1,000 seconds
stage3fuel =N2O4 /UDMH
stage4name =SpaceTug 1 (ST-1)
(Optional)
stage4engines =1 Solid
stage4thrust =TBC
alt-stage4thrust =
stage4SI =
stage4time =TBC
stage4fuel = Solid
stage5name =SpaceTug 3 (ST-3)
(Optional, May be flown as stage 4 without ST-1)
stage5engines =1 Liquid (TBC)
stage5thrust =TBC
alt-stage5thrust =
stage5SI =
stage5time =TBC
stage5fuel =N2O4 /UDMH The Dnepr rocket ( _ua. Дніпро, "Dnipro"; _ru. Днепр, "Dnepr") is a spacelaunch vehicle named after theDnieper River . It is a convertedICBM used for launchingartificial satellites into orbit, operated by launch service providerISC Kosmotras . The first launch, onApril 21 ,1999 , successfully placedUoSAT-12 , a 350 kg demonstration mini-satellite, into a 650 km circularLEO . [cite web |url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/dnepr.html |title=The Dnepr launcher |publisher=RussianSpaceWeb.com] [cite web |url=http://www.sstl.org/index.php?loc=27&id=151 |title=UoSAT-12 Integrates with Dnepr for Launch on 21 April |publisher=Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd ]Converted missile
The Dnepr is based on the R-36MUTTH ICBMndash called the "SS-18 Satan" by NATOndash designed by the
Yuzhnoe Design Bureau inDnipropetrovsk , Ukraine. The Dnepr is three-stage rocket using storable toxic liquid propellants. The launch vehicles used for satellite launches are withdrawn from service with the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces and stored for commercial use. A group of 150 ICBMs can be converted for use and are available until2020 . The Dnepr can be launched fromBaikonur in Kazakhstan and a newly created Cosmodrome at the Yasny launch base (Dombarovsky), in the Orenburg region of Russia.Performance
The Dnepr launch vehicle has only a small number of modifications compared to the R-36M ICBM in service. The main difference is the payload adapter located the space head module and modified flight-control unit. This baseline version can lift 3,600 kg into a 300 km
low earth orbit at aninclination of 50.6°, or 2,300 kg to a 300 kmsun-synchronous orbit at an inclination of 98.0°. On a typical mission the Dnepr deploys a larger main payload and a secondary payload ofMiniaturized satellite s andCubeSat s. A number of Space Tugs are under development which will be placed inside the space head module, thereby sacrificing volume and payload but enabling orbits requiring more energy, including planetary escape orbits.Launch history
Before the Dnepr entered commercial service it was in service with the
Strategic Rocket Forces which launched the ICBM version over 160 times with a reliability of 97%. The rocket has been used ten times for commercial purposes with a single failure.Launch failure
The committee investigating the failed launch on
July 26 ,2006 concluded that the failure was caused by a malfunctioning of the pumping hydraulic drive of combustion chamber #4. The control malfunctioning brought about the disturbances, which led to the roll instability, excessive dispersions of the yaw and pitch angles. Thrust termination occurred at 74 seconds after lift off. The crash site was located 150 km from the launch pad in an unpopulated area of Kazakhstan. Toxic propellants did pollute the crash site, forcing Russia to pay US$1.1m in compensation [cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/03/news/AS_GEN_Kazakhstan_Russia_Space.php|title=Russia to pay Kazakhstan over US$1 million in compensation for damage from rocket crash|publisher=International Herald Tribune |date=2006-10-03 ] . The rocket used for this launch was more than twenty years old. Procedures for launch have been changed to prevent future malfunctions of this kind.References
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