Kosmos-3M

Kosmos-3M
(R-14 11K65M)

Drawing of the Kosmos-3M
Function	Orbital carrier rocket
Manufacturer	Yuzhnoye/NPO Polyot
Country of origin	Soviet Union (Russia)
Size
Height	32.4 m (106.2 ft)
Diameter	2.4 m (7.8 ft)
Mass	109,000 kg (240,000 lb)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO	1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb)
Payload to SSO	775 kilograms (1,710 lb)
Launch history
Status	In service
Launch sites	Plesetsk Site 132 & 133/3 Kapustin Yar Site 107
Total launches	444
Successes	424
Failures	20
Maiden flight	15 May 1967
First Stage - R-14U
Engines	1 RD-216
Thrust	1,486 kilonewtons (334,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	291 sec
Burn time	170 seconds
Fuel	IRFNA/UDMH
Second Stage
Engines	1 RD-219
Thrust	883 kilonewtons (199,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	293 sec
Burn time	1620 seconds
Fuel	IRFNA/UDMH

The Kosmos-3M (Russian: Космос-3М meaning "Cosmos", GRAU index 11K65M) is a Russian space launch vehicle. It is a liquid-fueled two-stage rocket, first launched in 1967 and with over 420 successful launches to its name. The Cosmos 3M uses nitrogen tetroxide as an oxidizer to lift roughly 1400 kg of payload into orbit. It differed from the earlier Cosmos 3 in its finer control of the second-stage burn, allowing operators to tune the thrust and even channel it through nozzles that helped orient the rocket for the launching of multiple satellites at one time. PO Polyot has manufactured these launch vehicles in the Russian town of Omsk for decades. It was originally scheduled to be retired from service in 2011,^[1] however in April 2010 the Commander of the Russian Space Forces confirmed that it would be retired by the end of 2010.^[2] One rocket remains to be launched.

Launches

First launched in 1967, with over 420 successful launches to date (2009).

Satellite	Date	Carrier	Site
Aryabhata	19 April 1975	Kosmos-3M	Kapustin Yar
Science and Technology Satellite STSAT-1	27 Sept 2003	Kosmos-3M	[3]
SAR-Lupe-2	2 July 2007	Kosmos-3M	Plesetsk
Kosmos-2429	11 September 2007	Kosmos-3M	Plesetsk
SAR-Lupe 4	27 March 2008	Kosmos-3M	Plesetsk
Orbcomm[4]	On 19 June 2008	Kosmos-3M	Kapustin Yar
SAR-Lupe 5	22 July 2008	Kosmos-3M	Plesetsk
Kosmos 2454 (Parus) Sterkh-1	21 July 2009	Kosmos-3M	Plesetsk Site 132/1

Accidents

On June 26, 1973, the explosion of a Kosmos 3M at Plesetsk Cosmodrome killed 9 people.^[5] In 1976, the explosion of a Kosmos 3M on its launchpad killed nine engineers.^{[citation needed]} More recently, on November 21, 2000, a Kosmos 3M launcher failed to place the QuickBird 1 satellite into orbit due to a failure of its second stage. The rocket and satellite reentered the atmosphere over Uruguay, and an inquest into the accident was inconclusive.

References

1. ^ "С космодрома Плесецк запущена ракета-носитель с двумя спутниками". Lenta. 2009-07-21. http://www.lenta.ru/news/2009/07/21/rocket/. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
2. ^ "Чтобы виделось лучше". ВЗГЛЯД. 9 April 2010. http://www.vz.ru/society/2010/4/9/391489.html. Retrieved 27 April 2010. 
3. ^ "STSAT (Science and Technology Satellite)". GlobalSecurity.org. 04-02-2009. http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/rok/stsat.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-14. 
4. ^ "Russia's Cosmos 3M rocket blasts off with six U.S. satellites". RIA Novosti. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080619/111256839.html. 
5. ^ "It happened today... on June 26th". AvioNews. http://www.avionews.com/index.php?corpo=see_news_home.php&news_id=1075972&pagina_chiamante=index.php. 

External links

• Cosmos - 1, 3, 3M and 3MU
• Encyclopedia Astronautica entry