Flights to space over the decades since the launch of the first satellite have become so frequent that the average citizen does not follow them very closely. In near-Earth orbit hundreds of vehicles for various purposes are constantly spinning. Satellites provide communications, surveillance, navigation, they are used for research, and have become as familiar attributes of modern life as cell phones, laser readers or personal computers, which previous generations could only dream of.
But artificial space objects need to be put into specified orbits, and this has become the same business as the most ordinary transport services provided by auto enterprises, airlines, shipping companies and railways. Russia is a world leader in the delivery of satellites in near-Earth space. The Angara space rocket is likely to become the main tool for this work soon.
About centrifugal force
After the collapse of the USSR, Russia legally lost its main cosmodrome, located in the Baikonur region and became Kazakh. Of course, you can use it, but now you have to pay for it, and a lot. The reasons why the launch sites of the first Soviet spacecraft were built in the southern part of the country are simple. The closer to the equator the spaceport, the greater the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the planet around its axis. Accordingly, it is easier to overcome the gravity of a rocket, it requires less fuel (other examples: Cape Canaveral, French Guinea). Russia's dependence on foreign states, even very friendly ones, is undesirable. Cosmodromes "Plesetsk" and "Vostochny" - these are the new launch sites, from which it is planned to launch in the future. The Angara, a new generation launch vehicle, must be powerful enough to launch commercial cargo into orbit in the latitudes north of Baikonur.
KB Tasks
Before the experts GKNPTS them. M. V. Khrunichev and the design bureaus working in cooperation with him (Energia, Design Bureau named after V. P. Makeev, Energomash, etc.) were tasked with creating a complex that, with its capabilities, covers the range of carriers used previously. These included the Protons, Cyclones, and Zeniths-2 manufactured in Ukraine. All these samples of space technology had to be replaced by the Angara rocket. The technical characteristics of different types of carriers differed in power and mass of the payload being put into orbit. To achieve versatility, a new conceptual approach was required.
First Deputy General Director Khrunicheva A. A. Medvedev defended his doctoral dissertation during the project. In the future, he led the design team.
Modular design
Soviet carriers from the very beginning were built on a modular basis. The Vostok ships had engines in four packages surrounding the rocket hull. The designers of the MV Khrunichev State Space Research and Production Center were faced with the task of not just creating a very strong system capable of putting a heavy load into orbit. They had to design a family of carriers of various capacities for the delivery of objects with different masses to near-Earth space. So there was a series of "Angara".
The launch vehicle includes one universal module in its design "Hangar 1.1" and "Hangar 1.2". Three or five UM create a higher carrying capacity for the subsequent classes "Angara-A3" and "Angara-A5". Such an ideology gives the system universality and increases the commercial potential of the Russian space department, which is given the freedom to be flexible in approach and avoid unnecessary costs.
There is another strategically important difference and advantage that Angara is characterized by - a launch vehicle is fully built in Russia and is equipped exclusively with domestic units and components. Recent events clearly illustrate the economic profitability of space-technological sovereignty of the Russian Federation.
Technical details
The main indicator is the mass that the Angara rocket can put into orbit. Technical specifications depend on the number of universal modules included in its design. With the most powerful version of the carrier (A-7 series, according to the number of PAs) with a total weight of over 1100 tons, the payload reaches 35 tons. This is about the same as the Proton-M could lift, starting from Baikonur. The middle class is represented by version A-3, it can carry up to 14.6 tons, while it weighs 481 tons. And, finally, the lightest booster rocket is the Angara, whose characteristics correspond to not very voluminous and heavy objects, which most often need to be launched into space (3.8 tons).
In addition to the flexibility of configuration, there is another important circumstance that increases the competitiveness of Russian commercial space exploration. The modular construction principle makes it easier and cheaper to deliver carriers to the spaceport. Missiles can even be transported unassembled by rail.
Environmental issues
The use of heptyl as a fuel for heavy carriers together with highly toxic oxidizing agents creates a danger of environmental pollution in the event of an accident or other emergency situations. The basis of each universal rocket module, of which the Angara carrier consists, is the RD-191 engine, which runs on the RG-1 kerosene. The oxidizing agent is liquefied oxygen, which significantly increases the safety of the system and minimizes the harmful effects on the environment. At the same time, each universal module creates a thrust of 212.6 tf.
Design
The conceptual project was approved by Yu. N. Koptev, head of Rosaviakosmos, and approved by the Ministry of Defense, which is responsible for the activities of the Design Bureau. The work went on for ten years, as a result, the prototype was tested. In 2008, firing testing of a unified missile module at Himmash (FKP "SIC RCP") took place. Then, in 2009, the so-called “cold tests” and bench testing of hydraulic systems and fuel assemblies using fuel components were passed. Finally, in 2010, all nodes of the Angara automated workstation passed a comprehensive check. The booster was found to be operational. All units and systems withstood state checks. Now in line were flight tests.
First launch attempt
No matter how accurate the calculations are, and no matter how successfully ground and bench tests pass, the successful launch is the main proof of the performance of any space technology. It was planned that on June 27, 2014, the Angara will start from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. The booster was supposed to lift the second stage without going into orbit, along with a model simulating a payload, to overcome 5.7 thousand km along a ballistic trajectory and fall in a given area of Kamchatka (Kura test site). This did not happen that day. About a minute and a half before the start, the automated control system issued information about the fuel system malfunction, expressed in the pressure drop in the oxidizer damper. The countdown to the pre-launch time was stopped. Perhaps the President of Russia was upset because of this failure, but, apparently, was glad that the smart system did not allow much more trouble.
Normal flight
The fuel was drained, the rocket was removed from the launch pad and subjected to a thorough check of all systems at the assembly and testing complex. It took longer than expected, so the start was postponed again. Finally, it took place, it happened on July 9th. The flight was held as planned. At the 43rd second of the 4th minute after the start, the first step separated and fell into the Pechora Sea. The second stage started the engine after another 2 seconds, it worked for 8 minutes. 11 sec The head fairing was reset 10 seconds after the separation of the first stage. In general, everything went well according to the given cyclogram. The entire flight to Kamchatka took 21 minutes.
