Rokot

Rockot (Rokot)
Function	Orbital carrier rocket
Manufacturer	Eurockot Launch Services
Country of origin	Soviet Union
Cost per launch	US$41.8 million[1]
Size
Height	29 metres (95 ft)
Diameter	2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in)
Mass	107,000 kilograms (236,000 lb)
Stages	3
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass	1,950 kilograms (4,300 lb)
Payload to SSO
Mass	1,200 kilograms (2,600 lb)
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Baikonur 175/1 (inactive); Plesetsk 133/3
Total launches	31
Success(es)	28
Failure(s)	2
Partial failure(s)	1
First flight	20 November 1990; 26 December 1994 (orbital)
First stage
Diameter	2.5 m (8.2 ft)
Powered by	3 RD-0233 (15D95); 1 RD-0234(15D96)
Maximum thrust	2,080 kN (470,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	310s
Burn time	120 seconds
Propellant	N2O4/UDMH
Second stage
Diameter	2.5 m (8.2 ft)
Powered by	1 RD-0235 (15D113); 1 RD-0236 (15D114)
Maximum thrust	255.76 kN (57,500 lbf)
Specific impulse	310s
Burn time	180 seconds
Propellant	N2O4/UDMH
Third stage – Briz-KM
Powered by	1 S5.98M
Maximum thrust	19.6 kilonewtons (4,400 lbf)
Specific impulse	325 sec
Burn time	3,000 seconds
Propellant	N2O4/UDMH
	[edit on Wikidata]

Rokot (Template:Lang-ru meaning Rumble or Boom), also transliterated Rockot, is a Russian space launch vehicle that can launch a payload of 1,950 kilograms into a 200 kilometre Earth orbit with 63° inclination. It is a derivative of the UR-100N (SS-19 Stiletto) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), supplied and operated by Eurockot Launch Services. The first launches started in the 1990s from Baikonur Cosmodrome out of a silo. Later commercial launches commenced from Plesetsk Cosmodrome using a launch ramp specially rebuilt from one for the Kosmos-3M rocket. The cost of the launcher itself was about 15 million in 1999;^[8]^[9] The Eurockot contract with ESA for launching Swarm in September 2013 was worth €27.1 million ($36 million).^[10]

Specifications

Rokot's total mass is 107 tonnes, its length 29 metres and its maximum diameter 2.5 metres. The liquid-fueled rocket comprises three stages. The lower two are based on the Soviet UR-100N ICBM; the first stage uses an RD-0244 engine, while the second stage uses an RD-0235. The third stage is a Briz-KM (Template:Lang-ru meaning Breeze-KM), which has a mass of about 6 tonnes when fuelled, and is capable of flying for 7 hours and reigniting its engine six times during flight, allowing different satellites to be placed into different orbits. All stages use UDMH (unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine) as fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide as oxidiser. The Strela is a similar rocket, also based on the SS-19.^[8]

History

The first suborbital test launch succeeded on 20 November 1990 in Baikonur Cosmodrome. On 26 December 1994 Rokot brought its first satellite into Earth orbit. In 1995, Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center formed a company with German DaimlerBenz Aerospace to market Rokot launches for commercial use. Later, the company was renamed to Eurockot Launch Services. Eurockot bought 45 Rokots from the Russian strategic missile forces to build its inventory. In 2000, Eurokot was partly bought by the German company Astrium GmbH, a shareholder of Arianespace. Astrium now holds 51% of Eurockot's shares, while Khrunichev holds 49%.^[8]

Although there are several silos in Baikonour capable of launching Rokots, it was decided to build an open, non-siloed launch pad at Plesetsk Cosmodrome instead. This is because of concerns that the amount of noise generated during a silo-based launch would damage satellites. In the new pad, Rokot is wheeled up to the structure in a vertical position, and then embraced by its launch tower. The payload is lifted by a crane and placed on top of the bottom two stages. The procedure is in contrast to other Russian launchers, which had traditionally been assembled horizontally and then transferred to the launch site via railways. The first launch from Plesetsk took place on 16 May 2000.^[8]

After six entirely successful launches, a launch failure occurred on 8 October 2005, leading to the loss of the European Space Agency's CryoSat spacecraft. The launch vehicle 2nd stage main engine was not shut down properly, resulting in a catastrophic failure and automatic termination of the launch mission by the on-board computer. The payload was lost. After the failed CryoSat launch, all Rokot launches were suspended until the failure was identified. The root cause was unambiguously identified; it was a failure in programming of the Briz-KM (which was contracted to the company JSC "Khartron"). The failure of this high-profile mission led to major reforms in Khrunichev: the director of the company Alexander Medvedev was dismissed, new launch procedures were introduced, the lines of management were straightened out to catch errors and the new Khrunichev chief, Viktor Nesterov, was required to report directly to the head of the Russian Space Agency, Anatoli Perminov.^[8] Corrective measures for Rokot's return-to-flight were implemented for the South Korean Kompsat-2 earth observation satellite launch which took place successfully on 28 July 2006. The Korean side reportedly praised the level of service they received, encouraging the Rokot team to rebuild its order book.^[8]

Another launch failure occurred in February 2011, when a Briz-KM malfunction^[11] resulted in the Geo-IK-2 No.11 satellite being placed into a lower orbit than planned.

It was announced in October 2018, that the launches of the Russian Rokot-2 light carrier rockets may begin again in 2021. The launch is expected to generate a revenue of 8 billion rubles ($120 million), if the decision to resume the project is made within 2018.^[12]

Launch history

Flight №	Date / time (UTC)	Rocket, Configuration	Launch site	Payload	Launch outcome
1	20 November 1990 04:00	Rokot/Briz-K	Ba LC131	Experimental Payload	Success
1	Suborbital test flight
2	20 December 1991 21:31	Rokot/Briz-K	Ba LC175/1	Experimental Payload	Success
2	Suborbital test flight
3	26 December 1994 03:01	Rokot/Briz-K	Ba LC175/1	Radio-ROSTO	Success
3	First orbital mission. Amateur radio satellite
4	22 December 1999	Rokot/Briz-K	Pl LC133	RSVN-40	Failure
4	No launch; rocket irreparably damaged during preparation. Experimental payload
5	16 May 2000 08:27	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	SimSat-1 and 2	Success
5	Iridium-mock-ups
6	17 March 2002 09:21	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	GRACE-1 and 2	Success
6	Research satellite
7	20 June 2002 09:33	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Iridium-97 and 98	Success
7	Communication satellites
8	30 June 2003 14:15	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	MIMOSA DTUsat MOST Cute-I QuakeSat AAU CubeSat CanX-1 Cubesat XI-IV Monitor-E mockup	Success
8	NLS satellites and Monitor-E-Mockup
9	30 October 2003 13:43	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	SERVIS-1	Success
9	Japanese test satellite
10	26 August 2005 18:34	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Monitor-E1	Success
10	Earth observation satellite
11	8 October 2005 15:02	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	CryoSat	Failure
11	Earth observation satellite. Launch terminated after 2nd stage main engine was not shut down correctly, resulting in an explosion, causing the vehicle to exceed its flight envelope limit and thereby causing the automatic termination of the launch and the re-entry of the combined Rokot 2nd stage/3rd stage/CryoSat spacecraft stack
12	28 July 2006 07:05	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	KOMPSAT 2	Success
12	Earth observation satellite
13	23 May 2008 15:20	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Kosmos 2437 Kosmos 2438 Kosmos 2439 (3X Strela-3) Yubileiny^[13]	Success
13	Communications and amateur radio satellites
14	17 March 2009 14:21	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	GOCE^[14]	Success
14	ESA Earth observation satellite
15	6 July 2009 01:26	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Kosmos 2451 Kosmos 2452 Kosmos 2453 (3X Strela-3)	Success
15	Communications satellites
16	2 November 2009 01:50	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	SMOS PROBA-2^[15]	Success
16	SMOS: ESA Earth-observation satellite; PROBA-2: Sun-observation satellite testing a new spacecraft platform
17	2 June 2010 01:59	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	SERVIS-2	Success
17	Japanese test satellite
18	8 September 2010 03:30	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Gonets-M-2 Kosmos 2467 Kosmos 2468 (2X Strela-3)	Success
18	Communications satellites
19	1 February 2011 14:00	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Geo-IK-2 No.11	Failure
19	Geodesy satellite. Upper stage malfunction,^[11] reached lower orbit than planned.
20	28 July 2012 01:35	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Gonets-M-3 Gonets-M-4 Kosmos 2481 (Strela-3) MiR	Success
20	Communications and amateur radio satellites
21	15 January 2013 16:25	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Kosmos 2482 Kosmos 2483 Kosmos 2484 (3X Strela-3M)	Partial failure
21	Communications satellites. Briz-KM failed around the time of spacecraft separation, resulting in the loss of one satellite
22	11 September 2013 23:23	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Gonets-M-5 Gonets-M-6 Gonets-M-7	Success
22	Communications satellites
23	22 November 2013 12:02	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Swarm A/B/C	Success
23	Magnetosphere research satellites; Briz-km failed deorbit burn
24	25 December 2013 00:31	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Kosmos 2488 Kosmos 2489 Kosmos 2490 (3X Strela-3M)	Success
24	Communications satellites
25	23 May 2014 05:27	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Kosmos 2496 Kosmos 2497 Kosmos 2498 (3X Strela-3M)	Success
25	Communications satellites
26	3 July 2014 12:43	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Gonets-M-8 Gonets-M-9 Gonets-M-10	Success
26	Communications satellites
27	31 March 2015 13:47	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Gonets-M-11 Gonets-M-12 Gonets-M-13	Success
27	Communications satellites
28	23 September 2015 22:00	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Kosmos 2507 Kosmos 2508 Kosmos 2509 (3X Strela-3M)^[16]	Success
28	Communications satellites
29	16 February 2016 17:57	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Sentinel-3A^[17]	Success
29	ESA earth observation satellite
30	4 June 2016 14:00	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Kosmos 2517 (Geo-IK-2 No.12)	Success^[18]
30	Geodesy satellite
31	13 October 2017 09:27	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Sentinel-5 Precursor	Success^[19]
31	Earth observation satellite
32	25 April 2018 17:57	Rokot/Briz-KM	Pl LC133	Sentinel-3B	Success
32	Earth observation satellite

Planned launches

Date (UTC)	Type	Launch site	Payload	Payload type	Notes
2019	Rokot / Briz-KM	Plesetsk Site 133/3	Geo-IK-2 No. 3 (Musson 2)	Earth observation satellite

References

^ ^a ^b Zak, Anatoly. "UR-100N Family". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
^ ^a ^b "RD-0233, RD-0234, RD-0235, RD-0236, RD-0237. Intercontinental ballistic missiles RS-18". KBKhA. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
^ ^a ^b "Rockot Launch Vehicle". Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
^ ^a ^b "RD-0233". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2015-06-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "RD-0234". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2015-06-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b "RD-0235". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2015-06-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "RD-0236". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Harvey, Brian (2007). "Launchers and engines". The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program (1st ed.). Germany: Springer. ISBN 978-0-387-71354-0.
^ "Rokot". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Stephen Clark (12 September 2013). "Rockot launch clears way for long-delayed ESA mission". SpaceFlightNow.com. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
^ ^a ^b Военный спутник, запущенный на "Рокоте", скорее всего, утрачен (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Sputnik. "Launches of Russian Rokot-2 Rocket May Begin Again in 2021". sputniknews.com. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
^ "Russia launches relay craft, commemorative satellite". Spaceflight Now.
^ "ESA launches Earth Explorer mission GOCE". ESA. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
^ Eurockot Launch Service Provider Archived 2009-01-26 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Russia's Rokot launches with three Rodnik satellites". Retrieved 23 September 2015.
^ "Third Sentinel satellite launched for Copernicus". ESA. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
^ Graham, William; Bergin, Chris (4 June 2016). "Russian Rokot launches Geo-IK-2 – annoys environmentalists". NASASpaceflight.com.
^ Sentinel-5p launches on Russia’s Rokot launch system

External links

Website of Eurockot, Launch Service Provider
Rockot history on RussianSpaceWeb.com

[rsw-ur100n-1] Zak, Anatoly. "UR-100N Family". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 2015-06-19.

[kbkha-rd0233-2] "RD-0233, RD-0234, RD-0235, RD-0236, RD-0237. Intercontinental ballistic missiles RS-18". KBKhA. Retrieved 2015-06-19.

[khrun-rockot-3] "Rockot Launch Vehicle". Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. Retrieved 2015-06-19.

[ea-rd0233-4] "RD-0233". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2015-06-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[ea-rd0234-5] "RD-0234". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2015-06-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[ea-rd0235-6] "RD-0235". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2015-06-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[ea-rd0236-7] "RD-0236". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 2015-06-19.

[harvey-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Harvey, Brian (2007). "Launchers and engines". The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program (1st ed.). Germany: Springer. ISBN 978-0-387-71354-0.

[austronautix-9] "Rokot". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[spaceFlightNow-10] Stephen Clark (12 September 2013). "Rockot launch clears way for long-delayed ESA mission". SpaceFlightNow.com. Retrieved 16 September 2013.

[RIAN-2011failure-11] Военный спутник, запущенный на "Рокоте", скорее всего, утрачен (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[12] Sputnik. "Launches of Russian Rokot-2 Rocket May Begin Again in 2021". sputniknews.com. Retrieved 2018-10-18.

[13] "Russia launches relay craft, commemorative satellite". Spaceflight Now.

[14] "ESA launches Earth Explorer mission GOCE". ESA. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2016.

[15] Eurockot Launch Service Provider Archived 2009-01-26 at the Wayback Machine

[16] "Russia's Rokot launches with three Rodnik satellites". Retrieved 23 September 2015.

[S3Alaunch-17] "Third Sentinel satellite launched for Copernicus". ESA. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.

[18] Graham, William; Bergin, Chris (4 June 2016). "Russian Rokot launches Geo-IK-2 – annoys environmentalists". NASASpaceflight.com.

[19] Sentinel-5p launches on Russia’s Rokot launch system

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v t e Soviet and Russian launch vehicles
Active	Angara 1.2 A5 Soyuz-2 2.1a 2.1b 2-1v UR Proton-M
In development	Amur Irtysh Yenisei
Retired	Dnepr Energia Kosmos 1 2I 3 3M N1 R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original L M U U2 FG Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna Start-1 Tsyklon original 2 3 UR UR-500 Proton-K Rokot Strela Zenit 2 2M 3SL 3SLB 3F
Cancelled (no launch attempts)	Tsyklon-4 Proton Light Medium

v t e Orbital launch systems
List of orbital launch systems Comparison of orbital launch systems
Current	Angara 1.2 A5 Ariane 6 Atlas V Ceres 1 1S Chollima-1 Electron Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha Gravity-1 GSLV H-IIA H3 Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 3 KAIROS^† Kaituozhe 2 Kinetica 1 Kuaizhou 1 1A 11 Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 6A 7 7A 8 11 11H 12 LVM3 Minotaur I IV V C Nuri OS-M1^† Pegasus XL Proton-M PSLV Qaem 100 Qased Shavit 2 Simorgh SLS Block 1 Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB 2-1v SSLV Starship Tianlong-2 Unha Vega C Vulcan Centaur Zhuque 2
In development	Antares 330 Bloostar Cyclone-4M Deca Epsilon S Eris Gravity-2 Hyperbola-2 Irtysh Kuaizhou 21 31 Long March 9 10 Miura 5 MLV Neutron New Glenn New Line 1 NGLV Nova OS-M 2 4 Orbex Prime Pallas-1 Red Dwarf SLS Block 1B Block 2 Soyuz-7 Terran R Tianlong-3 VLM Vega E Zero Zhuque 3 Zuljanah
Retired	Antares 110 120 130^† 230 230+ Ariane 1 2 3 4 5 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able^† Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV IV Heavy Diamant Dnepr Energia Epsilon Europa I^† II^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos original 1 2/2I 3 3M Lambda 4S LauncherOne Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan^† Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Rocket 3 RS1^† Safir 1 1A 1B Saturn I IB V Scout X-1 Blue Scout II^† X-2^† X-2M X-3 X-3M X-4 X-2B^† B A B-1 D-1 A-1 E-1 F-1 G-1 Shavit original 1 SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Terran 1^† Thor Able Ablestar 1 2 Agena A B D Burner 1 2 Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena SLV-2G SLV-2H Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon R-36-O original 2 3 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard Vega original VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M 2FG 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque 1^†
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)