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42-699: The Soyuz-FG launch vehicle was an improved version of the Soyuz-U from the R-7 family of rockets, designed and constructed by Progress in Samara, Russia . The rocket's guidance, navigation, and control system was developed and manufactured by the Polisvit Special Design Bureau in Kharkiv , Ukraine. Soyuz-FG made its maiden flight on 20 May 2001, carrying a Progress cargo spacecraft to

84-415: A flame deflector might be implemented to mitigate damage to the surrounding pad and direct exhaust. This is especially important with reusable launch vehicles to increase efficiency of launches while minimizing time spent refurbishing. The construction of a launch pad begins with site selection, considering various geographical and logistical factors. It is often advantageous to position the launch pad on

126-432: A missile vertically but is located underground in order to help harden it against enemy attack. The launch complex for liquid fueled rockets often has extensive ground support equipment including propellant tanks and plumbing to fill the rocket before launch. Cryogenic propellants ( liquid oxygen oxidizer, and liquid hydrogen or liquid methane fuel) need to be continuously topped off (i.e., boil-off replaced) during

168-513: A rocket launch, along with the sound it produces during liftoff, can damage the launchpad and service structure , as well as the launch vehicle. The primary goal of the diverter is to prevent the flame from causing damage to equipment, infrastructure, or the surrounding environment. Flame diverters can be found at rocket launch sites and test stands where large volumes of exhaust gases are expelled during engine testing or vehicle launch. Sites for launching large rockets are often equipped with

210-540: A rocket stage may be recovered while others are not. The Space Shuttle , for example, recovered and reused its solid rocket boosters , the Space Shuttle orbiter that also acted as a second stage, and the engines used by the core stage (the RS-25 , which was located at the back of the orbiter), however the fuel tank that the engines sourced fuel from, which was separate from the engines, was not reused. For example,

252-419: A sound suppression system to absorb or deflect acoustic energy generated during a rocket launch. As engine exhaust gasses exceed the speed of sound , they collide with the ambient air and shockwaves are created, with noise levels approaching 200 db. This energy can be reflected by the launch platform and pad surfaces, and could potentially cause damage to the launch vehicle, payload, and crew. For instance,

294-647: Is developing the first stage of the orbital New Glenn LV to be reusable, with first flight planned for no earlier than 2024. SpaceX has a new super-heavy launch vehicle under development for missions to interplanetary space . The SpaceX Starship is designed to support RTLS, vertical-landing and full reuse of both the booster stage and the integrated second-stage/large-spacecraft that are designed for use with Starship. Its first launch attempt took place in April 2023; however, both stages were lost during ascent. The fifth launch attempt ended with Booster 12 being caught by

336-653: Is typically a rocket -powered vehicle designed to carry a payload (a crewed spacecraft or satellites ) from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space . The most common form is the ballistic missile -shaped multistage rocket , but the term is more general and also encompasses vehicles like the Space Shuttle . Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pad , supported by a launch control center and systems such as vehicle assembly and fueling. Launch vehicles are engineered with advanced aerodynamics and technologies, which contribute to high operating costs. An orbital launch vehicle must lift its payload at least to

378-405: Is unique, but a few broad types can be described by the means by which the space vehicle gets to the pad. A service structure is a steel framework or tower that is built on a launch pad to facilitate assembly and servicing. An umbilical tower also usually includes an elevator which allows maintenance and crew access. Immediately before ignition of the rocket's motors, all connections between

420-695: The European Space Agency is responsible for the Ariane V , and the United Launch Alliance manufactures and launches the Delta IV and Atlas V rockets. Launchpads can be located on land ( spaceport ), on a fixed ocean platform ( San Marco ), on a mobile ocean platform ( Sea Launch ), and on a submarine . Launch vehicles can also be launched from the air . A launch vehicle will start off with its payload at some location on

462-607: The Goddard Rocket Launching Site after Robert H. Goddard 's series of launch tests starting in 1926, consisted of a mount situated on an open field in rural Massachusetts. The mount was compromised of a frame with a series of gasoline and liquid oxygen lines feeding into the rocket. It wasn't until the 1930s that rockets were increasing enough in size and strength that specialized launch facilities became necessary. The Verein für Raumschiffahrt in Germany

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504-742: The International Space Station (ISS). It was retired after the 25 September 2019 launch of Soyuz MS-15 to the ISS; the analog control system significantly limited its capabilities and prompted its replacement by the Soyuz 2 . From 30 October 2002 to 25 September 2019, the Soyuz-FG was the only vehicle used by the Russian Federal Space Agency to launch Soyuz TMA , Soyuz TMA-M and Soyuz MS crewed spacecraft to

546-438: The main component which received significant improvements. The previous RD-107 and RD-108 engines on the first and second stages, respectively, used 260 two-component centrifugal injectors. The improved RD-107A and RD-108A engines each had more than a thousand one-component injectors. These new injectors allowed finer aeration of propellant for more thorough burning and reduced the probability of high-frequency vibrations inside

588-444: The upper stage of the launch vehicle or launched to a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). A direct insertion places greater demands on the launch vehicle, while GTO is more demanding of the spacecraft. Once in orbit, launch vehicle upper stages and satellites can have overlapping capabilities, although upper stages tend to have orbital lifetimes measured in hours or days while spacecraft can last decades. Distributed launch involves

630-472: The 2000s and launch vehicles with integrated distributed launch capability built in began development in 2017 with the Starship design. The standard Starship launch architecture is to refuel the spacecraft in low Earth orbit to enable the craft to send high-mass payloads on much more energetic missions. After 1980, but before the 2010s, two orbital launch vehicles developed the capability to return to

672-578: The Fregat upper stage. The Soyuz-FG performed 64 successful launches until its first failure on 11 October 2018 with the Soyuz MS-10 mission. A video recording of the spaceflight released several weeks later suggested a faulty sensor, resulted in the destruction of the rocket. The crew, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin , escaped safely. The FG designation stands for forsunochnaya golovka , Russian for injector head ,

714-838: The ISS. For uncrewed flights, Soyuz-FG optionally flew with a Fregat upper stage , developed and produced by Lavochkin Association in Khimki . The maiden flight of this configuration occurred on 2 June 2003, the first of ten such launches. Launches of the Soyuz-FG/Fregat configuration were marketed by a European-Russian company called Starsem . Soyuz-FG was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan , from Gagarin's Start (Site 1/5) for crewed missions, and from Site 31/6 for satellite launches with

756-468: The accomplishment of a goal with multiple spacecraft launches. A large spacecraft such as the International Space Station can be constructed by assembling modules in orbit, or in-space propellant transfer conducted to greatly increase the delta-V capabilities of a cislunar or deep space vehicle. Distributed launch enables space missions that are not possible with single launch architectures. Mission architectures for distributed launch were explored in

798-406: The aft engine area of the vehicle prior to engine start. Too much excess hydrogen in the aft during engine start can result in an overpressure blast wave that could damage the launch vehicle and surrounding pad structures. The Spacex launch sequence includes a hold-down feature of the launch pad that allows full engine ignition and systems check before liftoff. After the first-stage engine starts,

840-399: The area above the pad. Flame deflectors or flame trenches are designed to channel rocket exhaust away from the launch pad but also redirect acoustic energy away. In rockets using liquid hydrogen as their source of propellant , hydrogen burn-off systems (HBOI), also known as radially outward firing igniters (ROFI), can be utilized to prevent the build up of free gaseous hydrogen (GH2) in

882-539: The booster stage of a launch vehicle. After 2010, SpaceX undertook a development program to acquire the ability to bring back and vertically land a part of the Falcon 9 orbital launch vehicle: the first stage . The first successful landing was done in December 2015, since 2017 rocket stages routinely land either at a landing pad adjacent to the launch site or on a landing platform at sea, some distance away from

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924-838: The boundary of space, approximately 150 km (93 mi) and accelerate it to a horizontal velocity of at least 7,814 m/s (17,480 mph). Suborbital vehicles launch their payloads to lower velocity or are launched at elevation angles greater than horizontal. Practical orbital launch vehicles use chemical propellants such as solid fuel , liquid hydrogen , kerosene , liquid oxygen , or hypergolic propellants . Launch vehicles are classified by their orbital payload capacity, ranging from small- , medium- , heavy- to super-heavy lift . Launch vehicles are classed by NASA according to low Earth orbit payload capability: Sounding rockets are similar to small-lift launch vehicles, however they are usually even smaller and do not place payloads into orbit. A modified SS-520 sounding rocket

966-594: The coast, particularly with the ocean to the east, to leverage the Earth's rotation and increase the specific impulse of launches. Space programs such as Soviet space program or the French space program without this luxury may utilize facilities outside of their main territory such as the Baikonur Cosmodrome or Guiana Space Centre to launch for them. This orientation also allows for safe trajectory paths, minimizing risks to populated areas during ascent. Each launch site

1008-399: The combustion chambers. The result was increase in specific impulse by about 5 seconds (0.049 km/s), or about five percent, which allowed the rocket to lift another 250 to 300 kilograms (550 to 660 lb) of payload to orbit. The Soyuz-FG was an interim upgrade designed to bridge the gap between the venerable Soyuz-U, in use since the 1970s, and the heavily modernized Soyuz-2 , which

1050-442: The ground. In contrast, reusable launch vehicles are designed to be recovered intact and launched again. The Falcon 9 is an example of a reusable launch vehicle. As of 2023, all reusable launch vehicles that were ever operational have been partially reusable, meaning some components are recovered and others are not. This usually means the recovery of specific stages, usually just the first stage, but sometimes specific components of

1092-421: The launch sequence ( countdown ), as the vehicle awaits liftoff. This becomes particularly important as complex sequences may be interrupted by planned or unplanned holds to fix problems. Most rockets need to be supported and held down for a few seconds after ignition while the engines build up to full thrust . The vehicle is commonly held on the pad by hold-down arms or explosive bolts , which are triggered when

1134-528: The launch site (RTLS). Both the US Space Shuttle —with one of its abort modes —and the Soviet Buran had a designed-in capability to return a part of the launch vehicle to the launch site via the mechanism of horizontal-landing of the spaceplane portion of the launch vehicle. In both cases, the main vehicle thrust structure and the large propellant tank were expendable , as had been

1176-561: The launch site. The Falcon Heavy is similarly designed to reuse the three cores comprising its first stage. On its first flight in February 2018, the two outer cores successfully returned to the launch site landing pads while the center core targeted the landing platform at sea but did not successfully land on it. Blue Origin developed similar technologies for bringing back and landing their suborbital New Shepard , and successfully demonstrated return in 2015, and successfully reused

1218-462: The launch tower, and Ship 30, the upper stage, successfully landing in the Indian Ocean. Launch pad Most launch pads include fixed service structures to provide one or more access platforms to assemble, inspect, and maintain the vehicle and to allow access to the spacecraft, including the loading of crew. The pad may contain a flame deflection structure to prevent the intense heat of

1260-423: The launcher is held down and not released for flight until all propulsion and vehicle systems are confirmed to be operating normally. Similar hold-down systems have been used on launch vehicles such as Saturn V and Space Shuttle . An automatic safe shut-down and unloading of propellant occur if any abnormal conditions are detected. Prior to the launch date, SpaceX sometimes completes a test cycle, culminating in

1302-421: The maximum admissible overall sound power level (OASPL) for payload integrity is approximately 145 db. Sound is dissipated by huge volumes of water distributed across the launch pad and launch platform during liftoff. Water-based acoustic suppression systems are common on launch pads. They aid in reducing acoustic energy by injecting large quantities of water below the launch pad into the exhaust plume and in

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1344-422: The rocket exhaust from damaging the vehicle or pad structures, and a sound suppression system spraying large quantities of water may be employed. The pad may also be protected by lightning arresters . A spaceport typically includes multiple launch complexes and other supporting infrastructure. A launch pad is distinct from a missile launch facility (or missile silo or missile complex ), which also launches

1386-551: The same booster on a second suborbital flight in January 2016. By October 2016, Blue had reflown, and landed successfully, that same launch vehicle a total of five times. The launch trajectories of both vehicles are very different, with New Shepard going straight up and down, whereas Falcon 9 has to cancel substantial horizontal velocity and return from a significant distance downrange. Both Blue Origin and SpaceX also have additional reusable launch vehicles under development. Blue

1428-428: The standard procedure for all orbital launch vehicles flown prior to that time. Both were subsequently demonstrated on actual orbital nominal flights, although both also had an abort mode during launch that could conceivably allow the crew to land the spaceplane following an off-nominal launch. In the 2000s, both SpaceX and Blue Origin have privately developed a set of technologies to support vertical landing of

1470-450: The surface of the Earth. To reach orbit, the vehicle must travel vertically to leave the atmosphere and horizontally to prevent re-contacting the ground. The required velocity varies depending on the orbit but will always be extreme when compared to velocities encountered in normal life. Launch vehicles provide varying degrees of performance. For example, a satellite bound for Geostationary orbit (GEO) can either be directly inserted by

1512-399: The tower and the craft are severed, and the bridges over which these connections pass often quickly swing away to prevent damage to the structure or vehicle. A flame deflector, flame diverter or flame trench is a structure or device designed to redirect or disperse the flame, heat, and exhaust gases produced by rocket engines or other propulsion systems. The amount of thrust generated by

1554-430: The vehicle is stable and ready to fly, at which point all umbilical connections with the pad are released. Precursors to modern rocketry, such as fireworks and rocket launchers, did not generally require dedicated launch pads. This was due in part to their relatively portable size, as well as the sufficiency of their casings in sustaining stresses. One of the first pads for a liquid-fueled rocket, what would later be named

1596-662: Was an exact replica to Kummersdorf's large test stand. It was this site which saw the development of the V-2 rocket . Test Stand VII was the principle testing facility at the Peenemünde Airfield and was capable of static firing rocket motors with up to 200 tons of thrust. Launch pads would increase in complexity over the following decades throughout and following the Space Race . Where large volumes of exhaust gases are expelled during engine testing or vehicle launch,

1638-550: Was injured. A propellant fuel tank exploded, while experimenting with mixing 90% hydrogen peroxide and alcohol, before combustion. In May 1937, Dornberger, and most of his staff, moved to the Peenemünde Army Research Center on the island of Usedom on the Baltic coast which offered much greater space and secrecy. Dr. Thiel and his staff followed in the summer of 1940. Test Stand VI at Pennemünde

1680-673: Was permitted after a request for funding in 1930 to move from farms to the Berlin rocket launching site ( German : Raketenflugplatz Berlin ), a repurposed ammunition dump. A test stand was built for liquid-propellant rockets in Kummersdorf in 1932, where the early designs from the Aggregat series of ballistic missiles were afterwards developed. This site was also the location of the first casualties in rocket development, when Dr. Wahmke and 2 assistants were killed, and another assistant

1722-692: Was still under development when the FG was introduced. Although Progress initially planned to use the RD-107A and RD-108A engines on the Soyuz-2, the availability of flight-ready engines led to the decision to introduce the Soyuz-FG. This strategy allowed the Soyuz-U to remain in service, utilizing the existing stock of older engines, while the Soyuz-FG served as a transitional solution until the Soyuz-2 became fully operational. Launch vehicle A launch vehicle

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1764-596: Was used to place a 4-kilogram payload ( TRICOM-1R ) into orbit in 2018. Orbital spaceflight requires a satellite or spacecraft payload to be accelerated to very high velocity. In the vacuum of space, reaction forces must be provided by the ejection of mass, resulting in the rocket equation . The physics of spaceflight are such that rocket stages are typically required to achieve the desired orbit. Expendable launch vehicles are designed for one-time use, with boosters that usually separate from their payload and disintegrate during atmospheric reentry or on contact with

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