Soyuz-U

Description: The Soyuz Launch Vehicle evolved from Soviet R-7 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) becoming a reliable and affordable space access asset for the Soviet Union and lately for Russia and international customers. Since 1966 a wide range of Soyuz models have performed more than 1,680 missions.

The Soyuz launched the first satellite and the first human into space. Currently, these vehicles are used to launch commercial and military satellites into space and for transportation of personnel and materiel to the International Space Station (ISS).

The Soyuz propulsion system consists of three stages or four stages including the upper stage. The first stage comprises four liquid oxygen and kerosene RD-107A boosters assembled around the central core. The first stage burns for 118 seconds. The second stage is located at the central core of the launch vehicle and comprises one RD-108A rocket motor that burns for 290 seconds. The third stage uses one RD-0110 motor and burns for 240 seconds.

The Soyuz-U is a medium, liquid propellant, three-stage, highly reliable, launch vehicle intended to place civil, research and special-purpose spacecraft as well as Soyuz and Progress spaceships into low Earth orbit. It can lift off from launch pads operating at the Plesetsk and Baikonur Cosmodromes. Once launched, the separation of the lateral rocket engine assemblies occur after the first stage burnout. The second stage assembly separates after burnout. The liquid propellant consists of a non-toxic mix of oxygen and kerosene. The first engine ignites on-the-ground allowing for launch abortion in comparison to Russian ICBM-based launch vehicles which ignite after ejection off the launch canister by gas or steam.

The third stage propulsion system consists of a four-chamber single-burn engine and four gimbaled steering nozzles which are used for three-axis flight control. Soyuz-U can place a payload of 7,200 kg, 6,600 kg, 6,300 kg into a circular orbit at an altitude of 200 km with 51-degree, 62.8-degree, 82,6-degree of inclination respectively. The final flight of a Soyuz-U rocket was performed on May 17, 2012, carrying a Kobalt-M satellite. The Soyuz-U was retired in 2012. The final launch of a Soyuz-U rocket was carried out on February 22, 2017.