2.5. Status and development prospects of aircraft engine building in Russia There are about 40 engine building enterprises in Russia. However, domestic aircraft engines inferior to the best world standards in terms of resource, fuel consumption, noise level and

Health and Industry Trends Your business does not exist in a vacuum; as a rule, the company operates in the same conditions that affect the industry as a whole. If there is a decline in consumer spending across the country, it is very

Unlike the Baikal, the MRKS-1 will not have folding planes (wings), but fixed ones. This will reduce the likelihood of emergency situations when entering the landing path. However, the recently tested design of the reusable accelerator will still change. Sergey Drozdov, head of the TsAGI high-speed aircraft aerothermodynamics department, said that “high heat fluxes on the wing center section became a surprise - this will undoubtedly entail a change in the design of the device.” In September-October 2013, the MRKS-1 models were tested in hypersonic (WT T-116) and transonic (WT T-128) wind tunnels.
At the second stage of the program, the second stage will also be reusable, and the payload mass should increase to 60 tons. Nevertheless, the creation of a reusable accelerator, even of only the first stage, is a real breakthrough in the development of space transport systems. And most importantly, we are moving towards this breakthrough by maintaining our status as a leading space power.
Currently at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute. prof. NOT. Zhukovsky completed the first stage of comprehensive research of reusable launch vehicles (MRKN). Earlier, the TsAGI press center published an image of the MRKS-1 model.

Its appearance resembles reusable spacecraft, such as our Buran or the American Space Shuttle. But the resemblance should not deceive. MKRS-1 is a completely different system. It has a fundamentally different ideology, which is qualitatively different from previous projects.
Research Center named after M.V. Keldysh began to create a new generation reusable rocket engine for Roskosmos. According to the terms of reference, the engines will be used to fly promising missiles, including in the reusable rocket and space system of the first stage MRKS-1 Rossiyanka, which is being developed by the Khrunichev Center. The unit should be ready for firing tests as part of a launch vehicle by November 2015.

On the site.

State Space Research and Production Center named after V.I. M.V. Khrunichev, within the framework of the Angara program, is developing a number of launch vehicles, the key element of which is the creation of a heavy class launch vehicle - a launch vehicle of the 21st century. as the transport basis of the Russian space program. The development work on the creation of the Angara launch vehicle family is carried out on the basis of Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 14 of January 6, 1995 "On the creation of the Angara space rocket complex" and Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 829 of August 26, 1995 "On measures to ensure the creation of space missile system "Angara".

In 1993, the Ministry of Defense and the Russian Aerospace Agency announced a competition for the development of a new heavy domestic carrier, in which, along with the GKNPTs im. M.V. Khrunichev was attended by RSC Energia, State Research Center "Design Bureau named after Academician V.P. Makeev" and State Research and Production Center "TsSKB - Progress". Proposed GKNPTs them. M.V. Khrunichev, the project was based on many years of design and survey work on launch vehicles, their creation and operation, taking into account the predicted requirements and the real possibilities of their implementation.

The main condition for achieving efficiency was the use of oxygen-hydrogen fuel in the second stage, as well as an oxygen-hydrogen upper stage (KVRB). This makes it possible to reduce the launch mass of the rocket by about 40% and, accordingly, the mass of its structure and cost compared to competitive options with kerosene-oxygen fuel in the second stage. At the same time, the cost of hydrogen is less than 1% of the launch cost. All this (taking into account the somewhat increased cost of the hydrogen engine, tanks, refueling, storage systems, etc.) makes it possible to reduce the unit cost of launch by 30–35%.

At the first stage of the heavy-class Angara launch vehicle, the project proposed to use the RD-174 engine with a thrust of 740 tf, developed by NPO Energomash, which is unique in its progressive solutions and repeatedly tested in flight on the first stages of the Zenit and Energia launch vehicles. At the second stage - the hydrogen-oxygen engine RD-0120 developed by the Chemical Automation Design Bureau, tested in flight at the second stage of the Energia launch vehicle. In the production of the Angara launch vehicle, it was planned to use universal welding equipment and the experience in manufacturing large-sized tank compartments, mastered in the GKNPTs im. M.V. Khrunichev in relation to the Proton launch vehicle. The layout of the Angara launch vehicle, like the Proton launch vehicle at one time, was subject to the customer’s requirement: transportation in parts by rail with the simplest assembly and control operations at the spaceport.

The arrangement of steps on the Angara launch vehicle is tandem. At the same time, it was supposed to use the package principle of fuel tank layout at both stages. At the first stage, two side oxidizer tanks (liquid oxygen) are hung on the central fuel tank (kerosene). At the second stage, the central one is the oxidizer tank (liquid oxygen), and the side ones are two fuel tanks (liquid hydrogen). The stage separation scheme is "hot", the stages are interconnected by a truss (between the central tanks). Subsequently (at the second stage), the layout of the Angara launch vehicle provided for the installation of additional devices for the return of the first stage to the cosmodrome area without an intermediate landing in order to reuse and eliminate the impact fields of the spent first stage (the second stage enters a suborbital trajectory and falls from the first half-turn into remote areas of the oceans).

In low reference orbits (altitude 200 km) with an inclination of 63 ° (latitude of the Plesetsk cosmodrome), this version of the Angara launch vehicle should launch up to 27 tons of payload (PG), and up to 4.5 tons into geostationary orbit when using KVRB. with KVRB, it was also envisaged to use the Briz-M RB. As a result of detailed discussions at the meetings of the Interdepartmental Commission, a decision was made on the further development of the Angara launch vehicle under the project of the GKNPTs im. M.V. Khrunichev. In the course of further research, the concept of the Angara launch vehicle was significantly developed and refined. Taking into account the current situation in the country, the GKNPTs im. M.V. Khrunichev proposed a strategy for the phased creation of a heavy-class launch vehicle using universal rocket modules in its composition. The new concept retains all the key ideas of the original version of the Angara launch vehicle and develops new promising capabilities. At present, the Angara family of launch vehicles covers launch vehicles from light to super-heavy class. The main characteristics of the launch vehicle of the Angara family are shown in fig. and tab.

Launch vehicles of the Angara family

This carrier family is based on the universal rocket module (URM). It consists of fuel oxidizer tanks and the RD-191 engine. URM is made according to the scheme with carrier tanks and the front location of the oxidizer tank. The RD-191 engine, created at NPO Energomash, runs on kerosene and liquid oxygen components. This single-chamber engine is being developed on the basis of the four-chamber engines RD-170 and RD-171 and the two-chamber engine RD-180, created for the Atlas-2AR launch vehicle. Thrust RD-191 near the Earth - up to 196 tf, in the void - up to 212 tf; specific thrust on Earth - 309.5 s, in vacuum - 337.5 s. To ensure control of the launch vehicle in flight, the engine is fixed in a gimbal suspension. The length of the URM is 23 m, the diameter is 2.9 m. These dimensions were chosen based on the technological equipment available at the Rocket and Space Plant. One such universal rocket module is the first stage of two light-class launch vehicles being created as part of the Angara-1 program. The central part of the Breeze-M booster block and the Soyuz-2 rocket block type I of the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle are used as the second stages on these two versions of the launch vehicle ("Angara-1.1" and "Angara-1.2"), respectively.

The Angara-3 medium-class launch vehicle is formed by adding universal modules (as the first stage) to the Angara-1.2 light-class launch vehicle. The Angara-3 launch vehicle is made according to the tandem arrangement of steps. Three URMs are used as the first stage. The second stage is installed on the middle URM through a truss adapter (block of the "I" type). As the third stage, a small-sized upper stage or a central block is used - RB "Breeze-M", which is designed to form a working orbit. Its inclusion in the launch vehicle variants with an "I" block-type stage is due to the fact that the RD-0124 engine installed on this stage is designed for only a single start.

The heavy-class Angara-5 launch vehicle is being built by adding two more side modules to the Angara-3 launch vehicle. A super-heavy-class launch vehicle is formed by replacing the second stage (I-type block) with an Angara-5 heavy-class launch vehicle by an oxygen-hydrogen stage with four KVD1 engines. The energy capabilities of the Angara-3 and Angara-5 launch vehicles ensure the launch of a payload weighing 14 tons and 24.5 tons, respectively, into low orbit. The Breeze-M missile launcher is used as upper stage on medium-class launch vehicles, and Breeze-M and KVRB are used on heavy and super-heavy launch vehicles.

The main launch site of the Angara family of launch vehicles is the Plesetsk cosmodrome. During the construction of the launch complex of the Angara launch vehicle, the existing groundwork for the Zenit launch vehicle is used. Unique technical solutions will make it possible to launch all launch vehicles of the Angara family from one launcher. To reduce the size of the areas allotted for the impact fields of the separating parts of the launch vehicle, special measures are envisaged already during the creation of the Angara-1 missiles. Three sources of funding for the Angara project are envisaged: the Russian Aerospace Agency, the Ministry of Defense and funds from the commercial activities of the GKNPTs im. M.V. Khrunichev.

At present, the design and technological development of a unified rocket module and a light-class launch vehicle based on it has already been completed. The preparation of production is being completed and the start of ground tests of real products is being prepared. A full-scale technological model of the Angara-1.1 launch vehicle was demonstrated at the Aerospace Show in Le Bourget in 1999.

Based on the main variants of the Angara family of launch vehicles, it is possible to create other modifications. Thus, options are being considered for installing additional starting solid-propellant boosters on a light-class launch vehicle. This will allow you to select a carrier for a specific spacecraft, and not create a spacecraft taking into account the existing carrier.

Thus, GKNPTs im. M.V. Khrunichev developed and proposed within the framework of the Angara program a whole strategy that allows, in conditions of limited financial possibilities and in a short time, to create a number of promising launch vehicles of various classes. The deadlines for creating the Angara launch vehicle family are very tight. Thus, the first launch of the Angara-1.1 launch vehicle is planned as early as 2003. Launches of all types of launch vehicles of the Angara family are planned to be carried out from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. The first launch of the Angara-1.2 launch vehicle is to take place in 2004. The first launch of the Angara-5 launch vehicle is also planned for 2004.

Improving the characteristics of the launch vehicle, and above all, reducing the cost of launching the spacecraft, in the GKNPTs them. M.V. Khrunichev is associated not only with the unification of the blocks of the first stages of the Angara family of launch vehicles and the introduction of promising, but already proven technologies, such as the use of highly efficient oxygen-kerosene engines, automated launch preparation, the use of the most modern upper stages and head fairings. The launch vehicles of the Angara family incorporate such latest technologies as the use of reusable elements (accelerator stages) in the design of the launch vehicle. It is this technical solution that is one of the cardinal ways to improve the economic performance of launch vehicles.

That the country is going to spend 1.6 trillion rubles on various space programs by 2020. First of all, it was about the continuation of the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome - the first launch of a launch vehicle from this launch pad is scheduled for the end of 2015. At the same time, plans were announced to create by 2030 some systems to counter the use of weapons from space and in space, plans to send astronauts in the future beyond the Earth's orbit, including the creation of a permanent lunar base, which can then be used as an intermediate point for flights to Mars (however, it is planned to start implementing this program closer to 2030).

How does Russia look at the prospects for the development of the space industry today, a year later? Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin, who oversees the defense and rocket and space industries, wrote about this for Rossiyskaya Gazeta in the article “Russian Space”. Under the slogan “We are moving from cosmic romanticism to earthly pragmatism,” he noted that Russia now faces three strategic objectives in the study and development of outer space: expanding the presence in low earth orbits and the transition from their development to use; development with subsequent colonization of the Moon and circumlunar space; preparation and beginning of the exploration of Mars and other objects of the solar system.

First, he touched upon the problems that the Russian space industry has faced in recent decades: the collapse of the USSR and the subsequent severe tests of the rocket and space industry of the former Union, the thoughtless "eating away" of the scientific and technical backlog. In many ways, the industry has been set back decades. Although today Russia is still the leader in manned space programs and the stable operation of the world's second satellite navigation system GLONASS is ensured, the general state of the industry cannot be called prosperous.

Guaranteed access to space from your territory

In order to improve the situation until 2030, the Russian Federation is going to ensure guaranteed access to space from its territory: launches of defense and dual-purpose spacecraft will be gradually transferred from the Baikonur cosmodrome to the Plesetsk and Vostochny cosmodromes. However, Russia will not leave Kazakhstan: launch complexes will be used as part of international programs and with more active participation of the Kazakh side. For example, within the framework of the Baiterek project for the creation and operation of a medium-class space complex.

At present, work on the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome is in full swing: the launch and technical complexes for the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle family are being built, and design and survey work is being carried out on the objects of the Angara heavy rocket complex. The supporting infrastructure of the cosmodrome is being built. At the same time, the creation of promising launch vehicles of light, medium and heavy classes is being completed.

Space communications and remote sensing of the Earth

The Federal Space Program of Russia for 2006-2015 provides for the development and creation of a whole series of communication satellites on a modern technological basis. By the end of 2015, the domestic constellation of communication and broadcasting satellites will be almost completely renewed. The problem is that the electronic component base (ECB), which makes up 90% of each spacecraft, is highly dependent on foreign suppliers. Onboard relay complexes of communication satellites created in recent years are either entirely manufactured by foreign firms or created at industry enterprises based on foreign components. Therefore, the Federal Space Agency assumed the role of a system integrator and actual customer of the domestic industry of radiation-resistant ECB.

The direction of remote sensing of the Earth (ERS) from space that is in demand today includes hydrometeorology, cartography, the search for minerals, Information Support economic activity, detection and monitoring of emergency situations, environmental situation, forecasting of earthquakes and other destructive natural phenomena. In order to meet these needs of Russia, an updated domestic remote sensing system will be created. And the minimum required number of its satellite constellation should be 28 spacecraft, which is planned to be achieved within the next 7-10 years.

The development of the GLONASS navigation system will continue: the Glonass-M spacecraft are being replaced by a new generation of Glonass-K navigation devices with improved technical characteristics, which will expand the scope and improve the quality of navigation support. Work continues to promote GLONASS navigation services on the world market.

Scientific directions

Russia is also going to expand its efforts in the creation of scientific spacecraft for space exploration. In 2011, the Russian space radio telescope "Spektr-R" with an antenna diameter of 10 meters was successfully launched into orbit, it became the basis of the ongoing international project of radio interferometric research "RadioAstron". In the same 2011, the launch of the Phobos-Grunt interplanetary station ended in failure.

In the spring of 2013, the flight of the Bion-M1 apparatus took place with animals and microorganisms on board. During the flight, more than 70 experiments in the field of space biology, physiology and radiation biology were successfully performed. In the near future, the launch of a new Russian scientific satellite "Photon-M" should take place, with the help of which Russian program microgravity research in fluid physics, space technology and biotechnology.

Finally, this year the MKA-FKI-RELEK small spacecraft will be launched, which is supposed to conduct experiments on the study of cosmic rays, as well as several technical experiments. The work on the ExoMars project is being intensively developed. Projects are being prepared for large astrophysical observatories of the Spektr-Spektr-RG and Spektr-UF series. Work continues on the creation of promising observatories Spektr-M (Millimetron) and GAMMA-400.

Pragmatism in the development and use of near-Earth orbits

Competition in the development and use of near-Earth orbits is intensifying today. Dmitry Olegovich notes: “On January 12, the Cygnus unmanned spacecraft docked to the ISS, delivering 1.5 tons of equipment, food and CubeSat satellites into low Earth orbit. The total carrying capacity of this ship is 2.7 tons. Our Progress-M is capable of lifting a little more than 2 tons into orbit. It is important that Cygnus, like its Antares launch vehicle, was created not by a state corporation, but by a small private American company, Orbital Sciences, which employs only 4,000 people. In addition, the Dragon spacecraft, created by SpaceX and capable of delivering 6 tons of cargo into orbit, flew to the ISS last year for the third time. In addition to the ships of these two companies and our Progress, the ATV launch vehicles of the European Space Agency (payload of 7.7 tons) and HTV of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (6 tons) act as unmanned cabs on the ISS.

But not only and not so much in the payload capacity. The Soyuz manned spacecraft and the Progress transporter are veterans of cosmonautics. SpaceX was founded in 2002. It employs 3800 employees. This is 12 times less than, for example, in the GKNPTs im. M. V. Khrunichev, where they assemble another veteran of the domestic space - the heavy Proton launch vehicle. For this reason, too, flights of domestic launch vehicles and ships are more expensive than those of our Western competitors. Comparison of the cost of space technology in Russia and China, in which the space program has been elevated to the rank of a state priority, is also not in our favor.”

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, space has practically ceased to be only a matter of pride and prestige of the state, having become an industry with its own rates of profitability, depreciation and profit. Therefore, all current and prospective space programs should be considered through the prism of their profitability, including the program scientific works on the Russian segment International Space Station. Russia seeks to increase economic efficiency manned flights, speed up (up to 1-2 years) the adaptation of ships to new tasks, shorten the development time for new modules, complete "prolonged space construction" and adapt to the needs of the customer.

Moon and deep space exploration

Also, Russia is going to seriously and for a long time to deal with the issue of the exploration of the moon. The first landings of a man on the moon are planned to be made in 2030, after which the deployment of a visited lunar base with a laboratory will begin. There, according to Mr. Rogozin, it is planned to place tools for studying the depths of the Universe, a laboratory for studying lunar minerals, meteorites, and pilot production of useful substances, gases, and water from regolith. Then test sites will be placed for the accumulation and transmission of energy over a distance, for testing new engines. The task, according to Mr. Rogozin, is grandiose, daunting and ambitious, but at the same time realizable. It will testify to the technological maturity of Russia, to the creation of a strategic intellectual and industrial reserve for future generations.

To explore the Moon, it is necessary to create a promising manned transport system based on a superheavy class rocket and a promising system of habitats. In addition, ongoing design work to create powerful interorbital (interplanetary) tugs, without which the exploration of the Moon and the exploration of the planets of the solar system is impossible. The appearance of such means will make it possible not only to reach the Moon, but also to carry out flights to asteroids and Mars in the future. The moon can become an intermediate base in the exploration of deep space, solving scientific problems and problems such as combating the asteroid-comet danger to the Earth. The key areas of development within the framework of the national project "Study of deep space" will be the creation of nuclear power plants and plasma energy conversion technologies, the development of biotechnology, robotics and new materials.

As Dmitry Rogozin notes, most Russian scientists believe that the Moon is the most important object for fundamental scientific research. Its origin in many ways sheds light on the most complex issues of cosmogony: the birth of the solar system, its development and future. In addition, the Moon is the closest source of extraterrestrial matter, minerals, minerals, volatile compounds, and water. The moon is a natural platform for technological research and testing of new space technology. The united Europe, China, Japan, and India also share the opinion about the need to explore the Moon.

“We do not position the task of flying to the moon as a program limited in time and resources. The moon is not an intermediate point in the distance, it is an independent and even self-sufficient goal. It is hardly expedient to make 10-20 flights to the Moon, and then, leaving everything behind, fly to Mars or asteroids. This process has a beginning, but no end: we are going to go to the moon forever. In addition, flights to Mars, to asteroids, in our view, not only do not contradict the exploration of the Moon, but in many respects imply this process, ” Rogozin stressed.

Cooperation with NASA

Due to the events in Ukraine, cooperation between the Russian Federation and NASA was called into question: the Americans announced sanctions, which, however, should not have affected joint work on the ISS (Russia has accumulated unique experience in this area). But now Roskosmos has reported that the position of the State Department on cooperation between Russia and NASA has softened a lot. Deputy Head of the Federal Space Agency Sergey Savelyev noted: “No damage has been done to international projects. It is possible to work in almost all areas of interaction between our agencies.”.

Reusable accelerator of the first stage "Baikal" as part of the launch vehicle / Photo: www.gazeta.ru

Roskosmos is ready to start creating a flight prototype of the returnable first stage of the launch vehicle. To this end, a team of specialists who developed the Energia-Buran system was assembled at the Khrunichev Center, Izvestia writes with reference to Alexander Medvedev, the general designer of Roskosmos for missile systems.

Alexander Medvedev / Photo: so-l.ru

As the newspaper notes, Russian engineers were not inspired by the experience of Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, who puts the first stages of the Falcon 9 rocket on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. Khrunichev is designing a "winged" first stage that will be able to return to the cosmodrome like an airplane and land on the runway.

"I am convinced that for Russian conditions, the returnable first stage with outgoing wings is best option- said A. Medvedev. - The scheme according to which the first stage of SpaceX lands does not suit us, since rockets do not fly from our spaceports over the sea and we do not have the opportunity to adjust the barge to the right place. Even if there were such an opportunity, it is not a fact that this is the best way: at sea, side wind and pitching almost always interfere.

"Energiya - Buran" - Soviet reusable transport space system. The Buran spacecraft made its first and only space flight in an unmanned mode on November 15, 1988. The program was launched in 1976, in 1992 it was decided to terminate it, TASS reports.

Technical reference

"Baikal" was designed by OAO "NPO "Molniya"" by order of GKNPTs im. M.V. Khrunichev. In an interview with a correspondent of the Military News Agency, Oleg Alekseevich Sokolov, head of the international programs and projects sector of the GKNPTs, said that work on similar accelerators is being carried out in the United States, European countries and, according to some reports, China, but a full-size mock-up was created in metal only in Russia.

Russian reusable accelerator (MRU) "Baikal" / Photo: www.objectiv-x.ru

NK spoke in detail about the MRU project two years ago, when a small model of Baikal was exhibited at the 43rd Le Bourget Salon. Since then, the project has undergone a number of changes; new data have also appeared both on the booster itself and on the Angara-V family of all-azimuth launch vehicles based on it.

According to the developers, the concept of a two-stage launch vehicle with a reusable "atmospheric" first stage makes it possible to provide flexibility in the use of various upper stages, among which reusable spacecraft can and should be.

A photo: www.objectiv-x.ru

Such a system will have significantly smaller dimensions and weight than a single-stage reusable system, which has similar mass indicators of payloads launched into orbit and delivered to Earth, and, consequently, higher technical indicators. In terms of total development and operation costs, building a system piecemeal can be cheaper than building a larger, more complex single-stage carrier. From the point of view of the designers, the operation of dividing a two-stage system is a well-established procedure in world practice and should not require significant costs.

The use of a reusable "atmospheric" stage for the removal of disposable PNs can be carried out not only within the framework of the concept of a two-stage carrier. The load for the reusable first stage can also be a combination of the final (target) launcher with disposable upper stages and upper stages, which should be part of a launch vehicle of any class. It is possible to combine reusable modules with disposable stages starting from the Earth's surface (modularity principle).

This concept of reusable stages-modules is the basis for promising developments carried out by the State Research and Production Space Center jointly with NPO Molniya within the framework of the Baikal project. The use of module stages with a rocket engine for launch and acceleration and an air-jet engine (AJE), a rotary wing, aerodynamic controls and landing gear for return and landing is provided both in the form of the first stages of light launch vehicles, and in the form of bundles or hinged boosters in rockets of medium and heavy classes.

Three projections of MRU "Baikal" / Image: www.buran.ru

The peculiarity of the "Baikal" is not only the landing of the MRU on the ground, but also its return to the starting point with the help of the return flight facilities, including the WFD and the control system worked out on the Buran orbital ship. According to the calculations of the developers, the use of "Baikal" on the launch vehicle of the "Angara" family will reduce the cost of launching the launch vehicle into orbit by 2-3 times.

The product, demonstrated in Paris, was equipped with models of the RD-191M rocket engine and the RD-33 turbojet bypass engine with an afterburner (TRDDF) used on the MiG-29 fighter.

RD-191M thrust near the ground 196 tons, specific impulse near the ground 309 sec and in vacuum 337.5 sec, developed by NPO "Energomash" them. V.P. Glushko. LRE weighing 2.2 tons runs on kerosene and liquid oxygen and is mounted in the tail of the MRU in a gimbal suspension with a swing angle of plus / minus 8º for pitch and yaw control. TRDDF RD-33 was developed by the St. Petersburg NPO. V.Ya.Klimova, has a thrust of 8.3 tf and a mass of 1050 kg. Its dimensions: length 4.3 m, width 2.0 m, height 1.1 m. When operating in cruise mode (altitude 11 km and flight speed 0.8 M) specific consumption fuel (kerosene) is 0.961 kg/tf.h. RD-33 is equipped with protection systems and early detection of faults.

In addition, the project considers the possibility of installing the RD-35 engine, developed for the Yak-130, on the MRU.

The booster chassis was taken from the Yak-42 and Su-17 aircraft. According to Oleg Sokolov, the MRU "Baikal" is designed for 25 launches, but in the future their number is planned to be increased to two hundred.

The mock-up shown at Le Bourget will later be used for static strength and other ground tests. According to some representatives of the GKNPTs, several Baikals are currently in production, which are intended for flight tests. However, according to unofficial statements by others, the production of flight products is still far away, and the model presented at the exhibition was made in haste and is far in appearance and design from the real Baikal, which will be launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.

Flight tests of the MRU will be carried out in several stages.

On the first- "Baikal" is installed on the fuselage of a specialized carrier aircraft VM-T "Atlant". After takeoff and climb, the MRU separates from the carrier and lands autonomously.

On the second stage "Baikal" without the second stage is launched from the launch complex of the launch vehicle "Angara".

Third the LCI stage provides for launches of the Angara A1-B in the standard configuration: MRU plus the second stage of the Breeze-KM.

Launch vehicle "Angara A1-V" using MRU "Baikal" / Image: www.buran.ru

Characteristics of the reusable accelerator "Baikal"

Characteristics of the launch vehicle "Angara A1-B" using MRU "Baikal"

Oleg Sokolov emphasized that the unified booster "Baikal" can be used on launch vehicles of various classes, incl. American shuttles, French Ariane 5 and other carriers. On the Angara launch vehicle of the light class, the Baikal will be the first stage. However, the market for lightweight carriers is currently not large enough to justify the creation of such an expensive reusable stage.

In the first half of the 1990s, the world spoke about the bright prospects for light-class rockets due to the predicted sharp increase in the number of small spacecraft designed to operate in low orbits and the deployment of a whole series of low- and medium-orbit global satellite communication systems.

However, the number of small spacecraft projects funded and underway has declined in recent years. Communication systems based on "non-stationary" constellations of small spacecraft have not yet confirmed their economic payback, and therefore are not widely used. In this regard, many launches of the light-class launch vehicle were not actually required; the resource of 200 flights laid down in the Baikal in the version of a light rocket may simply not be worked out by the time of the moral "aging" of the carrier and the end of the durability of systems and assemblies. The creation of MRU can, perhaps, pay off only when it is used in carriers of medium and, above all, heavy classes that are more in demand on the market.

Rocket layout diagrams / Image: www.buran.ru

All-azimuth launch vehicles "Angara-V" of medium and heavy classes are obtained by replacing the side universal rocket modules (URM) with "Baikal" boosters. So, it is planned to install two MRUs on the medium-class Angara-A3 (the Angara A3-B version), and from the Angara-A5 heavy-class launch vehicle, by replacing four side URMs with four MRUs, the Angara A5-B is obtained. The option of using boosters on the heavy Angara-A4 with an oxygen-hydrogen second stage (Angara A4-B) is also being worked out. However, the use of 2-4 MRUs on one launch vehicle can create a number of problems. The layout of the Angara A5-B and Angara A4-B variants has already required folding horizontal tail fins for two of the four boosters. In addition, serious difficulties may arise with the simultaneous return to the airfield at once of four MRUs that have separated from the launch vehicle.

The Khrunichev Center and NPO Molniya are also exploring the option of launching the Angara launch vehicle with the Baikal MRU from the An-124 Ruslan carrier aircraft, which, as mentioned above, is also a development of the concept of reusable "atmospheric" stages.

In addition, within the framework of advanced studies of the GKNPTs, fully reusable systems consisting of Baikal and a reusable second stage are being studied. However, their implementation is a matter of a more distant future and is not currently at the forefront of the Center's work.

According to the employees of the State Research and Production Space Center, the consistent development of "atmospheric" stages must inevitably lead to the creation of hypersonic aircraft carriers of "space" stages. Before reaching the level of a single-stage aerospace reusable launch vehicle, such aircraft will only have to go through the stage of equipping with a highly efficient combined propulsion system. To create them, obviously, more advanced technologies will be required than those currently at the disposal of not only the Khrunichev Center, but in general in the world.

Separation of the stages of the launch vehicle "Angara3-V" / Image: www.buran.ru

Characteristics of the Angara-V launch vehicle family using the Baikal MRU

According to the materials of the prospectuses GKNPTs im. M.V. Khrunichev, NPO Molniya, according to the Interfax agency and the Military News Agency.