Yuzhnoye Launchers and Satellites E-Book

Christian Lardier

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 678

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

The OKB-586/Yuzhnoye design office, located in Dnipro, Ukraine, has developed a large number of military rockets, space launchers and satellites, including the Cosmos and Intercosmos series. Thousands of Yuzhnoye rockets and satellites have been mass-produced by Factory No. 586/YuzhMach. This company celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2021, and was run from 1954 to 1971 by Mikhail Yangel, one of the three great Soviet creators of cosmic rocket technology, alongside Sergei Korolev and Vladimir Chelomey. Yuzhnoye Launchers and Satellites covers 40 years of programs carried out during the Soviet period, which was marked by the Nuclear Arms Race and the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union, and 30 years of the Ukrainian period, characterized by cooperation with the West and opening up commercialization. The book incorporates the latest information from declassified archives.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Foreword

Introduction

1 Mikhail Yangel: The Father of Yuzhnoye

1.1. Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel

1.2. The Dnepropetrovsk Plant

1.3. The Dnepropetrovsk Design Bureau

1.4. Overview of 50 years of activity

1.5. Decorations awarded to OKB-586/Yuzhnoye

2 Subcontractors

2.1. The Council of Designers

2.2. Serial production plants

2.3. Ukrainian companies

2.4. The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

3 R-12: The First Missile with a Range of 2,000 km

3.1. Development

3.2. Production

3.3. Operation

3.4. The space launcher

4 R-14: The First Missile with a Range of 4,000 km

4.1. Development

4.2. Deployment

4.3. The space launcher

4.4. Marketing

4.5. Summary

5 R-15, R-16, R-22, R-24, R-26 and R-36: Missiles and Launchers

5.1. The R-15 naval rocket of the D-3 system

5.2. The 8K64/R-16 intercontinental missile

5.3. The R-22 project

5.4. The R-24 project, an improved R-11M

5.5. The 8K66/R-26 project

5.6. 8K67/R-36: ICBM and launcher

5.7. The 11K69 Tsiklon-2 launcher

5.8. The 11K68 Tsiklon-3 launcher

5.9. Marketing

5.10. Yuzhnoye and Brazil: Tsiklon-4 from Alcantara

6 R-37, R-38, R-46, R-56 and Block-E: Missiles and Lunar Module

6.1. The R-37 and R-38 projects

6.2. The R-46 project

6.3. The RK-100 and R-56/8K68 projects

6.4. Block-E of the LK lunar module

7 R-36M, MR-UR-100, R-36M2 and Dnipro: Missiles and Kosmotras

7.1. R-36M/15A14/RS-20A and R-36UTTKh/15A18/RS-20B

7.2. MR-UR-100/15A15 and MR-UR-100UTTKh/15A16

7.3. R-36M2/15A18M/RS-20V

7.4. The Yangel Zone in Baikonur

7.5. The Dnipro launcher from Kosmotras

8 Zenit-2, Sea Launch and Land Launch

8.1. The 11K77/Zenit-2 and 11K25/Energia launchers

8.2. The Zenit-3SL Sea Launch launcher

8.3. The Zenit-3SLB Land Launch launcher

8.4. Feniks, Sunkar, Soyuz-5/Irtysh

9 Solid Propellants

9.1. History

9.2. The 8K99/RT-20P missile (SS-15 Scrooge)

9.3. 15J41/RT-21 and 15J43/RT-22

9.4. The silo-based 15J44/RT-23 and rail-based 15J52/RT-23 (SS-24 Scalpel, RS-22 and 22A)

9.5. The 3D65 stage of the R-39 SLBM (Sturgeon SSN-20)

9.6. The silo-based 15J60/RT-23U and rail-based 15J61/RT-23U (SS-24 Scalpel, RS-22B and RS-22V)

9.7. Unrealized solid-propellant missile projects

10 The Ukrainian Space Program Since 1991

10.1. Independence

10.2. The Ukrainian Space Agency

10.3. The space industry

10.4. Ground-based infrastructure

10.5. The space program

10.6. Manned flights

10.7. Twinning with the European Union

10.8. Launch companies

Appendix

References

Index of Names

Index of Concepts

Other titles from iSTE in Space Science and Technology

End User License Agreement

List of Tables

Chapter 2

Table 2.1. Prime contractors of rocket guidance systems

Table 2.2. Serial production of rocket guidance systems

Table 2.3. The computers of OKB-692

Table 2.4. The guidance systems of OKB-692

Table 2.5. The sighting systems of the Arsenal TsKB

Chapter 3

Table 3.1. R-12 production schedule in the three plants from 1959 to 1965

Table 3.2. Rocket production and delivery plan for 1959

Table 3.3. Constituent hardware of the different models of silos and their des...

Table 3.4. Exact designation of Kosmos launchers

Table 3.5. The DS satellites of Yuzhnoye in 1962

Table 3.6. Planned launches of 63S1 from Kapustin Yar in the second half of 19...

Table 3.7. Planned launches of 63S1 from Kapustin Yar in the first half of 196...

Table 3.8. Planned launches of 63S1 from Kapustin Yar in the first half of 196...

Table 3.9. Composition of the State Commission for the Launch of Kosmos small ...

Chapter 5

Table 5.1. The Tsiklon launches (source: C. Lardier)

Chapter 10

Table 10.1. Ukraine’s space budget

Appendix

Table A.1. List of 8K63/R-12 launches

Table A.2. List of 63S1/11K63 launches from 10-1961 to 6-1977 (16 years)

Table A.3. List of 8K65/R-14 launches

Table A.4. List of 65S3/11K65 launches from 8-1964 to 4-2010 (46 years)

Table A.5. List of 8K64/R-16 launches

Table A.6. List of 8K67/R-36 launches

Table A.7. List of R-36Orb launches (FOBS)

Table A.8. List of IS program launches (ASAT)

Table A.9. List of Tsyklon launches between 10-1967 and 1-2009 (42 years)

Table A.10. List of 15A14/R-36M launches

Table A.11. List of 15A15/MR-UR-100 launches

Table A.12. List of 15A16/MR-R-100UTTKh launches

Table A.13. List of 15A18/R-36MUTTKh launches

Table A.14. List of 15A18M/R-36M2 launches

Table A.15. List of Dnipro launches in 1999/2015

Table A.16. ICBM silos

Table A.17. List of 11K77/Zenit rocket launches

List of Illustrations

Chapter 1

Figure 1.1. Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel (source: rights reserved)

Figure 1.2. The Yangel house in Zyryanova (source: rights reserved)

Figure 1.3. Yangel in the United States in 1938 (source: rights reserved)

Figure 1.4. Wedding to Irina in 1939 (source: rights reserved)

Figure 1.5. The Yangel family (source: rights reserved)

Figure 1.6. The I-185 aircraft of 1943 (source: rights reserved)

Figure 1.7. Korolev’s R-11 missile (source: rights reserved)

Figure 1.8. Awarding of the Hero of Socialist Labor Medal in June 1961: from l...

Figure 1.9. Monuments to Yangel: a) native village in Siberia; b) OKB-586/Yuzh...

Figure 1.10. Order of May 10, 1951 (source: rights reserved)

Figure 1.11. a) The first R-1 of Plant No. 586 launched in November 1952; b) t...

Figure 1.12. Pravda article on the baptism of the plant named after L.I. Brezh...

Figure 1.13. a) L.V. Smirnov; b) A.M. Makarov; and c) L.D. Kuchma (source: rig...

Figure 1.14. Layout of Plant No. 586, published in Jane’s Defense Weekly on Ju...

Figure 1.15. Yu. S. Alekseyev (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 1.16. Meeting with V.S. Budnik in 2005 (source: J. Terweij)

Figure 1.17. a) V.F. Utkin; b) S.N. Konyukhov; and c) A.V. Degtyarev (source: ...

Figure 1.18. A.P. Kushnarev, Director General in 2021(source: rights reserved)

Figure 1.19. OKB-586 rockets: from left to right, 8K63/R-12, 8K65/R-14, 8K64/R...

Figure 1.20. OKB-586 rockets: a) 11K63/Kosmos, 8K63/R-12, 8K65/R-14, 8K64/R-16...

Chapter 2

Figure 2.1. C. Lardier, L. Kutuzova, O. Baklanov in Kaluga in 2017 (source: A....

Figure 2.2. The Igla rendez-vous system of the Soyuz spacecraft (source: right...

Figure 2.3. The Korall-A3 system onboard the Taifun-2 satellite (11F634) (sour...

Figure 2.4. Dnepropetrovsk in 2005: from left to right, V. Prisnyakov, Mrs. Pr...

Figure 2.5. The Soyuz-6 Vulkan furnace (source: rights reserved)

Figure 2.6. The OST-1 telescope (source: rights reserved)

Chapter 3

Figure 3.1. The 8K63/R-12 missile (source: rights reserved)

Figure 3.2. The 8D59/RD-214 engine (source: a) C. Lardier; b) rights reserved)

Figure 3.3. The R-12 launch pad (source: rights reserved)

Figure 3.4. Launch of the R-12 at Kapustin Yar (source: rights reserved)

Figure 3.5. a) The R-12 silo; b) the silo table (source: a) rights reserved; b...

Figure 3.6. A regiment of R-12 in silo (source: rights reserved)

Figure 3.7. a) The four silos per unit; b) the 29th Division in Lithuania (sou...

Figure 3.8. a) Map of missile deployment in Cuba; b) US aerial photo (source: ...

Figure 3.9. Order No. 1739-VI of October 1, 1963 awarding the decorations for ...

Figure 3.10. a) Oleg Penkovskyi; b) the 1965 book (source: rights reserved)

Figure 3.11. The 63S1/11K63 space launcher (source: rights reserved)

Figure 3.12. The 8D710/RD-119 engine (source: a) C. Lardier; b) rights reserve...

Figure 3.13. a) The Mayak silo; b) Mayak-2/Dvina (source: rights reserved)

Figure 3.14. a) The Kosmos-2 satellite; b) Kosmos-3; c) DS-1 (source: rights r...

Figure 3.15. The DS-2/Kosmos-1 satellite (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) C. Lardier)...

Figure 3.16. a) The DS-P1/Kosmos-6; b) DS-K8/Kosmos-8; c) DS-A1/Kosmos-11; and...

Figure 3.17. a) The DS-MT/Kosmos-31; b) Omega/Kosmos-14 satellites (source: Yu...

Figure 3.18. a) The DS-P1-Yu/Kosmos-36; b) DS-P1-I/Kosmos-106; c) DS-MO/Kosmos...

Figure 3.19. Preparing a launch at Kapustin Yar (source: rights reserved)

Figure 3.20. Preparing a launch at Plesetsk (source: rights reserved)

Figure 3.21. a) DS-U1-G/Kosmos-108; b) DS-U1-A/Kosmos-215; c) DS-U1-Ya/Kosmos-...

Figure 3.22. The DS-U1-IK/Interkosmos-2 satellite (source: Yuzhnoye, rights re...

Figure 3.23. a) The DS-U2-V/Kosmos-93; b) DS-U2-M/Kosmos-97; c) DS-U2-I/Kosmos...

Figure 3.24. a) The DS-U2-MP/Kosmos-135; b) DS-U2-D/Kosmos-137; c) DS-U2-GK/Ko...

Figure 3.25. a) The DS-U2-GF/Kosmos-262; b) DS-U2-MG/Kosmos-321; c) DS-U2-IP/K...

Figure 3.26. a) The DS-U2-K/Kosmos-426; b) DS-U2-MT/Kosmos-461; c) DS-U2-GKA/O...

Figure 3.27. The Franco-Soviet DS-U2-GKA/Oreol-1/Arcade-1 satellite (source: r...

Figure 3.28. The DS-U2-IK-1/Interkosmos-3 satellite (source: Yuzhnoye, rights ...

Figure 3.29. The DS-U2-IK-2/Interkosmos-5 satellite (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) C...

Figure 3.30. The DS-U2-IK-3/Interkosmos-10 satellite (source: Yuzhnoye, rights...

Figure 3.31. The DS-U2-IK-4/Interkosmos-12 satellite (source: Yuzhnoye, rights...

Figure 3.32. a) Interkosmos-13; b) and c) the DS-U2-IK-6/Interkosmos-14 satell...

Figure 3.33. The DS-U2-IK-8/Interkosmos-9 satellite (source: Yuzhnoye, rights ...

Figure 3.34. The DS-U3-S/Kosmos-166 satellite (source: Yuzhnoye, rights reserv...

Figure 3.35. The DS-U3-IK-1/Interkosmos-1 satellite: diagram, mounting on the ...

Figure 3.36. The DS-U4 and DS-U5 satellites (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 3.37. a) The MP-1 vehicle; b) the MP-2 vehicle (source: rights reserved...

Figure 3.38. The BOR-2 demonstrator on the R-12 (source: rights reserved)

Figure 3.39. Monuments of the R-12: a) Yuzhnoye (source: C. Lardier); b) Kapus...

Figure 3.40. The 11K63/Kosmos-2 launcher at the Dnepropetrovsk Youth Center (s...

Chapter 4

Figure 4.1. The 8K65/R-14 missile (source: rights reserved)

Figure 4.2. The 8D514/RD-216 engine (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 4.3. a) The R-14 launch pad; b) launch preparation; and c) take-off at ...

Figure 4.4. Serial production at the KrasMash Plant (source: rights reserved)...

Figure 4.5. a) The R-14 silo; b) each unit has three silos (source: a) rights ...

Figure 4.6. R-14 installed in the silo (source: rights reserved)

Figure 4.7. 11K65/Kosmos-3M (source: rights reserved)

Figure 4.8. The 11D49 engine of stage S3 (source: rights reserved)

Figure 4.9. The Strela-1 satellite and the Orion-1 radioisotope generator (sou...

Figure 4.10. a) Cluster of eight Strela-1M satellites; b) Radio-Rosto amateur ...

Figure 4.11. a) The Strela-2 satellite; b) the Strela-2M satellite; and c) the...

Figure 4.12. a) The Strela-3 satellite; b) the Strela-3M/Rodnik satellite (sou...

Figure 4.13. The OKB-10 VKZ vertical probe (source: rights reserved)

Figure 4.14. The NII-627 Meteor-1 satellite (source: rights reserved)

Figure 4.15. a) The Voskhod platform; b) Voskhod in Plesetsk; (c) Kapustin Yar...

Figure 4.16. Recovery of BOR-4/Kosmos-1374 from the Indian Ocean in 1982 (sour...

Figure 4.17. The VZAF-N probe (non-recoverable), launch of Vertikal-4, the VZA...

Figure 4.18. The VZAF-S probe (recoverable), recovery of the capsule of Vertik...

Figure 4.19. The Tsiklon navigation satellite (source: a) rights reserved; b) ...

Figure 4.20. a) The Tsiklon-B; b) Tsikada; and c) Nadezhda satellites (source:...

Figure 4.21. The Sphera geodesic satellite (source: rights reserved)

Figure 4.22. The GEO-IK satellite (source: a) rights reserved; b) C. Lardier)...

Figure 4.23. The GEO-IK-2 geodesic satellite (source: rights reserved)

Figure 4.24. The Tselina-O satellite (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) Igor Marinin, No...

Figure 4.25. The Tselina-D and Tselina-R satellites (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 4.26. The Tselina-2 satellite (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 4.27. Mock-ups a) 03-0694; b) 03-0695 (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 4.28. a) and b) The Taifun-1A/Vektor; and c) Taifun-1V satellite (sourc...

Figure 4.29. a) and b) The Taifun-1B/Yug satellite; and c) Duga-K (source: a) ...

Figure 4.30. a) and b) The Taifun-2; and c) Taifun-3 satellite (source: a) and...

Figure 4.31. The Koltso satellite (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 4.32. The DS-P1-M/Tiulpan satellite (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) C. Lardier...

Figure 4.33. a) The Kosmos-381 ionospheric station; b) the DS-GFS heliophysica...

Figure 4.34. The balloon projects of OKB-586 (source: drawings by C. Lardier)...

Figure 4.35. The AUOS-Z satellite at NTsAOM (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 4.36. a) The AUOS-Z-T-IK/Interkosmos-15 satellite; b) the AUOS-Z-R-O/Ko...

Figure 4.37. The AUOS-Z-M-IK/Interkosmos-18 satellite with the Magion-1 subsat...

Figure 4.38. The AUOS-Z-M-IK/Interkosmos-19 satellite (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b)...

Figure 4.39. The AUOS-Z-R-P-IK/Interkosmos-20 satellite (source: a) Yuzhnoye; ...

Figure 4.40. The AUOS-Z-R-P-IK/Interkosmos-21 satellite (source: rights reserv...

Figure 4.41. The Signe-3 satellite (source: rights reserved)

Figure 4.42. a) Aryabhata satellite; b) Bhaskara-1 satellite; c) Bhaskara-1; d...

Figure 4.43. a) The Abrixas and Megsat-0 satellites; b) advertisement by Kosmo...

Figure 4.44. The SAR-Lupe satellites launched in 2006–2008 (source: rights res...

Figure 4.45. The Orbcomm satellites launched in June 2008 (source: PO Polyot)...

Figure 4.46. Monuments of Kosmos-3M: 1-Krasnoyarsk, 2-Omsk, 3-Omsk, 4-Lekhtusi...

Chapter 5

Figure 5.1. The 8K64/R-16 missile (source: rights reserved)

Figure 5.2. The 8D712/RD-218 engine (source: a) C. Lardier; b) rights reserved...

Figure 5.3. The 8D713/RD-219 engine (source: a) rights reserved; b) C. Lardier...

Figure 5.4. The 8F115 and 8F116 warheads at the museum of the 52nd RD at Bersh...

Figure 5.5. a) The 8P864 launch pad; b) preparation; c) launch of the R-16 at ...

Figure 5.6. Zone No. 41 with two 8K64 platforms and one 8K65 (source: rights r...

Figure 5.7. a) Explosion on October 24, 1960; b) the remnants of the explosion...

Figure 5.8. a) Tombs from October 24, 1960 at Baikonur; b) the monument of Zon...

Figure 5.9. a) The silo of the R-16; b) mock-up of the silo at the Central Arm...

Figure 5.10. a) The first stage; b) the second stage at the plant (source: rig...

Figure 5.11. a) Assembly; b) silo launch (source: rights reserved)

Figure 5.12. The R-16 at the Moscow Central Armed Forces Museum (source: C. La...

Figure 5.13. The 8K66/R-26 missile (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 5.14. The 8K66/R-26 missile in the exhibition hall of the MVTU Dmitrov ...

Figure 5.15. The 8K66/R-26 missile at the Red Square Parade of November 7, 196...

Figure 5.16. a) The 8K67/R-36 (source: rights reserved); b) mod-1 and mod-3 (s...

Figure 5.17. a) The 8D723/RD-251 engine; b) the 8D724/RD-252 engine (source: C...

Figure 5.18. The 8P767 silo (source: rights reserved)

Figure 5.19. a) The 8F674; b) 8F675; c) 8F677 warhead (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 5.20. The 8F021/8F673 orbital warhead (source: rights reserved)

Figure 5.21. The 8K67/R-36 missile at the Red Square parade on November 7, 196...

Figure 5.22. a) The R-36 platform at Baikonur Zone No. 67; b) preparation of 8...

Figure 5.23. The 11K67/Tsiklon-2A launcher (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 5.24. The IS/5V91 anti-satellite satellite (source: NPO Mash)

Figure 5.25. The 11K69/Tsiklon-2 launcher (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) rights rese...

Figure 5.26. The automatic connection system (source: rights reserved)

Figure 5.27. The US-A satellite (source: NPO Mash)

Figure 5.28. The US-A and US-AM/Rorsat satellites (source: KB Arsenal)

Figure 5.29. The BES-5/Buk nuclear reactor (source: rights reserved)

Figure 5.30. The US-A/E3A Plasma-A satellite (source: KB Arsenal, NPO Krasnaya...

Figure 5.31. The US-A and US-PM/Eorsat satellites (source: NPO Mash, KB Arsena...

Figure 5.32. The Lotos-S and Pion-NKS satellites (source: KB Arsenal)

Figure 5.33. The 11K68/Tsiklon-3 launcher (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) rights rese...

Figure 5.34. The 11D25/RRD-861 engine (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) and c) C. Lardi...

Figure 5.35. a) The Tsiklon-3 at Plesetsk; b) take-off (source: rights reserve...

Figure 5.36. The 03-0380 mock-up (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 5.37. a) The Okean-E satellite; b) Okean-OE (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 5.38. The Okean satellite at Plesetsk (source: rights reserved)

Figure 5.39. a) The Sich-1 satellite at Plesetsk; b) Sich-1 at NTsAOM in Dnipr...

Figure 5.40. The AUOS-Z-M-A-IK/Oreol-3 satellite (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 5.41. The AUOS-Z-I-E/Kosmos-1809 satellite (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 5.42. a) The AUOS-Z-AV-IK/Interkosmos-24 satellite; b) the Magion-2 sub...

Figure 5.43. The AUOS-Z-AP-IK/Interkosmos-25 satellite with the Magion-3 subsa...

Figure 5.44. a) The AUOS-SM-KI-IK/Koronas-I satellite; b) the AUOS-SM-KF-IK/Ko...

Figure 5.45. The AUOS-SM-F/Koronas-Foton satellite at Plesetsk (source: rights...

Figure 5.46. The Meteor-3 satellite (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 5.47. The Koltso satellite (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 5.48. Presentation of Tsiklon-3 in 1988 (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 5.49. User’s guide and presentation of SDS to the 1996 IAF (source: SDS...

Figure 5.50. a) The Tsiklon-2K AKS (source: SDS); b) the ADU-600 of Tsiklon-2K...

Figure 5.51. a) The Vega AVUM; b) the VG-143/RD-843 engine (source: a) rights ...

Figure 5.52. Tsiklon-4 platform project in Alcantara (source: KBTM)

Figure 5.53. The Tsiklon-4 launcher (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) C. Lardier)

Figure 5.54. The RD-861K engine (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 5.55. a) The Alcantara platform; b) status of work in 2013 (source: a) ...

Figure 5.56. a) The Tsiklon-4M launcher; b) the second stage; c) the RD-874 en...

Figure 5.57. The Tsiklon-1M launcher and RD-870 and RD-846V engines (source: Y...

Figure 5.58. Tsiklon Launch-vehicle family project (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 5.59. Monuments: a) Tsiklon-2A in Vlassikh; b) Tsiklon-3 in Dnipro (sou...

Figure 5.60A. Tsiklon-3 at Plesetsk in February 1995 (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 5.60B. Tsiklon-3 at Plesetsk in February 1995 (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 5.61. Tsiklon-3 at Patriot Park in September 2017 (source: C. Lardier)...

Chapter 6

Figure 6.1. Letter concerning the R-37, dating from 1963 (source: rights reser...

Figure 6.2. The R-56 project of 1964 (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 6.3. Diagram of lunar flyby with the R-56 (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 6.4. a) Variants of the RK-100 and R-56; b) R-56 at the TsNII Mash Muse...

Figure 6.5. Diagrams of the R-56 (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 6.6. The RD-858 and RD-859 engines, the LK Block-E and the LK T2K demon...

Chapter 7

Figure 7.1. The UR-100K missile (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 7.2. a) The 15A14/R-36M; b) the 15A15/MR-UR-100 (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 7.3. The upper part with 10 MIRVs (source: rights reserved)

Figure 7.4. a) The 15D119/RD-264; b) the 15D84/RD-0228 (source: a) C. Lardier;...

Figure 7.5. The 15A14 silo (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 7.6. Ejection test with a 15A14 mock-up at Pavlograd (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 7.7. Flight tests (LKI) of the 15A14 (source: rights reserved)

Figure 7.8. a) The 15A18/R-36MU; b) and c) the AVUM with the 15D177/RD-864 eng...

Figure 7.9. a) The 15A18 silo; b) launch of a 15A18 (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) r...

Figure 7.10. The upper part of the 15A15 (source: rights reserved)

Figure 7.11. a) 15D168/RD-268 engine; b) and c) the 15D169/RD-862 (source: a) ...

Figure 7.12. a) First stage of the 15A15; b) shortened shroud (source: rights ...

Figure 7.13. The 15A15/MR-UR-100 silo (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) rights reserved...

Figure 7.14. Launch of the 15A15 (source: rights reserved)

Figure 7.15. The 15A11/Perimetr missile (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 7.16. The 15A18M/R-36M2 missile (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 7.17. The upper part of the 15A18M (source: Alekseyev 2016, p. 298)

Figure 7.18. a) The RD-274; b) RD-0255; c) RD-869 engines (source: EnergoMash,...

Figure 7.19. a) The 15A18M silo; b) launch of the 15A18M (source: a) Yuzhnoye;...

Figure 7.20. State Commission: V.F. Utkin, Yu. A. Yashin (Chairman) and A.S. M...

Figure 7.21. Serial production of the 15A18M at Plant No. 586 (source: rights ...

Figure 7.22. a) The Sarmat missile; b) silo ejection test at Plesetsk (source:...

Figure 7.23. a) The TEKOS project in Lavochkin; b) the SS-18 project for TEKOS...

Figure 7.24. a) Uosat-12 of SSTL on the first Dnipro launch; b) Launch of Apri...

Figure 7.25. a) The SBS/AKB-1 stage; b) and c) the DU-802/Krechet stage (sourc...

Figure 7.26. The DU-802 engine (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 7.27. a) The Yasny base (13th RD); b) the Bigelow Genesis satellite on ...

Figure 7.28. a) The Ukrainian Sich-2 satellite; b) launch of August 22, 2013 w...

Figure 7.29. 15A15 at a) Balabanovo; b) Vlasikh; and c) Serpukhov (source: rig...

Figure 7.30. 15A15 at a) Yuzhnoye at Dnipro; b) Baikonur (source: C. Lardier)...

Figure 7.31. 5A16 at the Dnipro Youth Center (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 7.32. 15A18M at a) Orenburg; b) Yuzhnoye at Dnipro (source: a) rights r...

Figure 7.33. 15A18M at the Pervomaysk Museum in Ukraine (source: a) rights res...

Chapter 8

Figure 8.1. a) The decree of February 17, 1976; b) the Energia-Buran complex (...

Figure 8.2. a) The 11K55 project; b) the 11K37 project (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 8.3. a) The 11K55, 11K77 and 11K37 projects; b) the 11K37 project (sour...

Figure 8.4. The Zenit-2 launcher (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 8.5. The 2UK and 3UK prototypes (source: EnergoMash)

Figure 8.6. a) The Le11D520/RD-170; b) diagram of the RD-170 (source: a) C. La...

Figure 8.7. a) The 11D123/RD-120; b) diagram of the RD-120 (source: EnergoMash...

Figure 8.8. a) The 11D513/RD-8; b) the BIM 11L729 power source (source: a) C. ...

Figure 8.9. The 11P877 platform of Zone No. 45 at Baikonur (source: rights res...

Figure 8.10. a) The maiden flight; b) State Commission of April 11, 1985 (sour...

Figure 8.11. a) Launch of a Zenit-2; b) mock-up 03.694 of the Tselina-2; and c...

Figure 8.12. Failed launch on October 4, 1990 (source: Vladimir Antipov)

Figure 8.13. The 14F70/Zarya capsule (source: RKK Energia)

Figure 8.14. The UMSK capsule of the Orletz satellites (source: KB Arsenal)

Figure 8.15. a) The Resurs-O1-3; b) the Resurs-O1-4 (source: rights reserved)...

Figure 8.16. a) The Okean-O1 No. 1 in the MIK; b) at the Dnipro Youth Center (...

Figure 8.17. Meteor-3M No. 1 satellite (source: rights reserved)

Figure 8.18. Launch of Globalstar by Zenit-2 on September 9, 1998 (source: rig...

Figure 8.19. a) Energia Block-A; b) Energia-M; and c) RLA-150/Vulkan (source: ...

Figure 8.20. a) Energia-2/Uragan; b) the reusable first stage of Energia-2 (so...

Figure 8.21. a) The 1980 Okean project; b) the 1992 Zenit project (source: RKK...

Figure 8.22. The Sea Launch launcher (source: Sea Launch)

Figure 8.23. The Odyssey platform and the command ship SKS (source: Sea Launch...

Figure 8.24. Take-off of the first launch of Sea Launch (source: Sea Launch)

Figure 8.25. The 2006 RD-171M engine (source: EnergoMash)

Figure 8.26. The explosion of January 30, 2007 and the damaged Odyssey platfor...

Figure 8.27. Sea Launch at Slavyanka near Vladivostok (source: rights reserved...

Figure 8.28. Sea Launch serial production at YuzhMash in Dnipro (source: C. La...

Figure 8.29. a) The Zenit-2SB; b) the Zenit-3SLB (source: Land Launch)

Figure 8.30. a) Transfer; b) and c) erection and take-off of the Land Launch (...

Figure 8.31. The Spectre-R/RadioAstron satellite (source: Lavochkin)

Figure 8.32. a) The Zenit-3F in the MIK; b) erection of the Zenit-3F with the ...

Figure 8.33. a) Phobos-Grunt; b) Elektro-L2; and c) launch of Elektro-L2 (sour...

Figure 8.34. The Soyuz-2 and Soyuz-5 at the Paris Air Show in 2019 (source: C....

Figure 8.35. a) The RD-171MV; b) the RD-0124MS (source: rights reserved)

Figure 8.36. The Soyuz-7 launcher project (source: Roscosmos)

Figure 8.37. a) The Zenit-2 at the subsidiary of the Mozhayskyi Academy in Lek...

Chapter 9

Figure 9.1. a) B.P. Zhukov; b) Yu. A. Pobedonostsev (source: rights reserved)...

Figure 9.2. a) The 8K95/RT-1; b) the 8K98/RT-2; and c) the 8K96/RT-15 (source:...

Figure 9.3. The 9K71/Temp (source: rights reserved)

Figure 9.4. a) The 8K98 at the plant; b) the 8K98 on Red Square (source: right...

Figure 9.5. The 8K99/RT-20 (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) rights reserved)

Figure 9.6. Diagram of the first stage of the RT-20 (source: rights reserved)...

Figure 9.7. The 15D12/RD-857 (source: a) Yuzhnoye; b) rights reserved)

Figure 9.8. a) The 15P699 vehicle; b) parade on Red Square on November 7, 1967...

Figure 9.9. a) The15P799 silo from KBSM; b) launch from Plesetsk (source: a) b...

Figure 9.10. a) The RT-21 train; b) the 15D61; and c) the 15D61 in the NPO Isk...

Figure 9.11. 15D206 first stage (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 9.12. The 15D207/15D290/15D339 second stage (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 9.13. 15D208 third-stage deployable nozzle engine (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 9.14. State Commission for the RT-23 and the RT-23UTTKh (source: rights...

Figure 9.15. a) 15J60 shroud; b) launch from a silo; c) test of the 15J52 infl...

Figure 9.16. First RT-23 launch from a train (source: rights reserved)

Figure 9.17. The 3M65/R-39 and the 3D65 first stage (source: rights reserved)...

Figure 9.18. The unified first stage for R-39 and 15J61 (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 9.19. a) Designers of solid-propellant missiles; b) designers at NPO Al...

Figure 9.20. The 15J61/RT-23UTTKh (source: a) rights reserved; b) drawing by C...

Figure 9.21. The Flex Seal (EOCH) (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 9.22. The 15D365 engine (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 9.23. a) The bus with the 10 MIRVs; b) the RT-23U bus; and c) the 15D26...

Figure 9.24. The upper part of the RT-23U (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 9.25. a) The 15D305 first stage; b) the 15D339 second stage (source: Yu...

Figure 9.26. a) The 15P961 train; b) erection of the RT-23U from the wagon (so...

Figure 9.27. Launch of an RT-23U from the train (source: rights reserved)

Figure 9.28. a) The Krechet missile; b) the Kopie-R missile (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 9.29. The Space Clipper airborne launcher project (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 9.30. The Grom missile (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 9.31. The 8K99 at the Dnipro Youth Center (source: C. Lardier)

Figure 9.32. The RT-23U at a) Perm; b) Pavlograd (source: rights reserved)

Figure 9.33. The RT-23U at Ketsel in Hungary (source: rights reserved)

Figure 9.34. The RT-23U a) in the RVSN Academy at Balabanovo; b) at Balashikha...

Figure 9.35. The RT-23U at the St. Petersburg Railway Museum (source: Nicolas ...

Chapter 10

Figure 10.1. The Universal missile (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 10.2. The logo of the NKAU/GKAU Space Agency (source: NKAU)

Figure 10.3. Directors of NKAU: a) V.P. Gorbulin in 1992–1994; b) Negoda in 19...

Figure 10.4. V.V. Taftay, NKAU Chairman since February 2021 (source: rights re...

Figure 10.5. The Lybid telecommunications satellite (source: rights reserved)...

Figure 10.6. Decree No. 301 of November 1, 1991 (source: rights reserved)

Figure 10.7. a) The NIP-16 station at Vitino; b) the Zaozernoye station (sourc...

Figure 10.8. On the left, the RT-70 at Molochnoye (source: rights reserved)

Figure 10.9. On the left, the RT-32 at Shkolnoye (source: rights reserved)

Figure 10.10. a) Dunayets station; b) Zolocheve station, near Lviv (source: ri...

Figure 10.11. a) The Duga-2 radar from Chernigov; b) the Dnipro radar from Muk...

Figure 10.12. a) L.K. Kadenyuk; b) the STS-87 crew (source: NASA)

Figure 10.13. a) Ya. I. Pustovoi; b) Kadenyuk and Pustovoi with President Kuch...

Figure 10.14. a) V.G. Meytarchan; b) N.I. Adamchuk-Chalaya (source: rights res...

Figure 10.15. The Twinning Project Team (source: Twinning brochure)

Figure 10.16. a) Alcantara Cyclone Space brochure; b) Kosmotras brochure (sour...

Figure 10.17. a) The Antares launcher; b) take-off from Wallops Island; c) the...

Figure 10.18. The Firefly stage at YuzhMash (source: rights reserved)

Figure 10.19. a) and b) The Mayak family of launchers; engines; c) RD-801; d) ...

Figure 10.20. The 2011 project: a) heavy launcher; b) super-heavy launcher; an...

Figure 10.21. a) The Mayak family; b) the Mayak-33-2H; c) the Mayak-33-4H; d) ...

Figure 10.22. a) The Krypton version for the Moon; b) the lunar-lander project...

Figure 10.23. a) The Svitiaz project; b) and c) the Oriol airborne project on ...

Figure 10.24. a) The Microspace project; b) the UAirLaunch project (source: Yu...

Figure 10.25. The Sich-2-1 satellite (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 10.26. The Sich program (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 10.27. The Zenit-1NL launcher (source: rights reserved)

Figure 10.28. a) Interview with S.N. Konyukhov; b) interview with Yu. S. Aleks...

Figure 10.29. a) Interview with V.S. Budnik; b) dinner at the home of V.F. Pri...

Figure 10.30. a) V.A. Andreyev, L.D. Kuchma, A.N. Perminov, I.V. Barmin at the...

Figure 10.31. a) Interview with A.V. Degtyarev; b) meeting with A.E. Kashanov,...

Figure 10.32. In front of the launchers, the Block-E, the engines, and the R-3...

Figure 10.33. KB Yuzhnoye strategic missiles (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 10.34. KB Yuzhnoye space launchers (source: Yuzhnoye)

Figure 10.35. KB Yuzhnoye liquid-propellant rocket engines (source: Yuzhnoye)...

Guide

Cover Page

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Foreword

Introduction

Begin Reading

Appendix

References

Index of Names

Index of Concepts

Other titles from iSTE in Space Science and Technology

WILEY END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

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Series EditorJean-Luc Lefebvre

Yuzhnoye Launchers and Satellites

Christian Lardier

First published 2024 in Great Britain and the United States by ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licenses issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned address:

ISTE Ltd27-37 St George’s RoadLondon SW19 4EUUK

www.iste.co.uk

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030USA

www.wiley.com

© ISTE Ltd 2024The rights of Christian Lardier to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s), contributor(s) or editor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ISTE Group.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023950528

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataA CIP record for this book is available from the British LibraryISBN 978-1-78630-177-2

Foreword

The start of rocket building in Ukraine can be considered as May 9, 1951. On that day, USSR Council of Ministers Decree No. 1528-7680 “On the Transfer of the Dnepropetrovsk Automobile Plant and the Dnepropetrovsk Tire Plant in Construction of the USSR Ministry of Armaments, and their Combining into Dnepropetrovsk Machine-Building Plant No. 586” was issued. On June 1, 1951, USSR Council of Ministers Decree No. 1852-885 “On the Organization of the Serial Production of R-1 Missiles”, developed by S.P. Korolev, was issued.

The first batch of R-1 rockets was sent to missile troops in November 1952 and confirmed by successful launches at the Kapustin Yar Range.

In February 1953, USSR Council of Ministers Decree No. 442-212 “On the Plan for Work to Develop Long-Range Rockets in 1953–1955” was issued. The Prime Contractor of the R-12 long-range rocket was approved: Plant No. 586 of the USSR Ministry of Armaments and the Design Office of Plant No. 586 (Main Designer: V.S. Budnik; Director of Plant No. 586: L.V. Smirnov) with the participation of NII-88 – Director M.K. Yangel.

This document was a plan for the creation of a new OKB based on serial production KB No. 586, which was implemented on April 10, 1954. On July 9, 1954, OKB-586 was headed by M.K. Yangel, and V.S. Budnik was appointed First Deputy. The world’s first missile conglomerate, KB Yuzhnoye + YuzhMashzavod (YuMZ), appeared, which began to produce ballistic missiles “like sausages”, to quote the country’s then-Head, N.S. Khrushchev. Throughout the years of collaboration between the KB and the Southern Machine-Building Plant, more than a dozen military missile systems and space launchers were created and commissioned. The General Designer, M.K. Yangel, and the Director General of the Southern Machine-Building Plant, A.M. Makarov, were associated with the creation of military and scientific satellites. The first satellites for India were produced at YuMZ.

Work began on the Interkosmos program, including with France’s science and space industry. More than 500 devices for various purposes were manufactured and launched under the YuMZ brand. The emergence of such a rocket-cosmos complex in Ukraine gave impetus to the development of companies – suppliers of special materials, separate key devices for rockets and satellites at Kiev, Kharkov, Chernigov, Lvov and Zaporozhye. YuzhMash and KB Yuzhnoye also took part in the creation of a rocket for flight to the Moon; this was the special “Block-E”. The role of the Southern grouping in the creation of the “Energia-Buran” reusable system was significant. The accelerators for the Energia launcher were created in Dnipro, based on the first stage of the “Zenit” launcher.

I believe readers will be interested to learn of many new, and until now unknown, details concerning the Southern rocket-building consortium in Ukraine, and will wish to pay tribute to those brilliant designers and workers who created this unique technique.

Alekseyev Yury SERGEYEVICHYuzhMash (1972 to 2004), Director General (1992 to 2004)Director of the Ukrainian Space Agency (2005 to 2014)Hero of Ukraine (2002)Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics

Introduction

In the USSR, three major space companies built the majority of rockets and satellites from 1957: Sergei Korolev’s OKB-1, Vladimir Chelomei’s OKB-52 and Mikhail Yangel’s OKB-586. These gave rise to subsidiaries such as TsSKB-Progress, ISS Reshetnev, NPO Lavochkin, etc.

OKB-1/RKK Energia developed the famous R-7 rocket, a.k.a Semiorka, which has been launched in more than 1,950 units. The best known version is the Soyuz rocket, which was marketed by Starsem from 1996, then by Glavkosmos from 2018. Soyuz was launched from Guyana between October 2011 and February 2022 (27 flights). In 2011, together with Stefan Barenskyi, I published a book on this launcher, The Two Lives of Soyuz, recounting the history of OKB-1, the launcher, and how it was marketed.

OKB-52/NPO Mash developed the famous UR-500 rocket, a.k.a Proton, which has been launched in more than 420 units. The Fili subsidiary (OKB-23 Salyut and Plant No. 23 Khrushchev) became the Khrushchev Center in 1992. This formed ILS (International Launch Services) with Lockheed Martin in 1995 to market Proton (97 flights), which was the main competitor of the European Ariane rocket before being replaced by Space X’s Falcon 9 from 2014. In 2016, together with Stefan Barenskyi, I published a book on The Proton Launcher: History and Developments, which recounted the history of OKB-52, the launcher, and how it was marketed.

OKB-586/KB Yuzhnoye, for its part, has developed a large number of intermediate-range (IRBM) and intercontinental (ICBM) strategic missiles, as well as their space versions: 8K63/R-12/Kosmos, 8K64/R-16, 8K65/R-14/Kosmos-3, 8K66/R-26, 8K67/R-36/Tsiklon-2, 11K68/Tsiklon-3, R-46, 8K68/R-56, 15A14/R-36M, 15A15/MR-UR-100, 15A18/R-36M2/Dnipro. It also developed the 11K77/Zenit-2 launcher and the Block-A (first stage) of the 11K25/Energia super-rocket. In the field of satellites, it first developed the small DS satellites (D for Dnepropetrovsk) of the Kosmos program for the Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Defense (DS-A1, DS-MG, DS-MT, DS-MO, DS-K8, DS-U1, -U2, -U3, -U4, -U5, etc.), then calibration satellites DS-P1, Taifun, Duga-K and Koltso for the ground-based radars, Tselina electronic monitoring satellites, Tyulpan targets for anti-satellite satellites, and satellites of the type AUOS, Interkosmos, Okean, etc. From 1991 to 2019, Yuzhnoye and YuzhMash produced and launched 65 Zenit rockets, 22 Dnipro rockets, 14 Antares, 19 Vega fourth-stage engines and 14 satellites. Marketing in the West was handled by Kosmotras, Sea Launch and Land Launch.

SKB-586/OKB-586 was headed by V.S. Budnik in 1951, M.K. Yangel in 1954, V.F. Utkin in 1971, S.N. Konyukhov in 1990, A.V. Degtyarev in 2010 and A.P. Kushnarev in 2021. On October 25, 2021, we celebrated the 110-year anniversary of the birth of Yangel, a designer of the same significance as Korolev and Chelomei. Plant No. 586, for its part, was headed by L.V. Smirnov in 1952, A.A. Makarov in 1961, L.D. Kuchma in 1986, Yu. S. Alekseyev in 1992, V.A. Shegol in 2005 and S.N. Voit in 2014. On September 12, 2021, we celebrated the 115-year anniversary of the birth of Makarov. In 1966, the OKB became Yuzhnoye and the plant became YuzhMash. In 1991, Yuzhnoye became KB Pivdennyi, from the name of M.K. Yangel.

This book recounts the history of this third industrial pillar of Soviet and Ukrainian cosmonautics. It is organized around two periods: the first relates to the Soviet period between 1951 and 1991 (40 years) and the second relates to the period of independent Ukraine between 1991 and 2021 (30 years). On February 24, 2022, the Russo-Ukrainian War began.

My thanks go to Stanislav Konyukhov†, Aleksandr Degtyarev†, Oleg Ventskovskyi, Yury Moshnenko†, who guided me during my visit to Dnipro in June 2005, Aleksandr Kashanov, who guided me during my visit to Dnipro in November 2015, Yury Alekseyev, Eduard Kuznetsov, Vladimir Prisnyakov† and Vladimir Platonov, as well as Jim Maser, Robert Peckham, Kjell Karlsen, Paula Korn of Sea Launch, Igor Marinin and Igor Afanaseyev of Novosti Kosmonavtiki for permission to publish certain photos, Jacob Terweij and Arsen Dzodzayev for certain photos, Mikhail Pervov of Stolichnaya Entsyklopedia, Aleksandr Zheleznyakov, Valery Kuprianov, Irina Isayeva and Nicolas Pillet for the proofreading of my manuscript, and others for their help.

Note

†

Deceased.

1Mikhail Yangel: The Father of Yuzhnoye

1.1. Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel

Figure 1.1.Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel (source: rights reserved)

Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel was born on October 25, 1911 (Julian calendar) or November 7, 1911 (Gregorian calendar) in the village of Zyryanova in the Nizhny–Ilimskyi region, near Irkutsk (Siberia). His parents, Kuzma Lavrentiyevich and Anna Pavlovna, were peasants. They had 12 children (eight boys and four girls): Nikolai (1900–1962, made his career in the army), Kirill (1901, died at a few months old), Aleksandr (1903–1974, Major General of the NKVD), Konstantin (1907–1938, educated at the School of Mines, arrested and executed in 1938), Nadezhda (1907–1932), Mikhail (1911–1971), Galina (1913–1945), Zoya (1915–1923), Pavel (1917–1970), Georgy (1921–1972), Valentina (1923–?) and Yakov (1926–1988).

Figure 1.2.The Yangel house in Zyryanova (source: rights reserved)

Mikhail joined the Komsomol (Communist youth organization) in 1925. The following year, at the age of 15, he moved to Moscow to join his brother Konstantin. He attended the Krasnoarmeysk Textile Factory School near Moscow, and then worked in the factory of a workshop. In July 1931, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). In September, he joined the newly established Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), but we do not know whether he had a passion for aviation prior to joining the Institute.

Figure 1.3.Yangel in the United States in 1938 (source: rights reserved)

He soon became a member of the Party Committee and then Secretary of the Komsomol Committee of the Institute. There he attended the courses of the famous Aircraft Designer, N.N. Polikarpov. In September 1935, he became a Second-Category Designer at the Polikarpov Design Bureau (OKB) to complete his thesis project, “High-Altitude Fighter with a Pressurized Cabin”. After graduating in January 1937, he joined the Wings Brigade of the OKB where he worked on modifications to the I-15 and I-16 fighters, notably the I-153 Chaika, which were widely used during the Spanish War.

From February to September 1938, he was part of a Soviet delegation that traveled to the United States within the framework of the US-Soviet trade agreements. He resided on 5th Avenue in New York and visited several aviation plants in Chicago (Boeing), Los Angeles (Lockheed), Santa Monica (Douglas), San Diego (Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp), etc. On his return, in November, he was appointed Deputy to Polikarpov.

On May 23, 1939, he married Irina Viktorovna Strazheva (1915–1995) who had been studying at MAI since 1935. In 1940, she became an engineer at the Flight Research Institute (LII). A specialist in aerodynamics, she taught at MAI and went on to become a Doctor of Technical Sciences. She bore Mikhail two children: Ludmilla (1940–2021) and Aleksandr (1942–1989). They both graduated from MAI, Aleksandr to work as a journalist, and Ludmilla to become a Doctor of Technical Sciences and a professor.

Figure 1.4.Wedding to Irina in 1939 (source: rights reserved)

After his wedding, Yangel then moved to Gorky Plant No. 21 to organize the serial production of the I-180 fighter. It was onboard this plane that the famous pilot V.P. Chkalov was killed on December 15, 1938. In April 1940, Yangel returned to become Lead Engineer of the heavy escort fighter TIS (A). It was an aircraft of 8.9 t max on take-off, equipped with two AM-37 engines. It was set to be produced by Moscow Plant No. 51, and in July he was appointed Deputy Plant Director and Lead Engineer at the OKB. However, the war then began on June 22, 1941. The first flight of the TIS (A) was conducted by the test pilot G.M. Shyanov on August 30th. He then organized the evacuation of the plant in Novosibirsk in November. On June 13, 1942, the TIS (A) was entrusted to A.V. Potopalov and Yangel returned to Moscow. He became Head of an assembly shop in a plant, then Deputy Head of the flight test station on December 5th. On January 16, 1943, he rejoined the Polikarpov OKB. Yangel then organized the repatriation of the plant and the serial production of the I-185 fighter. However, on April 5th, the pilot V.A. Stepanchenok died during a test flight of this aircraft, which ultimately did not get serially produced.

Figure 1.5.The Yangel family (source: rights reserved)

In February 1944, Yangel returned to Moscow and the following month, he became Deputy Main Engineer at OKB-155 of A.I. Mikoyan for nine months. Shortly thereafter, on July 30th, Polikarpov died of stomach cancer. His OKB-51 was then entrusted to V.N. Chelomei for the development of the Soviet V-1: the 10Kh missile. In February 1953, the OKB was withdrawn from him and was entrusted to Mikoyan. It became the subsidiary for winged rockets, headed by M.I. Gurevich. Stalin died on March 5th. In October, the subsidiary was withdrawn from Mikoyan to merge with OKB-1 of P.O. Sukhoi. This OKB had been created to produce a model of the American F-86 Sabre from a copy recovered in Korea in May 1952. It was initially headed by V.V. Kondratiyev, and then by Sukhoi from May 1953. On January 15, 1954, it formed the new OKB-51 to develop the S-1 (swept wing) and T-1 (delta wing) fighters.

Figure 1.6.The I-185 aircraft of 1943 (source: rights reserved)

In January 1945, Yangel became Lead Engineer of the VB-109 aircraft in OKB-482 of V.M. Myasishchev in Moscow (for 1 year). But the OKB closed. In January 1946, he became Lead Engineer in a Sector of the Ministry of Aviation Industry for (two years), which was working on a new technique. Indeed, this was the beginning of jet aviation. From early 1948 to March 1950, he studied at the Academy of Aviation Industry (for two years) in Moscow. His degree was in the calculation of a fighter wing. At the Academy, he met S.O. Okhapkin, who, having graduated from MAI in 1938, had worked in the OKBs of Tupolev, Myasishchev and Ilyushin. They were the only two of their year group to enter the rocket industry. On April 12, 1950, Yangel became Head of Sector No. 5 (Guidance Systems) at OKB-1 of NII-88 headed by Sergei Korolev. He replaced Boris Chertok, who became his Deputy (Chertok was Jewish and victim of Stalinist cosmopolitanism) because Yangel had no experience with guidance systems and rockets. Korolev explained to Chertok that he would deal directly with him because Yangel was to be with them for a long time. Okhapkin was Head of the Strength Section.

On March 24, 1951, Myasishchev’s OKB reopened: it became OKB-23, in charge of building a strategic jet bomber (aircraft 25, M4). He requested the return of Yangel and Okhapkin to his Design Bureau. But ultimately, they stayed with Korolev.

On May 9, 1951, production of the R-1 was entrusted to Plant No. 586 in Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine). A team from OKB-1, headed by V.S. Budnik, Head of Sector No. 4 (Construction), visited the site, where he created a Serial Production Design Bureau (SKB). Budnik was then replaced by Okhapkin.

On July 31, 1951, Yangel was appointed Korolev’s Deputy Chief Designer. At this time, the OKB was developing the R-5 and R-11 ballistic missiles. The first was oxygen/kerosene (non-storable) and the second was nitric acid/kerosene (storable).

Figure 1.7.Korolev’s R-11 missile (source: rights reserved)

On March 20, 1952, three rocket-engine Design Bureaus were formed: OKB-1 of L.S. Dushkin at NII-1, OKB-2 of A.M. Isayev and OKB-3 of D.D. Sevruk at NII-88.

On May 16, 1952, Yangel took over the management of NII-88, replacing K.N. Rudnev, who became Deputy Minister of Armaments. He then rose above Korolev, having only been at the Institute for two years. But he was a communist who was supported by Minister D.F. Ustinov while Korolev was imprisoned in 1938–1944 and was not yet at the CPSU (he was not until one year later). Yangel’s predecessors were Directors of arms plants: L.R. Gonor, Director in 1946–1950, had headed Gun Plants (Barricade, UralMash and Bolshevik), while K.N. Rudnev, Director in 1950–1952, had headed TsKB-14 in Tula and NII-61 in Klimovsk (Firearms).

Yangel headed NII-88 for 18 months. But during this period, important Decree No. 443-213ss: “On the Plan of Scientific-Research Work on Long-Range Rockets in 1953–1955” was issued by Stalin on February 13, 1953, providing for the creation of an intercontinental missile.

On October 30, 1953, Yangel became Main Engineer at NII-88 following his replacement by A.S. Spiridonov. The latter had been Main Engineer at the Institute in 1948–1949, then Head of the 7th Glavka for six months, then Head of the 6th Glavka of the Ministry in 1949–1953. Yangel’s predecessor was M.S. Ryazanskyi was Chief Designer at NII-885 in May 1946, Main Engineer at NII-88 in January 1951, then Head of the 7th Glavka of the Ministry in June 1952.

In order to develop storable propellant rockets and create a competitor to Korolev, the government decided to form a new OKB in Dnepropetrovsk. Thus, the Budnik SKB was transformed into OKB-586 by Decree No. 674-292 of April 10, 1954. And on July 9th, Yangel was appointed its Head and its Chief Designer. This marked the end of Korolev’s monopoly. Yangel directed this organization for 17 years. He was twice awarded the Hero of Socialist Labor Medal in July 1959 for R-12, and in June 1961 for R-14, the Lenin Prize in April 1960 for R-12, the State Prize in 1967 for R-36, four “Orders of Lenin” in 1956 (R-5M), in 1959 (Hero), in October 1961 for his 50 years and in 1969 (8K69/R-36Orb), the Order of the October Revolution in April 1971 and the Korolev Gold Medal of the Academy of Sciences in 1970.

Figure 1.8.Awarding of the Hero of Socialist Labor Medal in June 1961: from left to right, V.P. Finogenov,?, K.N. Rudnev, V.P Glushko, V.I. Kuznetsov, D.F. Ustinov, L.I. Brezhnev, M.K. Yangel, M.P. Geogradze, N.A. Pilyugin,? (source: rights reserved)

He was a Doctor of Technical Sciences in 1960, Professor at the University of Dnepropetrovsk, Academician of Ukraine in 1961, then Academician of USSR in 1966. He was elected Deputy of the city of Kaliningrad (now Korolev) in 1952–1954, then Deputy to the Supreme Soviet in 1966–1971. Lastly, he was a candidate for the CPSU Central Committee at the 1966 Congress, but was not elected as a Member of the Congress of 1971 (March 30 to April 9, 1971). He died of a fifth heart attack on his 60th birthday, October 25, 1971. Like Yangel, Korolev also died at the age of 60, on January 14, 1966 during surgery that went wrong. He is buried in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. Busts of Yangel are found in his native village (Siberia), at his company based in Dnepropetrovsk, in Baikonur and in Plesetsk.

Figure 1.9.Monuments to Yangel: a) native village in Siberia; b) OKB-586/Yuzhnoye; c) Yangel Street in Dnipro; d) in Leninsk-Baikonur; e) Zone No. 43; and f) in Mirny-Plesetsk (source: rights reserved)

1.2. The Dnepropetrovsk Plant

For serial production of the 8A11/R-1, it was first decided to use Artillery Plant No. 385 of Zlatust in the Urals (Decree of December 14, 1947). It was headed by N.P. Poletayev (1905–1990). In 1949, Korolev sent his Deputy, A.Y. Sherbakov (1901–1978) to open a Production Bureau that studied the 50R and 50RA versions. But by October 1950, nothing had yet come to fruition and production of the R-1 was transferred elsewhere. For its part, Plant No. 385 made Isayev engines in 1951, the 8B51 missile from Sevruk in 1952, then the R-11 from Korolev from 1953. The second site studied was in Kiev, but Minister Ustinov refused to place such a strategic plant in the capital of Ukraine. Lastly, the YuzhMash Plant No. 586 in Dnepropetrovsk was chosen. It was an automobile plant (DAZ) that became the largest rocket production plant in the world.

This plant was established on July 21, 1944 after the withdrawal of the Germans. Initially, it produced Gorky (GAZ) automobile plant vehicles. In August, the Minister of Medium Machine Building1 S.A. Akopov appointed V.A. Grachev as Chief Designer. In 1950, G.M. Grigoriyev was appointed Plant Director and the Head of Production was A.M. Makarov. The Plant was then awarded a Stalin Prize (Grigoriyev, Grachev, etc.). When Ustinov decided to move the plant into rocket production, Minister Akopov opposed it. But Stalin said: “if we have rockets, we will make trucks, but if we do not have rockets, we will no longer have trucks”.

On May 9, 1951, Decree No. 1528-768 “On the Merging of DAZ of the Ministry of Automobile and Tractor Industry and the Tire Plant of the Ministry of Chemical Industry into Machine-Building Plant No. 586 of the Ministry of Armaments” was signed by the Government. It was made secret and its address was “P.O. Box No. 186”. At that time, it had more than 8,700 employees. The next day, the Ministry issued Order No. 312ss appointing an Implementation Commission: this comprised six people from the 7th Glavka (Rockets), four from NII-88 (S.N. Kurdin, V.S. Budnik, A.V. Soloviyev and P.F. Serdyuk) and one from OKB-456 (F.G. Potekhin). Then Order No. 380 of June 1, 1951 established the organization of the serial production of R-1. Initially, the objective was to make 70 units in 1951, 230 in 1952, 700 in 1953, then 2,500 from 1954. The first R-1 of Dnepropetrovsk flew in November 1952. Nikita Khrushchev came to say that it produced rockets “like sausages”.

On November 30, 1951, an order from Ustinov decided on the organization of the serial production of 8J38/R-2 with its RD-101 engine at Plant No. 586. On August 31, 1952, the order was given to produce the Lavochkin V-303 surface-to-air missile (S-25 Berkut system) with its S09-29 engine. On November 13, 1954, the Central Committee indicated that only 61% of R-1 production had been achieved and only 39% of R-2 production. In 1955, the production of R-1 was replaced by that of 8K51/R-5 and 8K51M/R-5M. On June 20, 1955, the production plan for 1956–1960 aimed for the production of 330 R-5Ms (50 in 1956, 80 in 1957, 100 in 1958 and 100 in 1959). In addition, a second plant in the Urals had to produce 1,000 rockets/year from 1961, but this project was abandoned. On April 20, 1956, decorations were awarded for R-5M: M.K. Yangel and L.L. Yagdzhiyev were awarded the Order of Lenin; V.S. Budnik, I.I. Ivanov, F.F. Falunin, L.V. Smirnov, A.M. Makarov and N.D. Khokhlov were awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. In 1968, 628 rockets were deployed in regiments. Lastly, Plant No. 586 supplied OKB-1 with R-5s for geophysical launches from 1958 to 1971.

Figure 1.10.Order of May 10, 1951 (source: rights reserved)

In the 1980s, the Plant employed 53,600 people and produced up to 100 rockets/year, on average 18 satellites/year and up to 62,000 tractors/year. After the end of the USSR in 1991, it ceased to produce military missiles. As part of the conversion, it started the production of buses, trolleys, chassis for Antonov aircraft (An-140, An-148, An-158, etc.), wind turbines, etc. The workforce fell to 30,000, then to 20,000 in 1999, then to 16,500 in 2005 and then to 7,000 in 2014.

Figure 1.11.a) The first R-1 of Plant No. 586 launched in November 1952; b) the first R-2 of Plant No. 586 launched in May 1954; and c) the R-5M produced at Plant No. 586 in 1956 (source: rights reserved)

Figure 1.12.Pravda article on the baptism of the plant named after L.I. Brezhnev in 1982 (source: rights reserved)

In 2014, production of the Zenit rocket was suspended and the operator Sea Launch carried out its final launch. At the end of 2015, revenues amounted to approximately $25 million compared to $240 million in 2011. The plant was placed under short-term working and it seemed that bankruptcy was inevitable. In 2016, the Tsiklon-4 project with Brazil, which was to bring work to the plant, was halted, while Russian operator S7 purchased Sea Launch from RKK Energia. But S7, who wanted to purchase Zenit for Sea Launch, halted its discussions with YuzhMash. In 2017, Ukrainian entrepreneur Max Polyakov, who made his fortune from the Internet and founded the Californian company Noosphere Ventures, acquired the firm Firefly Aerospace, which develops the small Alpha liquid oxygen/kerosene launcher.