Soyuz-FG
![]() The launch of Soyuz TMA-3 atop a Soyuz-FG rocket. | |
Function | Medium-lift launch vehicle |
---|---|
Manufacturer | RKTs Progress |
Country of origin | Russia |
Cost per launch | 773,600,000 ₽ (2012)[1] |
Size | |
Height | 51 m (167 ft)[1] |
Diameter | 2.7–3.715 m (8.86–12.19 ft)[1] |
Mass | 310,000–313,000 kg (683,000–690,000 lb)[1] |
Stages |
|
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO[1][2] | |
Altitude | 200 km (120 mi) |
Orbital inclination | 51.8° |
Mass |
|
Associated rockets | |
Family | R-7 (Soyuz) |
Based on | Soyuz-U |
Derivative work | Soyuz-2 |
Launch history | |
Status | Retired |
Launch sites | Baikonur, LC-1/5 and LC-31/6 |
Total launches | |
Success(es) | 69 |
Failure(s) | 1 (Soyuz MS-10) |
First flight | 20 May 2001 (Progress M1-6) |
Last flight | 25 September 2019 (Soyuz MS-15) |
Carries passengers or cargo | |
Boosters (First stage) – Block B, V, G & D[a] | |
Height | 19.6 m (64 ft) |
Diameter | 2.68 m (8 ft 10 in) |
Empty mass | 3,800 kg (8,400 lb) |
Gross mass | 43,400 kg (95,700 lb) |
Propellant mass | 40,350 kg (88,960 lb)[1] |
Powered by | 1 × RD-107A |
Maximum thrust |
|
Specific impulse |
|
Burn time | 118 seconds |
Propellant | LOX / RG-1 |
Second stage (core) – Block A[5] | |
Height | 27.1 m (89 ft) |
Diameter | 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) |
Empty mass | 6,550 kg (14,440 lb) |
Gross mass | 99,500 kg (219,400 lb) |
Propellant mass | 92,600 kg (204,100 lb)[1] |
Powered by | 1 × RD-108A |
Maximum thrust |
|
Specific impulse |
|
Burn time | 286 seconds |
Propellant | LOX / RG-1 |
Third stage – Block I[5] | |
Height | 6.7 m (22 ft) |
Diameter | 2.66 m (8 ft 9 in) |
Empty mass | 2,410 kg (5,310 lb) |
Gross mass | 25,300 kg (55,800 lb) |
Propellant mass | 22,800 kg (50,300 lb)[1] |
Powered by | 1 × RD-0110 |
Maximum thrust | 297.93 kN (66,980 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 326 s (3.20 km/s) |
Burn time | 230 seconds |
Propellant | LOX / RG-1 |
Fourth stage (optional) – Fregat[6] | |
Height | 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) |
Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
Empty mass | 930 kg (2,050 lb) |
Propellant mass | 5,250 kg (11,570 lb) |
Powered by | 1 × S5.92 |
Maximum thrust | 19.85 kN (4,460 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 333.2 s (3.268 km/s) |
Burn time | Up to 1,100 seconds (up to 20 starts) |
Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
The Soyuz-FG was an improved variant of the Soyuz-U launch vehicle from the R-7 rocket family, developed by the Progress Rocket Space Centre in Samara, Russia. It featured upgraded first and second stage engines, RD-107A and RD-108A, respectively, with enhanced injector heads that improved combustion efficiency and specific impulse. The designation "FG" refers to forsunochnaya golovka (injector head) in Russian.[1]
Soyuz-FG made its maiden flight on 20 May 2001, delivering a Progress cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). It became the primary vehicle for launching crewed Soyuz TMA, Soyuz TMA-M, and Soyuz MS spacecraft from 2002 until its retirement in 2019.[7]
Launches occurred from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan: crewed missions from Gagarin's Start (Site 1/5) and satellite launches from Site 31/6.
Design
[edit]Soyuz-FG was introduced in May 2001 as a transitional solution while the more advanced Soyuz-2 was still in development. Development of the upgraded RD-107A (boosters) and RD-108A (core) engines outpaced the rest of the Soyuz-2 rocket. The availability of the upgraded engines allowed their early use on Soyuz-FG, while Soyuz-U continued using existing engine stockpiles.[1]
The RD-107A and RD-108A engines, replaced the older RD-107 and RD-108 units, switching from 260 two-component centrifugal injectors to over 1,000 one-component injectors. This refinement enabled more complete propellant combustion, reduced high-frequency vibrations in combustion chambers, and improved specific impulse by 5 seconds (0.049 km/s), a five percent improvement, which allowed for a payload increase of 250 to 300 kilograms (550 to 660 lb).[1][8]
For uncrewed missions, Soyuz-FG could fly with a Fregat upper stage, built by Lavochkin in Khimki. The first flight of this configuration took place on 2 June 2003, with a total of ten such launches marketed by the European-Russian company Starsem.[4]
Soyuz-FG flew 70 times, with one failure on 11 October 2018 during the launch of Soyuz MS-10. A faulty sensor led to a booster collision with the core stage shortly after liftoff, triggering an emergency abort. The crew—NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin—safely returned to Earth.[9]
Following the MS-15 launch on 25 September 2019, Soyuz-FG was retired in favor of the fully digital Soyuz-2, which offers more precise guidance and greater mission flexibility.[1]
Launch history
[edit]Date and time (UTC) | Configuration | Serial number | Launch site | Result | Payload | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 May 2001 22:32 |
Soyuz-FG | К15000-001 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Progress M1-6 | ISS resupply |
26 November 2001 18:24 |
Soyuz-FG | Ф15000-002 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Progress M1-7 | ISS resupply Kolibri 2000 |
25 September 2002 16:58 |
Soyuz-FG | Э15000-003 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Progress M1-9 | ISS resupply |
30 October 2002 16:58 |
Soyuz-FG | Э15000-004 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-1 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS escape craft |
26 April 2003 03:53 |
Soyuz-FG | Э15000-006 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-2 | Crewed flight with 2 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 7 |
2 June 2003 18:24 |
Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Э15000-005/ ST-11 |
Baikonur LC-31/6 | Success | Mars Express[10] | Mars orbiter |
Beagle 2 | Mars lander Spacecraft failed after landing | |||||
18 October 2003 05:38 |
Soyuz-FG | Д15000-007 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-3 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 8 |
27 December 2003 21:30 |
Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Д15000-008/ ST-12 |
Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | AMOS-2 | Communications satellite |
19 April 2004 05:19 |
Soyuz-FG | Ж15000-009 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-4 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 9 |
14 October 2004 03:06 |
Soyuz-FG | Ж15000-012 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-5 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 10 |
15 April 2005 00:46 |
Soyuz-FG | Ж15000-014 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-6 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 11 |
13 August 2005 23:28 |
Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Ж15000-011/ ST-13 |
Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | Galaxy 14 | Communications satellite |
1 October 2005 03:54 |
Soyuz-FG | П15000-017 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-7 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 12 |
9 November 2005 03:33 |
Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Ж15000-010/ ST-14 |
Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | Venus Express | Venus orbiter |
28 December 2005 05:19 |
Soyuz-FG/Fregat | П15000-015/ ST-15 |
Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | GIOVE-A | Navigation satellite |
30 March 2006 02:30 |
Soyuz-FG | П15000-018 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-8 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 13 |
18 September 2006 04:08 |
Soyuz-FG | Ц15000-023 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-9 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 14 |
7 April 2007 17:31 |
Soyuz-FG | Ц15000-019 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-10 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 15 |
29 May 2007 20:31 |
Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Ц15000-021 | Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | Globalstar × 4 | Communications satellites |
10 October 2007 13:22 [1] |
Soyuz-FG | Ц15000-020 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-11 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 16 |
20 October 2007 20:12 |
Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Ц15000-022 | Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | Globalstar × 4 | Communications satellites |
14 December 2007 13:17 |
Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Ц15000-025 | Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | RADARSAT-2 | Earth observation |
8 April 2008 11:16 |
Soyuz-FG | Ш15000-024 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-12 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 17 First South Korean in space. |
26 April 2008 22:16 |
Soyuz-FG/Fregat | П15000-016 | Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | GIOVE-B | Navigation satellite |
12 October 2008 07:01 |
Soyuz-FG | Ш15000-026 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-13 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 18 |
26 March 2009 11:49 |
Soyuz-FG | Ю15000-027 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-14 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 19 |
27 May 2009 10:34 [2] |
Soyuz-FG | Ю15000-030 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-15 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 20 |
30 September 2009 07:14 |
Soyuz-FG | Б15000-029 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-16 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 21 |
20 December 2009 21:52 |
Soyuz-FG | Б15000-031 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-17 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 22 |
2 April 2010 04:04 |
Soyuz-FG | Ю15000-028 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-18 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 23 |
15 June 2010 21:35 |
Soyuz-FG | Б15000-032 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-19 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 24 |
7 October 2010 23:10 |
Soyuz-FG | Б15000-035 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-01M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 25 |
15 December 2010 19:09 |
Soyuz-FG | Б15000-034 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-20 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 26 |
4 April 2011 22:18 |
Soyuz-FG | И15000-036 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-21 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 27 |
7 June 2011 20:12 |
Soyuz-FG | И15000-037 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-02M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 28 |
14 November 2011 04:14 |
Soyuz-FG | И15000-038 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-22 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 29 |
21 December 2011 13:16 |
Soyuz-FG | Л15000-039 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-03M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 30/31 |
15 May 2012 03:01 |
Soyuz-FG | Л15000-041 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-04M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 31/32 |
15 July 2012 02:40 |
Soyuz-FG | Л15000-042 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-05M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 32/33 |
22 July 2012 06:41 |
Soyuz-FG/Fregat | Б15000-033 | Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | Earth observation and technology demonstration satellites | |
23 October 2012 10:51 |
Soyuz-FG | Л15000-044 | Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | Soyuz TMA-06M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 33/34 |
19 December 2012 12:12 |
Soyuz-FG | Л15000-040 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-07M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 34/35 |
28 March 2013 20:43 |
Soyuz-FG | Е15000-043 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-08M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 35/36 |
28 May 2013 20:31 |
Soyuz-FG | Е15000-045 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-09M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 36/37 |
25 September 2013 20:58 |
Soyuz-FG | Е15000-046 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-10M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 37/38 |
7 November 2013 04:14 |
Soyuz-FG | Т15000-048 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-11M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 38/39 |
25 March 2014 21:17 |
Soyuz-FG | Т15000-047 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-12M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 39/40 |
28 May 2014 19:57 |
Soyuz-FG | Т15000-049 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-13M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 40/41 |
25 September 2014 20:25 |
Soyuz-FG | Т15000-050 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-14M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 41/42 |
23 November 2014 21:01 |
Soyuz-FG | T15000-051 | Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | Soyuz TMA-15M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 42/43 |
27 March 2015 19:42 |
Soyuz-FG | G15000-053 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-16M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 43/44 |
22 July 2015 21:03 |
Soyuz-FG | G15000-052 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-17M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 44/45 |
2 September 2015 04:38 |
Soyuz-FG | G15000-054 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-18M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 45/46 |
15 December 2015 11:03 |
Soyuz-FG | G15000-055 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-19M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 46/47 |
18 March 2016 21:26 |
Soyuz-FG | R15000-057 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz TMA-20M | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 47/48 |
7 July 2016 01:36 |
Soyuz-FG | R15000-056 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-01 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 48/49 |
19 October 2016 08:05 |
Soyuz-FG | R15000-059 | Baikonur, Site 31/6 | Success | Soyuz MS-02 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 49/50 |
17 November 2016 20:20 |
Soyuz-FG | R15000-060 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-03 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 50/51 |
20 April 2017 07:13 |
Soyuz-FG | U15000-065 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-04 | Crewed flight with 2 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 51/52 |
28 July 2017 15:40 |
Soyuz-FG | R15000-058 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-05 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 52/53 |
12 September 2017 21:17 |
Soyuz-FG | U15000-063 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-06 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 53/54 |
17 December 2017 07:21 |
Soyuz-FG | R15000-061 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-07 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 54/55 |
21 March 2018 17:44 |
Soyuz-FG | N15000-066 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-08 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 55/56 |
6 June 2018 11:12 |
Soyuz-FG | U15000-064 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-09 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 56/57 |
11 October 2018 08:40 |
Soyuz-FG | N15000-062 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Failure | Soyuz MS-10 | Crewed flight with 2 cosmonauts Planned for ISS Expedition 57 Aborted during ascent, crew landed safely. |
16 November 2018 18:14 |
Soyuz-FG | N15000-068 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Progress MS-10 | ISS resupply |
3 December 2018 11:31 |
Soyuz-FG | N15000-067 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-11 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 57/58/59 |
14 March 2019 19:14 |
Soyuz-FG | N15000-070 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-12 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 59/60 |
20 July 2019 16:28 |
Soyuz-FG | N15000-069 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-13 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 60/61 |
25 September 2019[11] 13:57:43 |
Soyuz-FG | N15000-071 | Baikonur, Site 1/5 | Success | Soyuz MS-15 | Crewed flight with 3 cosmonauts ISS Expedition 61/62 Last flight of Soyuz-FG variant, to be replaced by Soyuz-2 for future crewed missions. |
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
- McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Zak, Anatoly; Chabot, Alain (25 September 2019). "Soyuz-FG". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "SOYUZ-FG Launch Vehicle". TsSKB-Progress. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Soyuz-FG (11A511U-FG)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
- ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Soyuz-FG Fregat (11A511U-FG)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ a b c "ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ КОСМИЧЕСКОЕ АГЕНТСТВО (РОСКОСМОС)". www.federalspace.ru. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ Конструкция разгонного блока "Фрегат". NPO Lavochkin (in Russian). Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ Zak, Anatoly. "Soyuz-FG's long road to retirement". Russian Space Web. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "ЖРД РД-107 и РД-108 и их модификации" [RD-107 and RD-108 and their modifications] (in Russian). Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ Berger, Eric (1 November 2018). "Dramatic footage of Soyuz accident shows rocket booster collision – For the second human launch in a row, there's a likely quality control issue". Ars Technica. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ "Soyuz FG". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007.
- ^ Источник: Россия отправит к МКС семь кораблей и модуль "Наука" в 2019 году [Russia plans to send seven missions to ISS in 2019 including Nauka module] (in Russian). Novosti kosmonavtiki. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.