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Soyuz-FG

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Soyuz-FG
The launch of Soyuz TMA-3 atop a Soyuz-FG rocket.
FunctionMedium-lift launch vehicle
ManufacturerRKTs Progress
Country of originRussia
Cost per launch773,600,000 (2012)[1]
Size
Height51 m (167 ft)[1]
Diameter2.7–3.715 m (8.86–12.19 ft)[1]
Mass310,000–313,000 kg (683,000–690,000 lb)[1]
Stages
  • FG: 3
  • FG/Fregat: 4
Capacity
Payload to LEO[1][2]
Altitude200 km (120 mi)
Orbital inclination51.8°
Mass
  • FG: 6,900 kg (15,200 lb)
  • FG/Fregat: 7,800 kg (17,200 lb)[citation needed]
Associated rockets
FamilyR-7 (Soyuz)
Based onSoyuz-U
Derivative workSoyuz-2
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sitesBaikonur, LC-1/5 and LC-31/6
Total launches
  • 70:
  •     FG: 60[3]
  •     FG/Fregat: 10[4]
Success(es)69
Failure(s)1 (Soyuz MS-10)
First flight20 May 2001 (Progress M1-6)
Last flight25 September 2019 (Soyuz MS-15)
Carries passengers or cargo
Boosters (First stage) – Block B, V, G & D[a]
Height19.6 m (64 ft)
Diameter2.68 m (8 ft 10 in)
Empty mass3,800 kg (8,400 lb)
Gross mass43,400 kg (95,700 lb)
Propellant mass40,350 kg (88,960 lb)[1]
Powered by1 × RD-107A
Maximum thrust
  • SL: 838.5 kN (188,500 lbf)
  • vac: 1,021.3 kN (229,600 lbf)
Specific impulse
  • SL: 263.3 s (2.582 km/s)
  • vac: 320.2 s (3.140 km/s)
Burn time118 seconds
PropellantLOX / RG-1
Second stage (core) – Block A[5]
Height27.1 m (89 ft)
Diameter2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
Empty mass6,550 kg (14,440 lb)
Gross mass99,500 kg (219,400 lb)
Propellant mass92,600 kg (204,100 lb)[1]
Powered by1 × RD-108A
Maximum thrust
  • SL: 792.41 kN (178,140 lbf)
  • vac: 921.86 kN (207,240 lbf)
Specific impulse
  • SL: 257.7 s (2.527 km/s)
  • vac: 320.6 s (3.144 km/s)
Burn time286 seconds
PropellantLOX / RG-1
Third stage – Block I[5]
Height6.7 m (22 ft)
Diameter2.66 m (8 ft 9 in)
Empty mass2,410 kg (5,310 lb)
Gross mass25,300 kg (55,800 lb)
Propellant mass22,800 kg (50,300 lb)[1]
Powered by1 × RD-0110
Maximum thrust297.93 kN (66,980 lbf)
Specific impulse326 s (3.20 km/s)
Burn time230 seconds
PropellantLOX / RG-1
Fourth stage (optional) – Fregat[6]
Height1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)
Diameter3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Empty mass930 kg (2,050 lb)
Propellant mass5,250 kg (11,570 lb)
Powered by1 × S5.92
Maximum thrust19.85 kN (4,460 lbf)
Specific impulse333.2 s (3.268 km/s)
Burn timeUp to 1,100 seconds (up to 20 starts)
PropellantN2O4 / 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]
The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft arrives at the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan 10 October 2008.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ This is a transliteration of the second thorough fifth letters of the Cyrillic alphabet (Б, В, Г, Д). The English translation is Block B, C, D and E.[5]

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.
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "SOYUZ-FG Launch Vehicle". TsSKB-Progress. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  3. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Soyuz-FG (11A511U-FG)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  4. ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Soyuz-FG Fregat (11A511U-FG)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b c "ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ КОСМИЧЕСКОЕ АГЕНТСТВО (РОСКОСМОС)". www.federalspace.ru. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  6. ^ Конструкция разгонного блока "Фрегат". NPO Lavochkin (in Russian). Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  7. ^ Zak, Anatoly. "Soyuz-FG's long road to retirement". Russian Space Web. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  8. ^ "ЖРД РД-107 и РД-108 и их модификации" [RD-107 and RD-108 and their modifications] (in Russian). Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Soyuz FG". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007.
  11. ^ 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.
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