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Soyuz-U

This article is about the Soyuz-U rocket. For other Soyuz variants, see Soyuz (rocket family).

Soyuz-U
A Soyuz-U on the launchpad for the Soyuz 18 mission
FunctionOrbital carrier rocket
ManufacturerTsSKB-Progress
Country of originSoviet Union
Size
Height
  • Soyuz-U: 51.1 m (168 ft)
  • Soyuz-U/Ikar: 47.3 m (155 ft)
  • Soyuz-U/Fregat: 46.7 m (153 ft)
Diameter3 m (9.8 ft)[1]
Mass
  • Soyuz-U: 313,000 kg (690,000 lb)
  • Soyuz-U/Ikar: 308,000 kg (679,000 lb)
  • Soyuz-U/Fregat: 308,000 kg (679,000 lb)
Stages
  • Soyuz-U: 2
  • Soyuz-U/Ikar: 3
  • Soyuz-U/Fregat: 3
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass
Associated rockets
FamilyR-7 (Soyuz)
Derivative workSoyuz-U2
Soyuz-FG
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sites
Total launches786[2][3][4]
Success(es)765[5]
Failure(s)22[2][5]
First flight18 May 1973[6]
Last flight22 February 2017 (Progress MS-05)
Type of passengers/cargoSoyuz spacecraft
Progress spacecraft
Boosters – Blok-B,V,G,D[7]
No. boosters4
Height19.6 m (64 ft)
Diameter2.68 m (8.8 ft)
Empty massSoyuz: 3,800 kg (8,400 lb)
Gross mass43,400 kg (95,700 lb)
Powered byRD-117
Maximum thrustSea Level: 838.5 kN (188,500 lbf)
Vacuum: 1,021.3 kN (229,600 lbf)
Specific impulseSea Level: 262 s (2.57 km/s)
Vacuum: 319 s (3.13 km/s)
Burn time118 seconds
PropellantLOX/RG-1
First stage – Blok-A[7]
Height27.10 m (88.9 ft)
Diameter2.95 m (9.7 ft)
Empty massSoyuz: 6,550 kg (14,440 lb)
Gross massSoyuz: 99,500 kg (219,400 lb)
Powered byRD-118
Maximum thrustSea Level: 792.5 kN (178,200 lbf)
Vacuum: 990.2 kN (222,600 lbf)
Specific impulseSea Level: 255 s (2.50 km/s)
Vacuum: 319 s (3.13 km/s)
Burn time290 seconds
PropellantLOX/RG-1
Second stage – Blok-I[7]
Height6.70 m (22.0 ft)
Diameter2.66 m (8.7 ft)
Empty massSoyuz: 2,410 kg (5,310 lb)
Gross massSoyuz: 25,200 kg (55,600 lb)
Powered byRD-0110
Maximum thrust297.9 kilonewtons (67,000 lbf)
Specific impulse325 seconds
Burn time270 seconds
PropellantLOX/RG-1
Upper stage (optional) – Fregat[8]
Height1.5 m (4.9 ft)
Diameter3.35 m (11.0 ft)
Empty mass930 kg (2,050 lb)
Propellant mass5,250 kg (11,570 lb)
Powered byS5.92
Maximum thrust19.85 kilonewtons (4,460 lbf)
Specific impulse333.2 seconds
Burn time1100 seconds
PropellantN2O4/UDMH
Upper stage (optional) – Ikar[9]
Height2.56 m (8.4 ft)
Diameter2.72 m (8.9 ft)
Empty mass820 kg (1,810 lb)
Gross mass3,164 kg (6,975 lb)
Powered byS5.144/17D61
Maximum thrust2.94 kN (660 lbf)
Specific impulse307 seconds
PropellantN2O4/UDMH
[edit on Wikidata]

The Soyuz-U launch vehicle was an improved version of the original Soyuz rocket. Soyuz-U was part of the R-7 family of rockets based on the R-7 Semyorka missile. Members of this rocket family were designed by the TsSKB design bureau and constructed at the Progress factory in Samara, Russia (now a united company, TsSKB-Progress). The first Soyuz-U flight took place on 18 May 1973, carrying as its payload Kosmos 559, a Zenit military surveillance satellite.[6] The final flight of a Soyuz-U rocket took place on 22 February 2017, carrying Progress MS-05 to the International Space Station.

Soyuz-U was in use continuously for almost 44 years. Production of R-7 derived launch vehicles peaked in the late 1970s-early 1980s at 55–60 a year. Soyuz-U held the world record of highest launch rate in a year in 1979 with 47 flights until this was beaten by SpaceX's Falcon 9 in 2022.[10][11] Over its operational lifetime, the Soyuz-U variant flew a total of 786 missions, another world record. Soyuz-U has also been one of the most reliable launchers, with a success rate of 97.3%.

  1. ^ "Soyuz-U". Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2022. Astronautix.com
  2. ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Soyuz-U (11A511U)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference gunter-ikar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference gunter-fregat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b In 1983, flight Soyuz T-10a took fire on the launch pad before the end of the countdown, so it is not counted in the list of launches; this is why adding successes and failures yields 787 launches instead of 786.
  6. ^ a b Mark Wade (26 March 2001). "Soyuz 11A511U". Friends and Partners. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  7. ^ a b c "Soyuz-U User's Manual" (PDF). Starsem. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Конструкция разгонного блока "Фрегат"". NPO Lavochkin (in Russian). Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  9. ^ "IKAR Upper Stage". TsSKB-Progress. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  10. ^ @elonmusk (20 October 2022). "Congrats to @SpaceX team on 48th launch this year! Falcon 9 now holds record for most launches of a single vehicle type in a year" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ "Soyuz-FG on penultimate flight delivers three new crewmembers for ISS". NASASpaceFlight.com. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2022.

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