THE NEW SOVIET MEDIUM--LIFT LAUNCH VEHICLE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91T01115R000100230003-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 10, 2010
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: June 1, 1984
• Content Type: REPORT

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Directorate of Secret
Intelligence
The New Soviet Medium-
Lift Launch Vehicle (s)
Secret
IA 84-10048
June 1984
Copy 4 6
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Warning Notice Intelligence Sources
or Methods Involved
(WNINTEL)
National Security Unauthorized Disclosure
Information Subject to Criminal Sanctions
Dissemination Control
Abbreviations
NOFORN (NF) Not releasable to foreign nationals
NOCONTRACT (NC) Not releasable to contractors or contractor/consultants
PROPIN (PR) Caution-proprietary information involved
ORCON (OC) Dissemination and extraction of information
controlled by originator
REL... This information has been authorized for release to...
FGI Foreign government information
All materia on t i ppage
is Unclassified.
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Directorate of Secret
Intelligence
The New Soviet Medium-
Lift Launch Vehicle (s)
Secret
/A 8410048
June 1984
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Secret
Summary
Information available
as of l June 1984
was used in this report.
The New Soviet Medium-
Lift Launch Vehicle (s)
A new Soviet medium-lift space launch vehicle is expected to be
launched from Tyuratam Missile and Space Test Center by the end of
1984. The Intelligence Community estimates that the new launch vehicle
will be capable of lifting payloads of about 15,000 to 17,000 kilograms
to low earth orbit. This vehicle will fulfill the Soviets' requirement for a
launch vehicle to bridge the gap between their SL-4, which can place a
7,000-kilogram payload into orbit, and their existing medium-lift vehi-
cle, the SL-13, which can orbit 20,000 kilograms. The medium-lift vehi-
cle may be used for orbiting payloads such as new, heavier reconnais-
sance satellites or a small, manned spaceplane that is believed to be
under development. In addition, the first stage of the launch vehicle will
be used as a thrust-augmentation, strap-on booster for the Soviet
heavy-lift launch vehicle that also is under development.
The medium-lift launch vehicle is probably being developed jointly by
the Glushko and Utkin space systems design bureaus. The launch vehi-
cle nd has at 25X1
least two stages mounted in tandem; both stages use liquid oxygen and
probably kerosene propellants. A prototype medium-lift vehicle was
seen for the first time at Tyuratam, undergoing corn- 25X1
patibility checkout with launch pad facilities. The launch vehicle has
been seen on subsequent occasions undergoing both compatibility
checkout and propellant-tanking tests at its Tyuratam launch site.
This information is Secre
iii Secret
IA 84-10048
June 1984
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Summary
Background
First Stage
Second Stage
Payload Shroud
Ground Support Equipment
Transport Train 5
Transporter/ Erector and Umbilical Mast 6
First-Stage Recovery Vehicle 6
v Secret
IA 84-10048
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The New Soviet Medium-
Lift Launch Vehicle (s)
Background
The new Soviet medium-lift launch vehicle (MLLV)
is probably being developed jointly by the Glushko
and Utkin space systems design bureaus. The
MLLV (temporarily designated the SL-Y by the
Intelligence Community) is a liquid-propellant
booster with at least two stages. The first stage also
will be used as a thrust-augmentation, strap-on
booster for the new Soviet heavy-lift launch vehicle
(HLLV), designed in the mid-1970s by the Glushko
organization.' Consequently, the design, or at least
the design specifications, for the first and possibly
second stages of the MLLV probably also was done
by the Glushko organization. Actual series pro-
duction of at least one, and probably both, of the
stages occurs at Utkin's Dnepropetrovsk Missile
Development Production Center, where a three-car
rail train used to transport MLLV components has
been identified. (s
Facilities for the receipt, assembly, checkout, and
launch of the MLLV are located at Tyuratam
Missile and Space Test Center. Components of the
medium-lift vehicle are delivered by three-car train
to Support Facility 3 at Tyuratam, where they are
offloaded, assembled, and checked out in a refur-
bished vehicle assembly and checkout building.
Launch of the MLLV will be conducted from
Space Launch Site Y, located about three kilome-
ters south of Support Facility 3. Construction of
Launch Site Y was begun in 1978, and the first of
two launch pads (Pad Y 1) was completed by
December 1982 and is capable of supporting a
launch of the MLLV. Construction of the second
pad-Y2-began in 1981, but was suspended for
an unknown reason in late 1983 in an early stage of
construction. An assembled, prototype MLLV was
seen erected at Pad Y 1 for the first time
When used as an HLLV strap-on booster, the first stage is modified by
the addition of an asymmetric nosecone and at least two probable
airframe stiffener rings. Two pairs of strap-on boosters are mated to
opposite sides of a 59.0-meter-lon
to constitute the heavy-lift launch
where it was undergoing compatibility
checkout with pad facilities. The launch vehicle has
since been seen on numerous occasions undergoing
both compatibility checkout and propellant-tanking
tests at Pad Y I . The apparent state of facility and
launch vehicle readiness indicates that the first
launch of the medium-lift vehicle could occur
before the end of 1984. (S
Based on the observed and estimated characteristics
of the launch vehicle, the Intelligence Community
believes that the payload-lift capability to low earth
orbit for the MLLV will probably range from
15,000 to 17,000 kilograms. This vehicle will fulfill
the Soviets' requirement for a launch vehicle to
bridge the gap between their SL-4, which can place
a 7,000-kilogram payload into orbit, and their
existing medium-lift vehicle, the SL-13, which can
orbit 20,000 kilograms. The medium-lift vehicle
may be used for orbiting payloads such as new,
heavier reconnaissance satellites or a small,
manned spaceplane that the Intelligence Commu-
nity believes is under development. (s
Secret
IA 84-10048
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mounted in tandem and a payload shroud.
During a
series of on-pad propellant-tanking tests conducted
with an MLLV in the second half of 1983, icing
was evident on the outside of sections of the first
and second stages, indicating the presence of cold
liquid oxygen (LOX). The non-iced sections on
both stages indicated that an ambient-temperature
fuel, probably kerosene, was being used (figure 2).
Based on the calculated volumes represented by the
iced and non-iced sections, a volume ratio of
oxidizer to fuel of about 1.94:1 and 1.77:1 was
derived for the first and second stages, respectively.
These ratios are similar to those of US space
boosters using LOX and kerosene propellants, indi-
cating that the MLLV also uses such propellants,
or ones very similar in composition. No icing was
evident above the second stage, suggesting either
that this portion of the launch vehicle was not
involved in propellant-tanking tests or that a third
stage, if one was present, used ambient-tempera-
ture propellants. (S
First Stage
The first stage of the launch vehicle is about 32.0
meters long and consists
of an engine section, a fuel tank (probably for
kerosene), and an oxidizer tank for LOX (figure 1).
What appear to be instrumentation cable trays
and/or pressurization lines run from the engine
area to the top of the oxidizer tank. In addition,
four structural hard points are positioned at 90-
degree intervals around the circumference of an
airframe stiffener ring, which is located at or near
the junction of the fuel tank and engine section.
These hard points are used to physically support
the launch vehicle while erected on the launch pad.
An open trusswork interstage is
atop the first stage and is attached to the base of
the second stage. The interstage provides structural
continuity between the first stage and the rest of
the launch vehicle and is used as a bridge between
the first and second sta2es for instrumentation
cables. (
The first-stage engine sectio
ouses the stage's propulsion system.
Analysis of the base of the engine section has not
yet revealed whether the first stage uses a large
single engine or smaller multiple engines. The lower
portion of the engine section is flared and has a
4.0-meter-diameter exhaust opening. The flared sec-
tion either is a nozzle for a single-engine system or
is a tail skirt for multiple engine nozzles, which
would be recessed. Fou rotuber-
ances are positioned around the middle of the
engine section at 90-degree intervals and are proba-
bly associated with either a thrust vector control
(TVC) system or a first-stage, soft-landing system.
Each of the four protuberances appears to be
affixed at its forward end to a probable airframe
stiffener ring and at its aft end to points located 0.6
meter forward of the exhaust opening. (S
A first-stage TVC system is required for attitude
and directional control of the booster during
launch. Such control usually is accomplished by
moving the engine nozzle(s) or deflecting the ex-
haust gases. If the protuberances near the base of
the first stage are associated with a TVC system,
they could be either hydraulic actuators or housings
for fluid injectors. If the pr are actua-e tors, then apparently the las section of
the nozzle/skirt will be swive or gim ailed in
order to deflect the exhaust gases from the en-
gine(s) and thereby control vehicle attitude and
direction. Alternatively, the protuberances could be
part of a fluid injection system. In such a system,
fluid is injected into the exhaust flow by injectors
located uniformly around the circumference of the
nozzle openings, thereby slightly diverting the ex-
haust from a normal direction and providing con-
trol over the motion of the booster. (sF_~
If the protuberances are not related to a TVC
system, they could be used in conjunction with
parachutes as part of a soft-landing system for the
first stage. In such a system, parachutes could be
deployed after booster separation to slow and
stabilize the stage during its descent. Conceivably,
the protuberances could be used either to house
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pper endcap of the oxidizer tank
the top of the oxidizer tank. (s
extends into the trusswork interstage. The volume
of the tank, assuming the lower endcap is like the
upper, is about 206,400 liters. The propellant vol-
ume ratio of the oxidizer to the fuel is about 1.94:1
for the first stage. Because of the presence of
gaseous oxygen venting from the stage during
tanking tests, we believe a vent valve is located near
Second Stage
The second stage of the MLLV is
consists
landing rockets, which would be ignited near the
ground for final deceleration of the stage, or as
shock absorbers for cushioning the stage upon
impact. Several Soviets have indicated that most of
the components of the new HLLV will be recovera-
ble and reusable, probably including the strap-on
boosters derived from the MLLV first stage. If so,
the MLLV first stage, or a section of it, probably
also will be recoverable and reusable. (s
The approximate size and location of the first-stage
fuel and oxidizer tanks have been determined by a
comparative analysis of the airframe during tanking
and nontanking operations. The fuel tank is located
adjacent to the engine sectio
that domed ndcaps are located at each end, is
about 106,600 liters. The oxidizer tank is located
between the fuel tank and the interstage structure
The domed
load adapter. (S
of an engine section, a fuel tank (probably for
kerosene), an oxidizer tank for LOX, and a section
that is probably an instrumentation unit/payload
adapter. Trays, probably for instrumentation cables
and/or pressurization lines, run along the outside
of the stage's propellant tankage and between the
engine section and the instrumentation unit/pay-
long and houses the stage's rocket engine(s). At
least two, and probably four, protuberances are
located on the outside of the engine section and
may house second-stage separation motors or small
The second-stage engine section is about 1.0 meter
rocket engines for attitude control. (S
The approximate size and location of the second-
stage fuel and oxidizer tanks were determined in
the same manner as was that for the first stage. The
fuel tank is about 3.0 meters long and is located
next to the engine section. The volume of the fuel
tank, assuming that domed endcaps are present, is
about 29,500 liters. The oxidizer tank is about 5.0
meters long and is located between the fuel tank
and the instrumentation unit/payload adapter sec-
tion. The volume of the oxidizer tank, assuming
endcaps are present, is about 52,200 liters. The
propellant volume ratio of the oxidizer to the fuel
is about 1.77:1 for the second stage. Based on the
presence of gaseous oxygen venting from the stage
during a tanking test, a vent valve is probably
located near the top of the oxidizer tank.
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The probable instrumentation unit/payload adapter
section and is located atop
the stage's LOX tank. At least one cable tray,
probably for instrumentation cables, terminates at
this section, suggesting that the guidance and navi-
gation control electronics for the first two stages of
the launch vehicle are located here. The payload
shroud is also attached to this section, suggesting
that a support structure or adapter for mounting
the a load is present within this section.
Payload Shroud
The payload shrou
consists
cylindrical section andl (conical
section. Several parallel striations are apparent
along the cylindrical section. It is larger than most
known Soviet satellites, which suggests that new,
larger satellites are being developed for launch by
the medium-lift vehicle. It is possible that the
payload shroud could accommodate a smaller pay-
load with its own, integral, third-stage propulsion
system. Lastly, if the Soviet manned spaceplane is
launched by this booster, it probably would not use
a shroud because of its size and shape. Instead, the
spaceplane probably would be mated directly to a
payload adapter section. (S
Ground Support Equipment
Several major pieces of ground support equipment
have been designed to handle and service the new
launch vehicle. A three-car transport train is used
to ship the major components of the launch vehicle
from the manufacturing plant to Tyuratam. A rail-
mounted transporter/erector is used to transport
the fully assembled launch vehicle from its assem-
bly and checkout building to the launch pad, where
it is erected into place. Propellant loading and
servicing of the launch vehicle and payload is
accomplished by means of the transporter/erector,
an umbilical mast, and a service structure. In
addition, a six-axle transport vehicle has been
identified, which probably will be used for recovery
of the medium-lift vehicle's first stage. (SF
Transport Train
The medium-lift vehicle's three-car transport train
has an overall length of about 74 meters and is
used for the shipment of the vehicle's major com-
ponents-first stage, second stage, and payload
shroud. It also carries a small, fourth component,
possibly the instrumentation unit/payload adapter,
interstage, or a nozzle gimbal ring. The train
consists railcar and two
railcars and has been observed at
Support Facility 3 carrying four canvas-covered
components (figure 3). The largest of the compo-
nents
Two other components
is the first stage.
probably are
the payload shroud and second stage, respectively.
The three-car train also has been seen at the
Tyuratam heavy-lift launch vehicle assembly and
checkout building, carrying the first stage for use as
a strap-on booster, and has been seen empty at
Dnepropetrovsk Missile Development Produc-
tion Center. (s
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Transporter/ Erector and Umbilical Mast
The MLLV and attached payload are transported
in a horizontal position from the vehicle assembly
and checkout buildin at Su port Facility 3 to the
launch site, using
rail transporter/erector (TE) (figure 4). Upon
arrival at the launch pad area
horizontally positioned umbilical mast is installed
between the booster and the TE's booster support
cradle. The booster, cradle, and mast are then
erected as a single unit over the pad aperture by
four hydraulic actuators on the ladderlike TE
chassis. The support cradle functions as both a
strong back and servicing structure for the booster
and payload. Lines for propellant loading and/or
payload temperature-conditioning are located along
the support cradle. The umbilical mast probably
also is used for booster prelaunch servicing activi-
ties, such as propellant tanking and pressurization
operations, and for connection of launch vehicle
monitoring umbilicals. (s
Service Structure
A launch vehicle/payload service structure is under
construction at Launch Site Y (figure 5). In late
1981, components for the rail-mounted service
structure were delivered to the launch site, and
construction of reinforced rail lines for the struc-
ture began. Possible technical problems, however,
may have delayed the actual assembly of the service
structure, which did not begin until March 1984
and may not be completed until early 1985. The
delay in construction of the service structure indi-
cates that it will not be required for the initial
MLLV launch. The structure is in an early stage of
assembly and consists of a rectangular chassis,
When completed, the structure
will travel to the launch pad on an 18.0-meter-
gauge rail line. The rectangular framework design
suggests that the service structure will have limited
access to the booster because of the obstructions
caused by the erected TE and umbilical mast. The
service structure, therefore, primarily may be used
for payload access/servicing activities. (S
First-Stage Recovery Vehicle
A large transport vehicle, probably designed to
recover the first stage of the MLLV, has been
identified at Support Facility 3. The vehicle is
and has
a split cab, six axles with tire~
and a ladderlike ramp possibly used for
loading (figure 6). The vehicle was first observed on
and was carrying what anneared to be
a load simulator
heel tracks from this vehicle and gate-
______widen ng activity outside the building in which the
vehicle is garaged were observed in the first half of
March 1984, indicating that the vehicle probably
was initially driven at Tyuratam during early
March. Numerous offroad tracks from the vehicle
were seen later in the month and suggest that it
underwent testing/driver training. The tracks show
that the vehicle has a turning radius of about 22
meters, indicating that multiple axles may be used
for steering. (s
The arrival of this vehicle at Support Facility 3
during the final preparations for the first launch of
the MLLV, the size of its cargo bed, and its
apparent offroad capability indicate that it would
be well suited for recovery of a spent medium-lift
vehicle first stage. Such recovery operations proba-
bly would take place between two and three hun-
dred kilometers from the launch site, and most of
this distance would require driving over unim-
proved roads or rough terrain. If used for recovery
of the first stage, the vehicle, or others like it,
would almost certainly be used for recovery of the
HLLV's strap-on boosters, since they are derived
from the MLLV first stage. (S
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