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RUS-M [PTK NP] New Launch Vehicle Family

It was planned that the "Federation" would be launched on "Rus-M", but in 2011 the project was closed. There was a need to create a new superheavy rocket. In 2014, the idea of creating such a rocket was approved by Vladimir Putin, and it was included in the draft Federal Space Program for 2016-2025. But at the initial stage it was intended to use the Angara-A5 missile for launching an unmanned PTC NP. Also, proposals were made to test the ship on the Zenith rocket.

Russia planned to develop a new carrier rocket by 2015 while continuing the work on the Angara family of space boosters, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on 20 April 2011. The Rus-M carrier rocket was being developed by the Energia space corporation, to launch new-generation spacecraft from the Vostochny space center currently under construction in the country's Far East. A draft model of Rus-M was first presented at the MAKS 2009 air show in Moscow. The two-stage Rus-M was expected to be the main launch vehicle for the Prospective Piloted Transport System, a new manned spacecraft which was to replace the Soyuz rocket.

On 07 October 2011, Vladimir Popovkin, the new director of the Russian Space Agency, told the Russian Duma the agency had decided to abandon the Rus-M project. Even though the program had been consuming 37% of the agency's budget, according to Popovkin, this funding would not be enough to have the vehicle ready for a first flight in 2015. Popovkin stated that the agency would not need a new launcher, and could use already available rockets, such as the Angara rocket.

Russia’s Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, was to discuss with leading Russian scientists development of a new launch vehicle capable of carrying up payloads to 70 tons, its head said 25 October 2013. “We will analyze and use all the existing potential…to choose the optimal solution [for the super-heavy rocket],” newly-appointed Roscosmos chief Oleg Ostapenko told reporters. The results of the discussions will be used to outline the design and technical characteristics of the rocket, including its environmental safety.

The new rocket should be capable of delivering spacecraft to geotransitional (up to eight tons), geostationary (five tons) and low-Earth (at least 20 tons) orbits. Russia’s Energia space corporation earlier proposed the development of a new launch vehicle based on the Soviet-era Energia rocket that was used in the late 1980’s as the launcher for the Buran space shuttle. An alternative solution could be the use of the Angara family of carrier rockets, designed by the Khrunichev center, as the basis for a future launch vehicle. The Angara development program was launched in 1995, but has suffered a number of setbacks and delays since then.

Russia's Khrunichev research center plans to develop a new super-heavy carrier rocket that will be used to launch piloted spacecraft to Mars. "The super-heavy carrier rocket will be based on the design of the Angara rocket and its modifications - Amur and Yenisei," Anatoly Kuzin, deputy general director of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, said 25 January 2011. The first piloted mission to Mars under a unified Moon-Mars program was expected to be launched in 2037.

Russia’s Roscosmos space agency was to seek government approval to build the world’s largest rocket, its head said 28 January 2014. “I think that in the near future, within a month, we will make our suggestions to the Military-Industrial Commission,” Oleg Ostapenko said at an annual space conference in Moscow. Ostapenko, who was appointed head of the agency in October, said the planned launcher would be able to lift 80 metric tons into low Earth orbit. It could also be upgraded to launch as much as 160 tons, which would be the heaviest payload every lifted by a single rocket into space.

Roscosmos formed a working group in 2013 to evaluate proposals for a heavy-lift rocket, including the revival of the Energia launcher, the highest payload rocket ever built in the country. The Energia, developed in the Soviet Union and launched twice, was cancelled during the economic crisis twenty years ago. Experts consider such large rockets to be necessary for manned Mars or deep space missions, although they are likely to be uneconomical for commercial payloads that can be launched on existing rockets.

The current record holder, NASA’s Saturn V rocket that was used to launch Apollo astronauts on their journey to the moon, had a maximum capability of 120 metric tons. NASA was currently building a new super-heavy rocket, the Space Launch System, that will also come in two variants capable of lifting 70 and 130 tons into orbit. The first test flight of the smaller version was scheduled for 2017. China was reportedly considering construction of its own super-heavy rocket, the Long March 9, for a manned lunar mission.

On October 22, 2005, the Russian Federation government approved FSP 2006-2015 expanded spaceflight development decision was based on the re appearance of the Soviet era like Five Year Plan (2006-2010) and the next five year plan called the five year Forecast Plan (2011-2015) cycle to Russian Federal Space Agency developments. Soon the Russian Federal Space Agency will replace the present FYP with the 2011-2015 five year plan followed by the 2016-2020 forecast plan.

With in that plan was the requirement for the development of the RUS-M booster family of medium to heavy lift boosters. The request for proposals for the new booster for the new PTK-NP (RUS) spacecraft replacement of the Soyuz spacecraft finally was released in February 2009 after several years wait. Obviously the teams competing for the contract were working on their designs from October 2007 until their finalization by March 16, 2009. The contract was won on March 19, 2009 the Samara based TsSKB Progress, S. P. Korolev, Rocket Space Corporation Energiya, of Korolev, Moscow region and the KB Makeyev of Miass organizations. The draft plan was to be completed during 2009-2010 with the preliminary design due in August 2010 for approval. S. P. Korolev Corporation Energiya has already been endowed with 800 million Rubles ($28.5 million) budget funding for the project.

The new launch vehicle design for crewed and un-crewed flight to earth orbit and lunar, planetary missions was being designed with a payload capacity of 24 metric tons t 50-60 metric tons and finally in excess of 100-150 metric tons to low earth orbit depending on its mission specific configuration. Initial test of the booster will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome rented through 2050 as early as 2015but its full size versions will not be ready until 2018 with launches out of the Vostochniy Cosmodrome funding provided. It performance requirement specified it must be capable of a 51.7 degree 200 kilometer circular orbit with a minimum of 23.8 metric tons and a geostationary transfer orbit up to 7.0 metric tons and a geostationary orbit capacity of 4.0 metric tons. The two stage un crewed future crewed booster first comes after 2015 with manned missions starting in 2020. After that development becomes operational it was to be up graded to 50-60 metric tons capacity and that will be followed with the super heavy lift version of 100-150 metric tonnes orbital capacity after 2030. It had to be capable of being launched from the Vostochniy Cosmodrome to service inclinations of 98, 83, 73.2, 72, 63 and 51.7 or 51.8 degrees respectfully.

The highly modularized RUS-M booster’s present tailor made design specifications require it to consist of modules no larger in diameters than 4.1 meters for a two stage vehicle with tandem staging configuration. The clustered first stage modules will all use RD-180 closed cycle two chambered engines of NPO Energomash of Khimki, Moscow region utilizing kerosene, and liquid oxygen propellants. It can fly with but one core first stage as well as a two strap-on triple barrel design or up to a full five barrel of four strap-ons and perhaps seven barrel with up to six strap-on first stage booster design. The RUS-M will have a maximum diameter of 11.6 meters with a general variable height in the 61 meter range depending on the design configuration.

It second stage was to be a liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen propellant stage utilizing four KBKhA [Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (KB)] of Voronezh, RD-0146 expander cycle engines. The possibility of a third stage being added for certain missions was also required. In all manned rated operations it was to be flown with an crewed spacecraft launch abort escape system and various engine out failure modes for crew safe landing or abort to orbit of the crew for return. Payloads capacities of 3-23.8-50-100-120 metric tons to low earth orbit are built into the design that was now being developed in greater detail.

This program was not a revival of the Soviet Buran era space shuttle, Energiya booster projects combined because of the unfavorable economic in viability and safety of flight danger issues as confirmed by the Russian, Federal Space Agency, (“Roskosmos”) administrator Anatoly Perminov.

The launch infrastructure with its two launch pad requirement must eventually be capable of supporting 15-20 launches of the vehicle yearly. One of the launch pads must also be capable of being utilized as a static test stand for the various clustered first stage configurations. Most of the elements of the system must be capable of being shipped to the launch site infrastructure via the Russian railroad system with horizontal assembly rollout and erection on the pad. The facilities infrastructure must be capable of supporting the assembly of any design configuration up to 50-metric tons with few if any modifications. There was little doubt the design for 100-120 metric tons payload capacity are being developed as a part of those requirements.