The state needs not one super-powerful launch vehicle, but an SV fleet
As you know, the main document defining the interests of the state, the main goals, priorities and tasks of Russia in the field of research, exploration and use of outer space, is approved by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in April 2013 Fundamentals of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of space activities for the period up to 2030 and beyond”.
In accordance with this document, the main priorities are to ensure Russia's guaranteed access to space from its territory with the development and use of space technology, technologies, works and services in the interests of the socio-economic sphere and the country's defense, as well as the security of the state; the creation of space assets in the interests of science; activities related to the implementation of manned flights, including the creation of a scientific and technical groundwork for the implementation of manned flights to planets and other bodies of the solar system within the framework of international cooperation.
The implementation of these goals is ensured through the use and development of existing scientific, technical and production potential for the creation of promising launch vehicles, interorbital tugs, target and service systems of automatic spacecraft (SC), new generation manned spacecraft, infrastructure elements for activities in deep space and breakthrough technologies. to solve target problems and production technologies.
The result will be the preservation of the status of Russia as one of the leading space powers, confirmation of self-sufficiency in supporting its own space activities across the entire spectrum of tasks requiring the creation of an orbital constellation of spacecraft based on an economically efficient fleet of Russian launch vehicles.
The need to maintain a stable position and competitiveness in the launch services market is an incentive to improve the technical and economic indicators of aircraft, primarily to increase their energy capabilities.
All these factors were most clearly manifested in the example of the most economically successful product of the Russian cosmonautics - the heavy-class launch vehicle "Proton". It was the entry of the Proton rocket into the international market of launch services and its constant modernization that allowed the GKNPTs im. MV Khrunichev to survive in the 90s and "zero" and maintain industrial cooperation, ensuring the maintenance of the Russian orbital group of spacecraft and participation in international projects.
Payload on competition scales
In order to determine which SV to develop in FKP-2025, one must understand that the energy capabilities of the launch vehicle are determined by the mass of the payload launched into the working orbit. Often, although not entirely correctly, when assessing the LV energy, a low earth orbit with an altitude of 200 kilometers and an inclination equal to the latitude of the launch point is used. For the operation of the spacecraft, this orbit is not used as a working one, because, due to the deceleration of the atmosphere, the spacecraft existence time on it does not exceed a week. Among the variety of spacecraft, the most expensive and resource-intensive market for telecommunications spacecraft operating in geostationary orbit.
There are two features of commercial launches of telecommunications spacecraft. The mass of commercial spacecraft is growing faster than those launched under federal programs. But as you can see on the graph, even the mass of commercial spacecraft is far from unlimited and for their launch, a super-heavy class LV (STK LV) of the SLS type is not required at all.
There are also differences in the ballistic design of commercial launches. It so happened that foreign spacecraft, unlike domestic ones, are not put immediately into a geostationary orbit, but into an intermediate high-apogee "standard geo-transfer orbit." The spacecraft, separated from the LV on it, after a ballistic pause of about five hours at the apogee of the orbit, with the help of its own propulsion system, works out an impulse that ensures the formation of a geostationary orbit. Taking into account the fuel consumption, the mass of the payload launched into the intermediate geosynchronous transfer orbit should be approximately 1.6 times greater than in the working orbit, that is, the geostationary one.
But let's return to Proton - just the need to maintain competitiveness in the launch services market has become the reason for the implementation of four stages of its modernization at the expense of funds from commercial launches of the Proton LV - from the initial version of Proton-K to Proton-M and development for the Proton launch vehicle of the new Upper Stage (RB) Briz-M, which made it possible to increase the mass of the payload delivered to the geostationary orbit from 2, 6 to 3.5 tons and to the geostationary transfer orbit - from 4.5 to 6, 3 tons. But no matter how good the carrier Proton is, its launches are not made from the territory of Russia. There are also problems with the supply of fuel for Proton, a highly toxic heptyl used on military missiles and belonging to the substances of the first, highest hazard class.
The country's leadership has set the industry the task of ensuring guaranteed access to space from its territory - spacecraft should be launched by rockets designed and manufactured in Russia. In addition, it is necessary to improve the environmental safety of launches by eliminating the use of toxic fuel.
These tasks should be solved by the program for the creation of a heavy-class launch vehicle "Angara", which will ensure the guaranteed launch of telecommunication and meteorological spacecraft and spacecraft into geostationary orbit, ensuring the defense and security of the state.
Unfortunately, the "Angara" launch vehicle was created for quite a long time. The decree of the government of the Russian Federation on the development of a project of a space rocket complex (SRS) of a heavy class was adopted based on the results of a competition held 22 years before the first launch of the LV. Real funding for the program began after 2005. It made it possible to conduct two successful test launches in 2014 and to schedule launches of LV with target payloads from 2016. When launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, the energetic capabilities of the Angara-A5 launch vehicle with a cryogenic RB KVTK will ensure the launch of a payload weighing 4.5 tons into a geostationary orbit, and 7.5 tons into a standard geostationary orbit (when using the Briz-M RB - 2, 9 and 5, 4 tons, respectively).
When the Angara spacecraft is deployed at the Vostochny cosmodrome, the energetic capabilities of the Angara-A5 launch vehicle with an oxygen-hydrogen RB of the KBTK will ensure the launch of a payload weighing up to five tons into a geostationary orbit, and up to eight tons into a geostationary orbit. This energy reserve is sufficient in the near future for launching spacecraft under federal programs, but does not allow competing for launching spacecraft of the upper price range with new foreign heavy-class launch vehicles with increased payload - Delta-IVH, Ariane-5ECA and Atlas-5. In particular, the Atlas-5 launch vehicle of the 500 series launches up to 8, 7 tons into the geo-transfer orbit, and the most powerful of the launch vehicles used to launch the US Department of Defense spacecraft (Delta-IVH) provides the launch of a payload with a mass of up to 13 into the geo-transfer orbit. 1 ton.
After a comprehensive analysis of the priorities and requirements for the energy capabilities of ground vehicles, as well as the state of the market for space services, the STC of Roskosmos determined that in order to solve problems in outer space, including launching promising spacecraft with a mass of at least seven tons into a geostationary orbit and 12 tons into a geostationary orbit, A launch vehicle capable of placing at least 35 tons of payload into low-earth orbit.
Such a launch vehicle - "Angara-A5V" can be created by replacing the oxygen-kerosene third stage of the "Angara-A5" launch vehicle with the oxygen-hydrogen stage of a new design. The "Angara-A5V" launch vehicle is maximally unified with the created "Angara-A5" launch vehicle, including in terms of ground space infrastructure facilities. In terms of energy capabilities, the Angara-A5V launch vehicle will correspond to the currently developed foreign launch vehicles with increased payload such as Ariane-6 (Europe), Vulcan (USA), CZ-5 (China) and N-3 (Japan) and will provide In the near future, the competitiveness of Russian heavy-class space vehicles in the world market of space services.
Our heavy launch vehicles "Proton-M" and "Angara-A5" with liquid-propellant rocket engines (LPRE) are commensurate with foreign launch vehicles both in terms of thrust-to-weight ratio and payload masses to be launched into specified orbits.
Gas or without gas
At present, the fleet of domestic SVs consists of the Rokot light-class launch vehicle, the Soyuz medium-class launch vehicle with the Fregat missile launcher, and the Proton heavy-class launch vehicle with the DM and Briz-M missile launchers.
In the near future, the "heptyl" launch vehicles "Rokot" and "Proton" will replace the environmentally friendly launch vehicles of the "Angara" family. At the same time, it is envisaged to improve the technology and reduce the cost of serial Angara-A5 launch vehicles. Work is also planned to replace the “heptyl” RB “Fregat” with a small-size RB “ML” using environmentally friendly components. It is also planned to replace the veteran of the domestic rocketry of the Soyuz launch vehicle with a promising medium-class launch vehicle, which is being created as part of the Phoenix development work. During its development, it is planned to implement promising technologies that ensure an increase in operational characteristics, including the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a rocket fuel.
Open space
Why is LNG interesting? The main advantage is the fundamental possibility of reducing the cost of the propulsion system (PS) of the launch vehicle due to a radical decrease in the operating pressure in the engine combustion chamber (from 250–260 to 160–170 atmospheres) with a slight (≈4%) increase in the void specific impulse. An increase in the latter parameter allows maintaining the achieved level of energy and mass characteristics of the LV stages, despite the fact that the density of LNG is half as much as that of kerosene. A feature of liquid-propellant rocket engines fueled by LNG is the possibility of developing an engine of a recovery scheme, less prone to rapid explosive development of emergency situations. In general, preliminary technical and economic assessments show that it is possible to expect a decrease in the cost of propulsion systems for LNG by about 1.5 times compared to propulsion systems based on existing high-pressure kerosene rocket engines, which will make it possible to increase the competitiveness of domestic launch vehicles.
Evaluating the experience of creating a super-heavy launch vehicle, it should be noted that Energia - Buran is undoubtedly the apogee of domestic rocketry, an outstanding program in terms of organization, concentration of resources, achievements in the development of new structural and heat-shielding materials, mastering technologies for creating powerful kerosene and hydrogen engines, production and transportation of large volumes of liquid hydrogen, hypersonic aerodynamics, etc. The whole country worked for it, but the state did not have the means, forces and targets to deploy this space system in orbit. At the same time, over 10 years of work on the creation of the "Energia" - "Buran" complex, more than a third of the funds allocated for space activities were spent, which affected the effectiveness of the implementation of its other areas.
During this period, the European Space Agency (ESA) developed and began to launch the medium-class LV Ariane-4. The Arianspace company with this rocket occupied more than half of the market for commercial launches into geotransfer orbit and, having earned money, created the heavy-class launch vehicle Ariane-5, which still ensures the implementation of ESA's space programs and holds over 40 percent of the world market for launch services.
The newspaper "VPK" (No. 27) wrote: "… The Pentagon should feel a sense of deep satisfaction, watching how Russia is being taken further and further away from the creation of modern super-heavy launch vehicles", but estimates show that all military tasks in the foreseeable future the Pentagon will to solve, using the launch vehicles of the heavy class of the type Delta IVH and Atlas-5, and not the launch vehicle SLS, created for interplanetary flights. It is incorrect to compare the energy capabilities of the 25-ton Angara-A5 launch vehicle and the 130-ton SLS launch vehicle - it's like saying: "A 130-ton dump truck is cooler than KamAZ, and Gazelle is not a machine at all." Not at all: any vehicle - a car or a rocket, in order to be effective, must be operated near the upper limit of its energy capabilities. If the launch vehicle is driven empty, the unit cost of launching the payload increases, and this is one of the main indicators of the launch vehicle efficiency. Therefore, the state needs not one super-powerful launch vehicle, but an optimally balanced fleet of SVs of various payloads for specific payloads. If there are no such payloads for the LV, then it runs the risk of sharing the fate of Energia. By the way, it is significant that two Saturn-5 rockets at the end of the mission to the moon were sent by NASA and the US Department of Defense to a museum without finding a payload for them.
The issue of the targeted use of the STK LV was considered at the Roskosmos Scientific and Technical Council - they came to the conclusion that there is no need to launch mono-cargoes weighing 50–70 tons before 2030–2035. The priorities of the Russian space industry, we repeat, are defined in the "Fundamentals of state policy in the field of space activities …" The primary tasks are the development of orbital groups of spacecraft for scientific, socio-economic and dual purposes. That is why, in the direction of developing a super-heavy launch vehicle, the Roskosmos NTS decided to limit itself until 2025 to the creation of a scientific and technical reserve and the development of promising technologies.
It must be admitted that now the state of the Russian orbital group of spacecraft, to put it mildly, is not the most favorable. In particular, a constellation of Earth remote sensing (ERS) spacecraft consists of only seven spacecraft and satisfies the needs of domestic consumers at the level of 20-30 percent, while the ERS constellations of the USA, European countries and China consist of more than 35 spacecraft each, providing global control surface of the Earth, including in the radar range. Even in India, the ERS satellite constellation includes 17 satellites. This is where the FKP-2025 funds should go first of all - in the development of communication spacecraft, navigation, remote sensing, meteorology, including spacecraft with a high all-weather spatial resolution, which is especially important for Siberia, the Far North, the Arctic and the Far East.
As shown by ballistic calculations, when launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome, the optimized version of the Angara-A5V LV with an upgraded cryogenic RB KBTK-V will provide a payload weighing up to 11.9 tons into a geostationary transfer orbit and up to 7, 2 tons into a geostationary orbit, and also the possibility of implementing the initial stage of the manned lunar program using a four-launch scheme (see Fig.): two paired launches of the LV, providing separate delivery to the lunar orbit of the lunar landing and take-off complex (LPVK) and the manned transport vehicle (PTK) with their docking in orbit artificial satellite of the Moon (OISL) and the subsequent landing of LPVK with a crew on the lunar surface.
A typical pair launch includes the launch of a payload into a ballistic trajectory as part of a PTC or LPVK and a small interorbital oxygen-kerosene tug (MOB2), created on the basis of the "DM" tugboat (MOB1), developed on the basis of the reserve for RB KVTK. MOB1 with a launch weight of more than 38 tons is launched according to the scheme with additional launch by the second launch of the Angara-A5V LV. After docking in low-earth orbit and phasing, the assembled lunar interorbital spacecraft is first put into a highly elliptical orbit due to the power of MOB1. After running out of fuel, the hydrogen MOB1 is separated and the kerosene MOB2 completes the formation of the departure trajectory. Further, MOB2 provides trajectory correction on the flight to the Moon and transfer of the payload to the circumlunar orbit. The FKP-2025 project provides for the work on the indicated funds.
Of course, the multi-launch scheme is quite complex, it requires the highest coordination: the start team must work simultaneously on two launchers, like a clock. Preliminary technical and economic assessments show that the use at the initial stage of the lunar manned program of a multipurpose launch vehicle of increased payload of a 35-ton class instead of a specialized super-heavy 80-ton launch vehicle will make it possible to reduce financial costs by more than an order of magnitude, and the saved resources can be used in the interests of the development of the domestic orbital grouping of spacecraft. socio-economic, scientific and dual-use.
As for the use of solid propellant boosters (TTU) as part of the launch vehicle, it should be noted here that solid fuel rocket engines (solid propellant rocket engines) in comparison with liquid propellant rocket engines have not only advantages, but also disadvantages - a specific thrust impulse reduced by ~ 10-30 percent, the worst weight perfection of the design, fire and explosion hazard of production and equipment of a fuel charge, limitation in operating time, traction control, temperature conditions at start-up, harmful effects of combustion products on the environment. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the 30–40 percent higher cost of the launch vehicle with solid propellant rocket engines compared to the launch vehicle with liquid propellant rocket engines and the need to invest significant funds in the development of the production, technological and testing base for creating large solid propellant rocket engines.
The use of large solid propellant rocket engines as part of the launch vehicle has been repeatedly considered in domestic projects, but taking into account the above factors, based on the comparison of alternatives, the choice was invariably made in favor of liquid propellant engines. Russia is a leader in the development and production of cruise rocket engines, which are purchased by customers, including those from the United States. In the FKP-2025 project, it is also planned to test the technology for creating a launch solid propellant with a thrust of about 100 tons. The feasibility of using solid propellant rocket motors in promising launch vehicles, for example, in the same "Phoenix", will be determined later, based on the results of a detailed analysis.
In conclusion: it is clear that the FKP-2025 project can continue to be improved, nevertheless, in terms of the development of launch vehicles, this document is quite balanced, it reflects the real state of affairs and determines the prospects for the development of this sector of the industry until 2025, taking into account the established priorities of space activities and opportunities the state for its financing.
