Soyuz-U
A Soyuz-U on the launchpad in 1975 for the Apollo-Soyuz mission
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| Function | Orbital carrier rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | TsSKB-Progress |
| Country of origin | Soviet Union (Russia) |
| Size | |
| Height | 51.1 m for Soyuz-U; 47.3 m for Soyuz-U/Ikar and 46.7 m for Soyuz-U/Fregat |
| Diameter | 3 m |
| Mass | 313,000 kg (Soyuz-U); 308,000 kg (Soyuz-U/Ikar and Soyuz-U/Fregat) |
| Stages | 2 (Soyuz-U) or 3 (Soyuz-U/Ikar and Soyuz-U/Fregat) |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 6,900 kg from Baikonur and 6,700 kg from Plesetsk |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | R-7 (Soyuz) |
| Derivatives |
Soyuz-U2 Soyuz-FG |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | |
| Total launches | 786 |
| Successes | 765 |
| Failures | 22 |
| First flight | 18 May 1973 |
| Last flight | 22 February 2017 (Progress MS-05) |
| Notable payloads |
Soyuz spacecraft Progress spacecraft |
| Boosters - Blok-B,V,G,D | |
| No. boosters | 4 |
| Length | 19.6 m (64 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.68 m (8.8 ft) |
| Empty mass | Soyuz: 3,800 kg (8,400 lb) |
| Gross mass | 43,400 kg (95,700 lb) |
| Engines | RD-117 |
| Thrust |
Sea Level: 838.5 kN (188,500 lbf) Vacuum: 1,021.3 kN (229,600 lbf) |
| Specific impulse |
Sea Level: 262 s (2.57 km/s) Vacuum: 319 s (3.13 km/s) |
| Burn time | 118 seconds |
| Fuel | LOX/RG-1 |
| First stage - Blok-A | |
| Length | 27.10 m (88.9 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.95 m (9.7 ft) |
| Empty mass | Soyuz: 6,550 kg (14,440 lb) |
| Gross mass | Soyuz: 99,500 kg (219,400 lb) |
| Engines | RD-118 |
| Thrust |
Sea Level: 792.5 kN (178,200 lbf) Vacuum: 990.2 kN (222,600 lbf) |
| Specific impulse |
Sea Level: 255 s (2.50 km/s) Vacuum: 319 s (3.13 km/s) |
| Burn time | 290 seconds |
| Fuel | LOX/RG-1 |
| Second stage - Blok-I | |
| Length | 6.70 m (22.0 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.66 m (8.7 ft) |
| Empty mass | Soyuz: 2,410 kg (5,310 lb) |
| Gross mass | Soyuz: 25,200 kg (55,600 lb) |
| Engines | RD-0110 |
| Thrust | 297.9 kilonewtons (67,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 325 seconds |
| Burn time | 270 seconds |
| Fuel | LOX/RG-1 |
| Upper stage (optional) - Fregat | |
| Length | 1.5 m (4.9 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Empty mass | 930 kg (2,050 lb) |
| Propellant mass | 5,250 kg (11,570 lb) |
| Engines | S5.92 |
| Thrust | 19.85 kilonewtons (4,460 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 333.2 seconds |
| Burn time | 1100 seconds |
| Fuel | N2O4/UDMH |
| Upper stage (optional) - Ikar | |
| Length | 2.56 metres (8 ft 5 in) |
| Diameter | 2.72 metres (8 ft 11 in) |
| Empty mass | 820 kilograms (1,810 lb) |
| Gross mass | 3,164 kilograms (6,975 lb) |
| Engines | S5.144/17D61 |
| Thrust | 2.94 kilonewtons (660 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 307 seconds |
| Fuel | N2O4/UDMH |
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. The final flight of a Soyuz-U rocket took place on February 22, 2017, carrying Progress MS-05 to the International Space Station.
Soyuz-U was in use continuously for almost 44 years, the longest lifetime of an orbital rocket worldwide. 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. 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%.
The earlier Soyuz 11A511 was the first attempt at creating a standardized R-7 core in place of the numerous variations that had been used up to 1966. Starting that year, the 11A511 Blok I and strap-on boosters were added to the Voskhod (11A57), Vostok-2 (8A92), and Molniya-M (8K78M) vehicles as well as minor R-7 variants flown once or twice for specialized payloads.
The uprated 11A511U core was introduced to the R-7 family in 1973, yielding the carrier rocket variant named Soyuz-U, although adoption across the board was not complete until 1977 when the existing stock of 11A511-derived boosters was used up.
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