Modernized version of Soyuz rocket launched

The rocket has taken the first step in modernizing the Soyuz vehicle, which has been in service since the 1960s. The Soyuz 2-1a configuration flown today featured a digital control system that enhances the guidance during ascent to reach more precise orbits and that will allow the vehicle to fly with a larger four-meter diameter nose cone payload fairing.

The Soyuz 2-1b rocket is slated for its inaugural launch in mid-2006 featuring a more powerful third stage engine package to improve the vehicle's performance and increase the cargo-lifting capacity.

The modernized rocket is being prepared for launches starting in 2007 from the European Space Agency complex in Kourou, French Guiana. European and Russian space teams are building the commercial Soyuz pad at the base where Ariane rockets are flown.

I don't have the numbers, but I'd imagine that launching the new version from the higher-inclination Plesetsk amounts to a break-even compared to the previous version launching from Baikonur -- the real payback is likely to come from the near-equatorial commercial launches from Kourou and the reduced dependence on the good graces of Kazakhstan.

(Translation: "Not your father's Soyuz".)

Posted by T.L. James on November 8, 2004 09:49 PM