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<html> <head> <title>Zenit launch vehicle</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> <meta name="keywords" content="Zenit, Zenith"> <meta name="description" content="History of the Zenit launch vehicle by Anatoly Zak"> <script src="../Scripts/AC_RunActiveContent.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <link href="CSS/theme.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <script type="text/javascript">  </script> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" leftmargin="0" topmargin="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" onLoad="MM_preloadImages('file:///Quad HD/menu_centers_over.gif','file:///Quad HD/menu_home_over.jpg','file:///Quad HD/menu_rockets_over.gif','file:///Quad HD/menu_spacecraft_over.gif','file:///Quad HD/menu_people_over.jpg','file:///Quad HD/menu_chronology_over.gif','images/menu_home_over.jpg','images/menu_rockets_over.gif','images/menu_spacecraft_over.gif','images/menu_centers_over.gif','images/menu_people_over.jpg','images/menu_chronology_over.gif')" link="#FF0000" vlink="#000000"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" height="40" vspace="0" hspace="0" align="center" name="top banner" bordercolor="0"> <tr bgcolor="#999999" align="center" valign="top"> <td height="40"><img src="images/rockets/zenit/zenit_b.jpg" alt="Soyuz-1" width="600" height="40" hspace="0" border="0" align="right" usemap="#Map2"> <map name="Map2"> <area shape="rect" coords="340,11,414,37" href="rockets.html" alt="to rockets home"> <area shape="rect" coords="417,14,496,37" href="rockets_launchers.html" alt="to launch vehicles home"> </map> <map name="Map2"> <area shape="rect" coords="341,12,413,36" href="centers.html"> <area shape="rect" coords="418,12,493,38" href="plesetsk.html"> </map> <map name="Map2"> <area shape="rect" coords="338,13,413,37" href="../centers.html"> </map> </td></tr> </table> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" vspace="0" hspace="0" height="100%" bordercolor="0" align="center" name="main"> <tr> <td width="120" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#999999" rowspan="15"><p> <script language="JavaScript">  </script> <script language="JavaScript"></script> <table width="120" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <tr> <td><a href="index.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('Image4','','images/menu_home_over.jpg',1)"><img name="Image4" border="0" src="images/menu_home_up.jpg" width="120" height="30"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="rockets.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('rockets','','images/menu_rockets_over.gif',1)"><img name="rockets" border="0" src="images/menu_rockets_up.gif" width="120" height="30"></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="spacecraft.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('spacecraft','','images/menu_spacecraft_over.gif',1)"><img name="spacecraft" border="0" src="images/menu_spacecraft_up.gif" width="120" height="30"></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="centers.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('Image3','','images/menu_centers_over.gif',1)"><img name="Image3" border="0" src="images/menu_centers_up.gif" width="120" height="30"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="people.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('people1','','images/menu_people_over.jpg',1)"><img name="people1" border="0" src="images/menu_people_up.jpg" width="120" height="30"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="chronology.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('chrono','','images/menu_chronology_over.gif',1)"><img name="chrono" border="0" src="images/menu_chronology_up.gif" width="120" height="30"></a></td> </tr> </table>  <p align="center" class="menuTextLinks"><font color="#FFFFFF"><a href="site_update.html">Site news</a></font></p> <p align="center" class="menuTextLinks"><font color="#FFFFFF"><a href="site_map.html">Site map</a></font></p> <p align="center" class="menuTextLinks"><font color="#FFFFFF"><a href="testimonials.html">Testimonials</a></font></p> <p align="center" class="menuTextLinks"><font color="#FFFFFF"><a href="site_info.html">About this site</a></font></p> <p align="center" class="menuTextLinks"><a href="zak.html">About the author</a></p> <p align="center" class="menuTextLinks"><a href="mailto:(Anatoly%20Zak)%20agzak@russianspaceweb.com">Mailbox</a></p> <hr> <p align="center" class="menuTextLinks"><font color="#FFFFFF"><strong><a href="advertise.html">ADVERTISE</a></strong></font></p> <hr> <p align="center" class="menuTextLinks"><b><a href="sponsor.html">SPONSOR</a></b></p> <hr> <p align="center" class="menuTextLinks"><b>Searching for details:</b></p> <p align="center" class="menuTextLinks">Author of this page will appreciate comments, corrections and imagery related to the subject. Please contact <a href="mailto:(Anatoly Zak) agzak@russianspaceweb.com">Anatoly Zak</a>.</p> <hr> <p> </p> <p> </p> </td> <td bordercolor="#CCCCCC" align="left" valign="top" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" colspan="2" ><div align="center"> <p class="mainHeadline">Zenit launch vehicle <div align="center"> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </div> <div align="center"> <p align="center"><img src="images/rockets/zenit/zenit2_zenit3_scale_1.jpg" alt="Soyuz-1" width="800" height="573"></p> <p align="center" class="picCaption">The original Zenit-2 rocket (right) and Zenit-3SL for the Sea Launch complex. Copyright © 2005 Anatoly Zak</p> </div> </div></td> </tr> <tr> <td bordercolor="#CCCCCC" align="left" valign="top" bgcolor="#000000" height="10" colspan="2" ><b><font color="#FFFFFF" size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">DEVELOPMENT HISTORY</font></b></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100" height="100" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ><p><img src="images/rockets/zenit/zenit_3.jpg" alt="Zenit" width="100" height="100"></p> </td> <td align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" ><p align="center"><script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="100" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ><a href="zenit_origin_s.html"><img src="images/rockets/zenit/development_3.jpg" alt="Development" width="100" height="100" border="0"></a></td> <td align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="tableText" ><p><strong><a href="zenit_origin_s.html">Development of the Zenit rocket</a></strong></p> <p>The development of the 11K77 launch vehicle, known today as Zenit, started at the beginning of the 1970s, in the hope of building a family of light, medium and heavy launchers made out of standard booster modules. The project was then folded into a wider effort to develop the Energia-Buran system, the Soviet equivalent of the Space Shuttle. </p></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="100" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ><p><a href="zenit_flights_s.html"><img src="images/rockets/zenit/zenit_flights_3.jpg" alt="Flights" width="100" height="100" border="0"></a></p> </td> <td align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="tableText" ><p><strong><a href="zenit_flights_s.html">Flight history</a></strong></p> <p>The Zenit rocket reached the launch pad in 1985 starting a long career in the Soviet and, later, Russian space program. The original two-stage version of the rocket was intended primarily to put military satellites into the low Earth orbit. However early on, a three-stage configuration capable of reaching geostationary orbit was also designed.</p> <ul> <li><a href="zenit_2013_s.html">Launches of the Zenit rocket in 2013</a> | <a href="zenit_nss8.html">Explosion of the Zenit rocket with NSS-8 satellite</a></li> </ul></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10" colspan="2" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#000000" ><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"><b><font color="#FFFFFF">ZENIT'S COMPONENTS</font></b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="100" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ><a href="zenit_stage1_s.html"><img src="images/rockets/zenit/stage1/stage1_3.jpg" alt="Stage I" width="100" height="100" border="0"></a><a href="n1_d_s.html"></a></td> <td align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="tableText" ><p><strong><a href="zenit_stage1_s.html">Stage I</a></strong></p> <p>Originally developed as a strap-on booster of the super-heavy <a href="energia.html">Energia</a> launcher, the same booster also doubled as the first stage of the long-lasting <a href="zenit.html">Zenit</a> launch vehicle.</p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="100" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ><a href="rd170_s.html"><img src="images/rockets/engines/rd170/rd170_3.jpg" alt="RD-170" width="100" height="100" border="0"></a></td> <td align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="tableText" ><p><strong><a href="rd170_s.html">RD-170</a></strong></p> <p>Often referred to as the "most powerful rocket engine in the world," RD-170 was designed to propel the first stage of the super-heavy Energia rocket. As part of a reusable transportation system, RD-170 was designed to fire as many as 10 times. A similar engine designated RD-171 was intended for the first stage of the Zenit medium-lift rocket.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="100" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ><a href="zenit_stage2_s.html"><img src="images/rockets/zenit/stage2_3.jpg" alt="Stage 2" width="100" height="100" border="0"></a></td> <td align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="tableText" ><p><a href="zenit_stage2_s.html"><strong>Stage II</strong></a></p> <p align="left">In most missions of the <a href="zenit.html">Zenit rocket</a>, its second stage would have a job of placing its payload into the low Earth orbit. The 11-meter rocket stage was equipped with the RD-120 main engine and the RD-8 steering engine, both burning a mix of liquid oxygen and kerosene.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="100" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ><a href="protected/rd8.html"><img src="images/rockets/engines/rd8/rd8_3.jpg" alt="рд8" width="100" height="100" border="0"></a></td> <td align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="tableText" ><p align="left" class="tableHeader"><a href="protected/rd8.html">RD-8 steering engine for the second stage</a> (<a href="insider-content.html">INSIDER CONTENT</a>)</p> Originally developed for the Zenit launch vehicle, the RD-8 engine found itself in high demand in the second decade of the 21st century, with the emerging class of super-light commercial rockets. The latest test of the engine in May 2019, possibly marks the transition of its legacy and a whole new career.</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="100" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ><a href="rd193.html"></a><a href="zenit_stage1_s.html"></a><a href="n1_d_s.html"><img src="images/rockets/zenit/block_d_3.jpg" alt="Block D" width="100" height="100" border="0"></a></td> <td align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="tableText" ><p><strong><a href="n1_d_s.html">Stage III (Block D upper stage)</a></strong></p> <p>Originated as a part of the legendary <a href="n1.html">N1</a> moon rocket, the venerable Block D upper stage then migrated to the Proton and to the the Zenit launch vehicles to play a role of a space tug delivering payloads to their final orbits.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10" colspan="2" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#000000" ><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"><b><font color="#FFFFFF">LAUNCH FACILITIES</font></b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="100" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ><font size="1"><a href="baikonur_zenit_s.html"><img src="images/centers/baikonur/baikonur_zenit_icon.jpg" alt="Baikonur pad" width="100" height="100" border="0"></a></font></td> <td align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="tableText" ><p><strong><a href="baikonur_zenit_s.html">Launch pad in Baikonur</a></strong></p> <p>Original plans called for the development of the only launch facility for the Zenit rocket at Russia's northern space center in <a href="plesetsk.html">Plesetsk</a> operated by the Soviet military. Ironically, this pad had never been completed, while Zenit started its flights like most other Soviet space rockets in Baikonur.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="100" align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ><a href="sealaunch_s.html"><img src="images/rockets/zenit/sea_launch_3.jpg" alt="Sea Launch" width="100" height="100" border="0"></a></td> <td align="left" valign="top" bordercolor="#CCCCCC" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" class="tableText" ><p><strong><a href="sealaunch_s.html">Sea Launch</a></strong></p> <p>The Zenit rocket with its highly automated pre-launch processing turned out to be the best candidate for launches from a floating ocean-going platform. A self-propelled launch site could bring the rocket to the Equator, where the Earth rotation would maximize its payload, especially on the way to a geostationary orbit used by most commercial satellites.</p> <p><strong>In depth:</strong> <a href="sea-launch-2017.html">Sea Launch in 2017</a>; <a href="sea-launch-2018.html">Sea Launch in 2018</a></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td bordercolor="#CCCCCC" align="left" valign="top" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ><img src="images/rockets/zenit/zenit_stage2_3.jpg" alt="Stage 2" width="100" height="100" border="0"></td> <td bordercolor="#CCCCCC" align="left" valign="top" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" ><p align="center"> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script></p> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" height="40" vspace="0" hspace="0" align="center" bordercolor="0"> <tr bgcolor="#999999"> <td><img src="images/footer3.gif" width="600" height="40" align="right" vspace="0" hspace="0" usemap="#Map" border="0"> <map name="Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="495,2,597,36" href="../index.html"> <area shape="rect" coords="58,3,104,37" href="#top" target="_self"> </map></td> </tr> </table> <map name="Map3"> <area shape="rect" coords="248,4,475,83" href="../sputnik_origin.html" alt="to Origins of Sputnik"> <area shape="rect" coords="75,5,243,111" href="../sputnik3.html" alt="to Sputnik-3"> <area shape="rect" coords="22,114,159,245" href="../kik.html#sputnik" alt="to ground control"> <area shape="rect" coords="511,171,655,211" href="../sputnik_mission.html"> <area shape="poly" coords="365,206,364,267,329,286,308,341,280,458,376,458,382,385,518,387,564,302,525,239,488,209" href="../sputnik_preflight.html" alt="to Sputnik preparations"> <area shape="poly" coords="393,468,655,467,655,352,621,317,573,317,546,350,538,378,540,404,393,404" href="#people" alt="to People behind Sputnik section"> <area shape="poly" coords="681,7,661,50,647,105,662,159,659,217,636,323,663,348,663,436,701,473,786,473,786,108,701,6" href="../sputnik_lv.html" alt="to Sputnik rocket"> <area shape="poly" coords="92,336,302,336,330,257,291,214,291,159,173,159,173,251,92,297" href="../sputnik_aftermath.html" alt="to Sputnik aftermath"> <area shape="poly" coords="374,154,625,153,625,20,492,20,492,104,374,104" href="../sputnik_design.html" alt="to Sputnik design"> </map> <map name="Map3Map"><area shape="rect" coords="35,495,137,527" href="soyuz2_lv.html"> <area shape="rect" coords="65,125,107,210" href="soyuz_lv_stage3.html"> <area shape="rect" coords="526,7,628,527" href="soyuz2_3_lv.html"> <area shape="rect" coords="304,137,344,212" href="soyuz_lv_stage3.html"> </map></body> </html>