&sq=&lang=&file=File:Molniya_launch_vehicle_-_panoramio.jpg) Molniya-M carrier rocket | |
| Function | Medium launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Energia |
| Country of origin | Soviet Union |
| Size | |
| Height | 43.44 m |
| Diameter | 10.3 m |
| Mass | 305,000 kg |
| Stages | 4 |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | R-7 |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | Baikonur, Plesetsk |
| Total launches | 40 |
| Success(es) | 20 |
| Failure(s) | 9 |
| Partial failure(s) | 11 |
The Molniya (Russian: Молния, meaning "lightning"), GRAU Index 8K78, was a modification of the well-known R-7 Semyorka rocket and had four stages.[1][2] The rocket was given the name Molniya due to the large number of Molniya communication satellites the rockets launched.[3]
The 8K78 resulted from a crash program by the Korolev Bureau to develop a booster for launching planetary probes. A larger third stage was added along with a fourth stage (Blok L) that was designed to fire in-orbit to send the payload out of LEO (replacing the inaccurate direct ascent of the first generation Luna probes launched on the 8K72) and the core and strap-ons had the new uprated 8D74K first stage engines. The first couple of 8K78s flown used an 8K74 core however vehicles flown in 1962-63 used the older 8K71 core. The 8K74 core returned for vehicles flown in 1964 and later.
The initial 8K78s had a faulty Blok I design that was prone to vibration issues and pump cavitation. The Blok I was redesigned afterward and the improved version was first flown on 11 November 1963. The uprated 8K78M booster was introduced in 1965 but 8K78s continued to fly into 1967.[4][5][6][7] The Molniya also carried early Venera probes to Venus.[2]
Molniya (E6) was a minor revision adapted for Luna E-6 series space probes where the guidance system for the entire launch vehicle was moved to the probe itself.[2]
- ^ Harvey, Brian (5 July 2007). Russian Planetary Exploration: History, Development, Legacy and Prospects. Springer. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-387-46343-8.
- ^ a b c "Molniya (8K78)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Reichl, Eugen (2019). The Soviet Space Program - The Lunar Mission Years: 1959 to 1976. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. p. 32. ASIN 0764356755.
- ^ Encyclopedia Astronautica Molniya-1 Archived 16 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Encyclopedia Astronautica Molniya 8K78M Archived 8 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Encyclopedia Astronautica Molniya-2 Archived 2 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Lardier, Christian; Barensky, Stefan (2013). The Soyuz Launch Vehicle: The Two Lives of an Engineering Triumph. New York: Springer. p. 156. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-5459-5. ISBN 978-1-4614-5458-8.