Yenisei (rocket)

Anatoly Zak
Anatoly Zak
RussianSpaceWeb.com
	Roadmap with two rockets on the right Yenisei and Don respectively
	"Irtysh" "Soyuz-5" is a basis for the first stage
	"Volga" "Soyuz-6" will be used as a basis for second stage
	"Yenisei"
	"Yenisei" (cutaway)
	"Don"

Anatoly Zak
Anatoly Zak
RussianSpaceWeb.com
	Roadmap with two rockets on the right Yenisei and Don respectively
	"Irtysh" "Soyuz-5" is a basis for the first stage
	"Volga" "Soyuz-6" will be used as a basis for second stage
	"Yenisei"
	"Yenisei" (cutaway)
	"Don"

Yenisei
Russian superheavy launch space rocket
Has use	Orbital Launch Vehicle
Manufacturer	RSC Energia
Country of origin	Russia
Project cost	1.5 trln Roubles (USD ~$20.8 billion)
Size
Diameter	4.1 m
Mass	3167 tons
Capacity
Payload to low Earth orbit
Mass	103–140 metric tons (101–138 long tons)
Associated rockets
Comparable	Falcon Heavy, Long March 9, Space Launch System, SpaceX Starship
Launch history
Status	In development
	[edit on Wikidata]

Yenisei (Russian: Енисей), project name RN STK-1 (Raketa-Nositel' SverkhTyazhologo Klassa - Carrier rocket super-heavy class), was the first super-heavy launch vehicle being developed by the Russian space industry since the fall of the USSR. The main developer is RSC Energia.

It is being developed within the framework of the federal target program "Creation of a super-heavy class space rocket complex for 2020-2030"^[1] and the program cost is estimated at 1.5 trillion roubles (US$1.6 billion). It is the main rocket of the .

The final design for the rocket was expected to be complete by autumn 2021,^[2] but the program appears to have been paused or stopped just before this expected completion date.

The first launch is expected to happen in 2028 from the Vostochny cosmodrome.^[3]

Based on the Yenisei launch vehicle, the Don launch vehicle (RN STK-2) is being developed by adding another stage.^[4]

It looks like this proposal has been at least paused.^[5]

Development[]

The rocket got its name at the end of 2018, before that it was called "RN STK" (super-heavy launch vehicle).

Chronology of development.[]


Event	Date
Start of work on the creation of the RD-171MV engine	June 2017
Start of research work on RD-0150 engine	June 2017
Preliminary estimate of the cost of R&D on the RN STK	October 2017
Decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the creation of the RN STK	January 2018
Official name for RN STK	January 2019
Feasibility study of the RN STK project	Spring 2019
Draft design	2018-2019
R&D, design, and construction works	2020-2028
Flight tests	from 2028

Planned events[]

October 2021 - end of technical design.^[2]^{[needs update]}
2026-2028 - construction and commissioning of infrastructure for a super-heavy launch vehicle and a medium-class rocket for launching crewed spacecraft from the Vostochny cosmodrome.^[6]

Design[]

The first stage will consist of 6 blocks, each block will be based on the first stage of the planned Irtysh / Soyuz-5 rocket with an RD-171MV engine.^[7]

The second stage will consist of one block - matching the first stage of - with RD-180 as engine.^[7]

The upper stage will be KVTK^[7]

Accelerating braking unit:^{[clarification needed]} Block DM^[7]

Proposed variants[]


Name of a rocket	Yenisei^[8]^[7]^[9]^[10]	Don^[8]^[10]
Type	Stage one	Stage two
First launch	2028	2032-2035
First stage	6xRD-171MV	6xRD-171MV
Second stage	RD-180	RD-180
Third stage	-	2×RD-0150
Upper stage	KVTK, 2×RD-0146	KVTK, 2×RD-0146
Accelerating braking unit	DM, 11D58MF	DM, 11D58MF
Height (max.)
Launch weight, t	3167	3281
Thrust (at ground level)
Thrust-to-weight ratio
Payload (LEO 200 km), t	103	140
Payload (GTO 5500 km), t
Payload (GEO 35,786 km), t	26	29.5
Payload to TLI	27	33

Flight tests[]

Comparison of super heavy-lift launch vehicles. Masses listed are the maximum payload to low Earth orbit in metric tons.

Flight tests of a super-heavy launch vehicle will take place in two stages from 2028 to 2035.^[11]

The first stage of testing will take place in 2028–2032. It involves the launch of a crewed spacecraft, a lunar take-off and landing complex (LVPK) and other payloads on the trajectory of the flight around the Moon and circumlunar orbits in order to work out the elements of a crewed complex, create a station in the orbit of the Moon, and land on the lunar surface.

The second stage of testing will take place in 2032–2035. It is planned to launch LVPK and other uncrewed payloads for the construction and operation of a base on the lunar surface. In addition, this stage involves participation in international programs related to the study of Mars.

Applications[]

The super-heavy rocket is supposed to be used in the , since the carrying capacity of the Angara-A5V launch vehicle (37.5 tons to LEO) is insufficient for these purposes.

Lunar program payloads[]

20-ton Orel spacecraft.
27-ton lunar landing and takeoff complex (LPVK).
32-ton lunar base module.

Satellite constellation[]

Spacecraft up to 30 tons to geostationary orbit
Space telescopes 30-40 tons to the L2 Lagrange point in the Sun-Earth system

References[]

^ "Russia has developed the concept of the Federal Target Program for the creation of a super-heavy rocket (in Russian)". Ria Novosti. 28 May 2019.
^ ^a ^b "The design of the Russian super-heavy rocket will be completed in 2021 (In Russian)". Izvestia. 23 August 2020.
^ "Roskosmos has named the timing of the launch of a super-heavy rocket (in Russian)". Ria Novosti. 17 July 2018.
^ "Possible dates for the launch of the Don super-heavy rocket have been named (in Russian)". Ria Novosti. 14 February 2019.
^ "Better late than never: why the development of the Yenisei launch vehicle was stopped". 17 September 2021.
^ "Russian super-heavy rocket will be able to launch at least 70 tons of cargo into orbit (In Russian)". TASS. 14 July 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "New generation locomotives (in Russian)". Russkiy Kosmos. 15: 34–39. 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Roscosmos unveils characteristics of super-heavy rockets for flights to the Moon (In Russian)". Ria Novosti. 24 April 2019.
^ "The Yenisei super-heavy rocket". RussianSpaceWeb.
^ ^a ^b "Transformation of Roscosmos". Russki Kosmos. 7: 2–7. July 2019.
^ "RSC Energia: flight tests of the Soyuz-5 rocket will take place from 2022 to 2025 (In Russian)". TASS. 3 July 2018.

[1] "Russia has developed the concept of the Federal Target Program for the creation of a super-heavy rocket (in Russian)". Ria Novosti. 28 May 2019.

[:0-2] "The design of the Russian super-heavy rocket will be completed in 2021 (In Russian)". Izvestia. 23 August 2020.

[3] "Roskosmos has named the timing of the launch of a super-heavy rocket (in Russian)". Ria Novosti. 17 July 2018.

[4] "Possible dates for the launch of the Don super-heavy rocket have been named (in Russian)". Ria Novosti. 14 February 2019.

[5] "Better late than never: why the development of the Yenisei launch vehicle was stopped". 17 September 2021.

[6] "Russian super-heavy rocket will be able to launch at least 70 tons of cargo into orbit (In Russian)". TASS. 14 July 2017.

[:1-7] "New generation locomotives (in Russian)". Russkiy Kosmos. 15: 34–39. 2020.

[:2-8] "Roscosmos unveils characteristics of super-heavy rockets for flights to the Moon (In Russian)". Ria Novosti. 24 April 2019.

[9] "The Yenisei super-heavy rocket". RussianSpaceWeb.

[:3-10] "Transformation of Roscosmos". Russki Kosmos. 7: 2–7. July 2019.

[11] "RSC Energia: flight tests of the Soyuz-5 rocket will take place from 2022 to 2025 (In Russian)". TASS. 3 July 2018.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

v t Soviet, and Russian launch vehicles
Active	Angara A5 Soyuz-2 2.1a 2.1b 2-1v UR Proton-M
In development	Amur Angara 1.2 Cyclone-4M Irtysh Yenisei
Retired	Dnepr Energia Kosmos 1 2I 3 3M N1 R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original L M U U2 FG Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna Start-1 Tsyklon original 2 3 UR UR-500 Proton-K Rokot Strela Zenit 2 2M 3SL 3SLB 3F
Cancelled (no launch attempts)	Tsyklon-4 Proton Light Medium

v t Orbital launch systems
List of orbital launch systems Comparison of orbital launch systems
Current	Angara A5 Antares 230+ Ariane 5 Atlas V Ceres-1 Delta IV Heavy Electron Epsilon Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha^† GSLV Mk II Mk III H-IIA Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 Kuaizhou 1 1A 11^† Kaituozhe 2 LauncherOne Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 7 7A 8 11 Minotaur I IV V C Nuri^† OS-M1^† Pegasus XL Proton-M PSLV Qased Rocket 3 Safir Shavit Simorgh^† Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB 2-1v Unha Vega Zenit 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque-1^†
In development	Amur Angara 1.2 Ariane 6 Bloostar Cyclone-4M Eris Firefly Beta H3 Hyperbola-2 Irtysh Kuaizhou 21 31 Long March 921 rocket 9 Miura 5 Neutron New Glenn New Line 1 OS-M2 OS-M4 Orbex Prime Red Dwarf SLS Block 1 Block 1B Block 2 Soyuz-7 SSLV Starship Terran 1 R Vega C Vega E Vulcan Zero Zhuque-2
Retired	Antares 110 120 130^† 230 Ariane 1 2 3 4 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV Diamant Dnepr Energia Europa^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos 1 2I 3 3M Lambda 4S Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan^† Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Saturn I IB V Scout SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Thor Able Ablestar Agena Burner Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon original 2 3 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)