Soyuz-2 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Soyuz-2 (2.1a / 2.1b / ST-A / ST-B)

A MetOp spacecraft ready for the launch atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket.
Function	Orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer	TsSKB-Progress (Samara) and Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (Voronezh)
Country of origin	Russia
Cost per launch	US$80 million (Arianespace) [1] US$35-48.5 million (Roscosmos)
Size
Height	46.3 m (152 ft)
Diameter	2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
Mass	312,000 kg (688,000 lb)
Stages	2 or 3
Capacity
Payload to LEO	2.1a: 7,020 kg (15,480 lb) 2.1b: 8,200 kg (18,100 lb)
Payload to SSO	ST-A: 4,230 kg (9,330 lb) ST-B: 4,900 kg (10,800 lb)
Payload to GTO	ST-A: 2,810 kg (6,190 lb) ST-B: 3,250 kg (7,170 lb)
Payload to TLI	ST-B: 2,350 kg (5,180 lb)
Payload to GSO	ST-B: 1,360 kg (3,000 lb)
Associated rockets
Family	R-7 (Soyuz)
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Baikonur, Site 31/6 Plesetsk, Site 43 Kourou, ELS Vostochny, Site 1S
Total launches	176 (+1 suborbital) (2.1a: 74 (+1 suborbital), 2.1b: 90, 2.1v: 12)
Successes	169 (+1 suborbital) (2.1a: 71 (+1 suborbital), 2.1b: 87, 2.1v: 11)
Failures	4 (2.1a: 2, 2.1b: 2, 2.1v: 0)
Partial failures	3 (2.1a: 1, 2.1b: 1, 2.1v: 1)
First flight	2.1a: 8 November 2004 2.1b: 27 December 2006 2.1v: 28 December 2013
Last flight	2.1a: Active 2.1b: Active 2.1v: Active
Notable payloads	CoRoT Galileo GLONASS Progress Soyuz MS OneWeb
Boosters – Blok-B, V, G, D
No. boosters	4
Length	19.6 m (64 ft)
Diameter	2.68 m (8 ft 10 in)
Empty mass	3,784 kg (8,342 lb)
Gross mass	44,413 kg (97,914 lb)
Propellant mass	39,160 kg (86,330 lb)
Engines	RD-107A
Thrust	Sea level: 839.48 kN (188,720 lbf) Vacuum: 1,019.93 kN (229,290 lbf)
Specific impulse	Sea level: 263.3 s (2.582 km/s) Vacuum: 320.2 s (3.140 km/s)
Burn time	118 seconds
Fuel	LOX / RP-1
First stage – Blok-A
Length	27.10 m (88.9 ft)
Diameter	2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
Empty mass	6,545 kg (14,429 lb)
Gross mass	99,765 kg (219,944 lb)
Propellant mass	90,100 kg (198,600 lb)
Engines	RD-108A
Thrust	Sea level: 792.41 kN (178,140 lbf) Vacuum: 921.86 kN (207,240 lbf)
Specific impulse	Sea level: 257.7 s (2.527 km/s) Vacuum: 320.6 s (3.144 km/s)
Burn time	286 seconds
Fuel	LOX / RP-1
Second stage – Blok-I
Length	6.70 m (22.0 ft)
Diameter	2.66 m (8 ft 9 in)
Empty mass	2,355 kg (5,192 lb)
Gross mass	27,755 kg (61,189 lb)
Propellant mass	25,400 kg (56,000 lb)
Engines	2.1a / STA: RD-0110 2.1b / STB: RD-0124
Thrust	RD-0110: 298 kN (67,000 lbf) RD-0124: 294.3 kN (66,200 lbf)
Specific impulse	RD-0110: 326 seconds RD-0124: 359 seconds
Burn time	270 seconds
Fuel	LOX / RP-1
Upper stage (optional) – Fregat / Fregat-M / Fregat-MT
Length	1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)
Diameter	Fregat / Fregat-M: 3.35 m (11.0 ft) Fregat-MT: 3.80 m (12.5 ft)
Empty mass	Fregat: 930 kg (2,050 lb) Fregat-M: 980 kg (2,160 lb) Fregat-MT: 1,050 kg (2,310 lb)
Propellant mass	Fregat: 5,250 kg (11,570 lb) Fregat-M: 5,600 kg (12,300 lb) Fregat-MT: 7,100 kg (15,700 lb)
Engines	S5.92
Thrust	19.85 kN (4,460 lbf)
Specific impulse	333.2 seconds
Burn time	1100 seconds
Fuel	N2O4 / UDMH
Upper stage (optional) – Volga
Length	1.025 m (3 ft 4.4 in)
Diameter	3.2 m (10 ft)
Empty mass	840 kg (1,850 lb)
Propellant mass	300–900 kg (660–1,980 lb)
Engines	17D64
Thrust	2.94 kN (660 lbf)
Specific impulse	307 seconds
Fuel	N2O4 / UDMH

The Soyuz-2 (which means "Union-2" in Russian) is a modern rocket from Russia. It's an improved version of the older Soyuz rockets. This rocket is mainly used to send satellites and spacecraft into low Earth orbit.

Compared to earlier Soyuz rockets, the Soyuz-2 has better engines. It also uses a modern digital flight control system. This system allows the rocket to launch from a fixed platform. Older Soyuz rockets needed their launch platforms to rotate.

Sometimes, the Soyuz-2 rocket uses an extra part called an "upper stage." This helps it lift payloads to higher orbits, like those used for communication satellites. The NPO Lavochkin-made Fregat is the most common upper stage used.

Where Soyuz-2 Rockets Launch

Soyuz-2 rockets first launched from two main sites in Russia:

• Site 31 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
• Site 43 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.

These sites were also used for older rockets from the R-7 family, like the Soyuz-U.

For commercial flights, Soyuz-2 rockets have launched from:

• Site 31 at Baikonur Cosmodrome.
• The Ensemble de Lancement Soyouz (ELS) in French Guiana. This site is on the northern coast of South America. It's close to the equator, which is good for launching rockets. The Soyuz-2 version called ST-B can carry about 3,250 kg (7,165 lbs) to a special orbit from here. However, as of 2022, launches from this site have stopped.

In 2016, a new launch site opened in Russia called the Vostochny Cosmodrome. It also started launching Soyuz-2 flights from its first pad, Vostochny Cosmodrome Site 1S.

Replacing Older Rockets

The Soyuz-2 has taken over from several older Russian rockets. It replaced the Molniya-M in 2010. Then, it replaced the Soyuz-U in 2017 and the Soyuz-FG in 2019.

The company that makes these rockets, TsSKB-Progress, stopped making the Soyuz-U in April 2015. The very last Soyuz-U rocket flew on February 22, 2017. It carried a Progress MS-05 spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS).

Different Types of Soyuz-2

The Soyuz-2 family has a few different versions:

• 2.1a
• 2.1b
• 2.1v

The 2.1a and 2.1b versions are updated forms of the Soyuz-U rocket. The 2.1v is a "lighter" version. It does not have the side booster rockets that the other versions use.

When Soyuz-2 rockets launch from the French Guiana site, they always use a special nose cone called the ST-type fairing. This version is known as Soyuz-ST or Soyuz-STK. The "K" in STK means that special steps are taken to prepare and launch the rocket in hot and humid weather.

Images for kids

• 

  Soyuz-2.1b rocket launching in 2018.

• 

  Models of different Soyuz rockets. From left to right: Soyuz-2.1v, Soyuz-2.1a, Soyuz-2.1b, and Soyuz-5.

See Also

• Soyuz programme
• List of R-7 launches
• Medium-lift launch vehicle