TsSKB-Progress:
to 50-th Anniversary
A.N.Kirilin,
R.N.Akhmetov, S.I.Tkachenko
State Research and Production Space
Center "TsSKB-Progress"
The survey highlights the main trends on development of the State
Research and Production Space Center "TsSKB-Progress" in the sphere of
rocketry, space exploration and spin-off manufacturing. Here results of
international co-operation of the company are presented (see color insertion).
State Research and Production Space Center
"TsSKB-Progress" is the core of the aerospace cluster of Samara Region (Russian
Federation). The company is aimed at building of the leading product, namely
development, manufacturing and operation:
-
light,
middle and heavy launch vehicles;
-
high-resolution
remote sensing and mapping satellites;
-
satellites
for scientific research and technology improvement.
Besides, manufacturing is diversified by:
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aeronautical
engineering (trainers, short-haul airliners and passenger airplanes);
-
building
of hardware for oil survey and natural gas liquefaction;
-
manufacturing
of Aqualine boats etc.
For 50 years the Space Center has been
producing and operating a number of middle-class launch vehicles in the
framework of Programs of Roskosmos, Ministry of Defense and on commercial
basis. By January, 2010, 1752 launches of nine modifications of the R-7 family
middle-class vehicles designed in Samara were accomplished.
At present the launch vehicles of Molniya,
Soyuz-U, Soyuz-FG, Soyuz-2, Soyuz-ST types are manufactured. Besides, Soyuz-1
and Soyuz-2-3 launch vehicles are currently under development. State Research
and Production Space Center "TsSKB-Progress" takes up monopolistic market
position in providing manned flights. From the first Yu.Gagarin flight in 1961
till 01.12.09, launch vehicles built in Samara put into orbit 137 manned
spacecrafts of Vostok, Voskhod and Soyuz type and 127 cargo ships.
Currently our efforts are focused upon Soyuz-ST
launch vehicle tailored for launches from the spaceport in French Guiana. The
launch vehicle is a modification of Russian Soyuz-2-1a and Soyuz-2-1b launch
vehicles designed by SRP SC "TsSKB-progress" which is adapted to tropical
conditions.
Even during the trial operation (4 launches of
Soyuz-2-1a and 3 launches of Soyuz-2-1b) of these modern launchers with
increased carrying capacity and equipped with the digital control system
(designed by NPO-Automatika, Ekaterinburg), two ESA satellites - Metop and
Corot - were put into orbit.
On November 7, 2003 an Agreement was signed
between the Russian Federation Government and the French Republic Government on
long-term cooperation in the sphere of building and implementation of Soyuz-ST
launch vehicle in the European spaceport in French Guiana.
Construction of a Launch Facility and Service
Facility near the equator (spaceport in Kourou) with the purpose of launching adapted
Soyuz-ST carriers will provide Soyuz-2 type launch vehicles with Fregat Upper
Stage with additional payloads impossible to be launched from Baikonur
cosmodrome.
In 2009 installation and commissioning of the
Launch and Service Facilities on the Kourou spaceport were almost completed.
These facilities as well as the launch vehicle are built in conformity with
international requirements on safety of launches and their performance under
tropical climate conditions. For the first time there will be used the
servicing mobile gantry, lightning protection system and a number of other
specially designed systems. Soyuz-ST maiden flight from Kourou spaceport is set
for the 2nd half of 2010.
The aspect of international cooperation in the
sphere of launch vehicles would be incomplete without the following. The
initial phase (1981-1995) of international cooperation in the sphere of space
exploration is based on intergovernmental agreements. Then there were launched
a French Rosot satellite (together with a Soviet spacecraft), a Bulgarian
Bulgaria-1300 satellite and three Indian remote sensing satellites.
In the 90s the mutually advantageous
cooperation proceeded on commercial basis. The first success came in 1999 with
the launch of 24 American Globalstar communication satellites by means of six
Soyuz-U launch vehicles with Ikar upper stage specially developed by
TsSKB-Progress in short time (1.5 year). For the last 5 years Soyuz launch
vehicle has successfully accomplished 9 launches with foreign payload aboard.
43 foreign satellites have been placed into orbit at the moment.
The company improves
lifting capacity of middle-class launch vehicles, and a launch vehicle of light
class is being designed. Soyuz-2-1c light-class launch vehicle is intended for
high-efficiency orbital injection of small satellites, recently strengthening
their positions on the space systems market.
Unique characteristic of
Soyuz-2-1c launch vehicle is its famous "lunar" NK-33 engine, which was
designed by Kuznetsov SNTK in the 1970s. Successful tests carried out in 2008
proved the reliability and quality of these engines that is also confirmed by
the fact that the United States of America purchased a lot of NK-33 engines for
their new launchers. General
view of the NK 33 engine is presented. Engine has the following parameters:
nominal thrust near the Earth - 154.1 tf, in vacuum - 171.5 tf; specific thrust
near the Earth - 297.3 kgf s/kg, in vacuum - 331.1 kgf s/kg; engine mass
without fuel -
One of the main advantages of Soyuz-2-1c is a possibility to launch it
with multipurpose launch facility after minimal modifications.
By open competition results, organized by
Roscosmos on the project of "Creation of a new-generation middle-class space
launch facility with increased lifting capacity at Vostochny cosmodrome: draft
design project" SRP SC "TsSKB-Progress" was selected as the leading
participant. Within this project the company carries out the studies on
substantiation of general characteristics, technical and technological
solutions on middle-class space launch facility with increased capacity for
launching of different types of satellites. The provision of conditions for a
manned flight program development is meanwhile a foreground task.
It should be noted that the Company with its
engineering experience, available machining and testing equipment and
facilities is virtually ready to start designing the launchers with oxyhydrogen
engines, increased midship diameter and essentially new control system.
Since 1963 15 types of observation satellites
have been designed and manufactured by the Center. They are such well-known
series of satellites as Zenit, Yantar, Orlets and Cometa designed for the country defense and needs of the national
economy. Optoelectronic satellite Resurs-DK1, which has already been
successfully operating on orbit for more than 3.5 years is among them.
The satellite fulfills a specific range of
urgent Earth remote sensing tasks. From the beginning of operation the
satellite with ground resolution of no less than 1m has surveyed more than 60
millions km2 of the Earth surface.
Resurs-DK is equipped with well-developed
onboard control facility including:
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modern
motion control system;
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navigation
satellite system operating both in GPS and GLONASS navigational fields;
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high-performance
onboard computer system with navigation and control software.
Resurs-DK1 provides azimuthal stereophotography
and survey of ground with required quality, operability and productivity.
Imagery data are acqui-red
and processed by the Earth on-line monitoring centre in Russian space
instrument engineering Research Institute.
At present the work is being conducted on
Resurs-P satellite design possessing high perfor-mance specification.
In order to expand the network of local centers
of remote sensing data reception the "Samara" Center of data acquisition and
processing (TsPOI) has been certified and put into service on the territory of
our company. The "Samara" Center receives and processes remote sensing data
obtained from Resurs-DK1 satellite as well as from foreign satellites on demand
of regional customers. Currently, a special-purpose program "Analysis of space
activity results in the interests of development of socioeconomic sector of
Samara region in 2009-
One of its important aspects is the development
of Earth remote sensing innovation techniques and realization of program "Earth
remote sensing data access and its usage by agricultural sector of Samara
region and Srednevolzhsky area". Within international cooperation the data from
Resurs-DK satellite are received also by the centers in Toulouse and Yerevan.
Important task of "TsSKB-Progress" is to
increase and improve the quality of the Earth observations from space. It
should be noted that owing to considerable mass, volume and power potential,
Resurs-DK1 satellite was equipped with PAMELA, a unique Italian-Russian
scientific hardware. The latter is aimed at precise measuring of cosmic rays
composition and behavior in near-Earth space. Analysis of the obtained data
should promote solution to basic problems of cosmology.
Designed by TsSKB-Progress, the spacecrafts of
scientific purpose are a subject of intensive innovative work and international
cooperation. Foreign scientific hardware was for the first time installed
onboard of the spacecraft developed by the Center in 1989. It was French
hardware SEFA installed onboard of Photon-5 spacecraft. Experience gained at
designing and operation of spacecrafts (11 Bions and 15 Photons) helps to design
new spacecrafts with improved characteristics considerably enlarging the sphere
of scientific research, like Bion-M and Photon-M spacecrafts. In September,
2007, 22 scientific programs and 109 experiments were carried out onboard of
Photon-M3 spacecraft. The structure and characteristics of the latter provide
extremely low microgravity level (up to 10-7g). Next launches of
Photon-M4 and Photon-M5 will in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
Being developed now, Bion-M spacecraft is aimed
at a wide range of research work in the sphere of space biology, physiology,
biotechnology and radiation biology in order to solve fundamental and applied
problems of long-duration habitability in extreme conditions of space. Next
launches of Bion-M1 and Bion-M2 will be in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
The abovementioned spacecrafts equipped with
scientific hardware designed by the international partners are planned to be
used as the basic means for the launches of small scientific satellites. In
particular, AIST small satellite (designed by a group of students,
postgraduates and scientists of Samara Aerospace University) is planned to be
installed on Bion-M1. Furthermore, the possibility of launching of others small
satellites is considered.
Intensive adoption of modern technologies by
TsSKB-Progress allows improving the aerospace engineering skills. Special
attention is given to information technologies and product end-to-end design
and manufacturing technology.
In order to sell the developed airspace
products the Company substantially improves its testing and manufacturing
capabilities. A unique test-bench facility and some modern high-technology
manufacturing equipment constitute the innovation base of "TsSKB-Progress".
Alongside with execution
of space industry orders SRP SC "TsSKB-Progress" extends the sphere of its activity. The most
significant trend is development of aircraft industry products. At the present time the design and
manufacturing of a training passenger airplane "Rysachok" has started. This
plane is going to be a substitution for AN-2 airplane. This light-class
airplane is designed on the basis of GALS-technologies.
New projects including the consumer's goods
make it necessary to improve the mainline production and adopt high-precision
3D-model-oriented machining centers. Manufacturing systems are united by
information network with the company's hardware and software intended for
design documentation development.
Samara Space Center has put into service some
high-technology machining equipment such as laser material sheeting facility
which is widely used in manufacturing of shell-structured products applicable
at aerospace industry. SRP SC "TsSKB-Progress" takes advantages of the
equipment for high-precision casting of complex parts and technology of a
number of specialized coatings deposition.
One of the most important trends of the company
development is an extension of radio-electronics production. Besides
traditional well-proven technology and manufacturing process applied in
launchers and spacecrafts manufacturing, the company also designs and develops
essentially new radio-electronics systems.
In addition to aerospace
products the Center aims at building of equipment for oil survey and natural
gas liquefaction, Aqualine boats manufacturing as well as medical equipment
production. Extension of these spheres of activity is based on the use of
dual-purpose technology.
The main aspects of State Research and
Production Space Center "TsSKB-Progress" development:
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holding
the leading positions in the world cosmonautics in the sphere of highly
reliable launchers manufacturing for the purposes of the manned flight
programs;
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continuous
improvement of multipurpose middle-class launch vehicles;
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design
and manufacturing of competitive light and heavy-class launch vehicles;
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competitiveness
extension of high-resolution remote sensing and mapping satellites on the
foreign markets;
-
design
and manufacturing of a new world leading product in the spheres of aeronautical
engineering, oil survey, natural gas liquefaction and consumer's goods;
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intensive
adoption of innovation dual-purpose techniques;
-
improvement
of complicated aerospace systems designing, manufacturing, testing and
operation methods and facilities.
Alexandr Nikolaevich Kirilin, Dr., Prof.; Director General (FSUE SSP RSC
"TsSKB-Progress"); graduated from S.P.Korolev Kuibyshev Aviation Institute
(1973, with specialization in production of flying vehicles); President of
Volga regional department of K.E.Tsiolkovskiy Russian Academy of Cosmonautics,
Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Technological sciences; Laureate
of the National Prize of the Russian Federation, awarded with governmental
prizes. His professional interests: technology and control of space hardware
production.
Ravil Nurgalievich Akhmetov, Candidate of technical sciences; First Deputy
Director General (FSUE SSP RSC "TsSKB-Progress"); Chief Designer, Head of
"TsSKB-Progress"); Full Member of K.E.Tsiolkovskiy Russian Academy of
Cosmonautics, Full Member of the International Academy of navigation and motion
control, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Technological Sciences. His
professional interests: design, control and survivability of complex
rocket-and-space systems.
Sergey Ivanovich Tkachenko, Dr., Prof.; Deputy Designer responsible for scientific work (FSUE SSP
RSC "TsSKB-Progress"); Full Member of K.E.Tsiolkovskiy Russian Academy of
Cosmonautics. His professional interests: design, strength, and ground
experimental tryout of space vehicles and launchers.
