Universal Rocket
Encyclopedia
The Universal Rocket or UR family of missile
s and carrier rockets is a Russia
n, previously Soviet
rocket family. Intended to allow the same technology to be used in all Soviet rockets, the UR is produced by the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Centre
. Several variants were originally planned, of which only three flew, and only two of which entered service. In addition, the cancelled UR-500 ICBM formed the basis for the Proton carrier rocket.
and Rokot carrier rockets are based on it.
's R-36 missile and Tsyklon
carrier rocket derivative.
warhead. The programme was cancelled after two flights, but with the addition of a third stage, the rocket was re-used as the Proton carrier rocket, which is still in service as of 2011.
's heavy-lift entry for the Soviet moonshot
. It was meant to carry cosmonauts to the Moon
on a direct ascent
mission in the LK-1 lunar craft. Sergei Korolyov's N1
booster and Soyuz 7K-L3
/ LK Lander
were chosen instead for the mission, and it never left the drawing board.
Superficially, the UR-700 was of the well-known design of Soviet launchers with a central core stack and lateral strap-on boosters. But one distinguishing feature was that the engines of the first stage were cross-fed with fuel and oxygen from the tanks of the strap-on boosters during the initial flight phase. This meant that when the boosters were spent and jettisoned, the central stack still flew with full tanks, thus reducing dead weight and increasing a possible payload.
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s and carrier rockets is a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n, previously Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
rocket family. Intended to allow the same technology to be used in all Soviet rockets, the UR is produced by the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Centre
Khrunichev
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is a Moscow-based producer of spacecraft and space-launch systems, including the Proton and Rokot rockets. The company's history dates back to 1916, when an automobile factory was established outside Moscow...
. Several variants were originally planned, of which only three flew, and only two of which entered service. In addition, the cancelled UR-500 ICBM formed the basis for the Proton carrier rocket.
UR-100
The UR-100 and its variants were the standard small ICBM of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The StrelaStrela rocket
Strela is a Russian orbital carrier rocket, derived from the Soviet/Russian UR-100NU missile. It conducted its maiden launch on 5 December 2003....
and Rokot carrier rockets are based on it.
UR-200
The UR-200 was intended to be a larger ICBM, which could also be used as a carrier rocket. Nine test flights were made between 4 November 1963, and 20 October 1964, before the programme was cancelled in favor of Mikhail YangelMikhail Yangel
Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel , was a leading missile designer in the Soviet Union....
's R-36 missile and Tsyklon
Tsyklon
The Tsyklon , GRAU index 11K67, was a Soviet/Ukrainian-designed expendable launch system, primarily used to put Cosmos satellites into low Earth orbit. It is based on the R-36 intercontinental ballistic missile designed by Mikhail Yangel and made eight launches, with seven successes, and one failure...
carrier rocket derivative.
UR-500
The UR-500 was designed to be a very large ICBM, with the throw-weight necessary to deliver the 100 megaton Tsar BombaTsar Bomba
Tsar Bomba is the nickname for the AN602 hydrogen bomb, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated. It was also referred to as Kuz'kina Mat , in this usage meaning "something that has not been seen before"....
warhead. The programme was cancelled after two flights, but with the addition of a third stage, the rocket was re-used as the Proton carrier rocket, which is still in service as of 2011.
UR-700
The UR-700 was Vladimir ChelomeiVladimir Chelomei
Vladimir Nikolayevich Chelomey was a Soviet mechanics scientist and rocket engineer from Ukraine.-Early life:Chelomey was born in Siedlce, Russian Empire into a Ukrainian family...
's heavy-lift entry for the Soviet moonshot
Soviet Moonshot
The Soviet manned lunar programs were a series of programs pursued by the Soviet Union to land a man on the Moon in competition with the United States Apollo program to achieve the same goal set publicly by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961...
. It was meant to carry cosmonauts to the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
on a direct ascent
Direct ascent
Direct ascent was a proposed method for a mission to the Moon. In the United States, direct ascent proposed using the enormous Nova rocket to launch a spacecraft directly to the Moon, where it would land tail-first and then launch off the Moon back to Earth...
mission in the LK-1 lunar craft. Sergei Korolyov's N1
N1
-Aviation:* N1, in jet engine terminology, the gas generator section RPM* N1 , a Soviet Union rocket* N-I rocket, a Japanese rocket* AEG N.I, a German World War I night bomber* Caproni Campini N.1, a 1940 early motorjet-powered test aeroplane...
booster and Soyuz 7K-L3
Soyuz 7K-L3
The Soyuz 7K-LOK, or simply LOK was a Soviet spacecraft designed to launch men from Earth to circle the moon and developed in parallel to the 7K-L1. The LOK would carry two cosmonauts into orbit around the Moon, acting as "mother" spacecraft for the LK Lander, which would land one member of the...
/ LK Lander
LK Lander
The LK was a Soviet lunar lander and counterpart of the American Lunar Module . The LK was to have landed up to two cosmonauts on the Moon...
were chosen instead for the mission, and it never left the drawing board.
Superficially, the UR-700 was of the well-known design of Soviet launchers with a central core stack and lateral strap-on boosters. But one distinguishing feature was that the engines of the first stage were cross-fed with fuel and oxygen from the tanks of the strap-on boosters during the initial flight phase. This meant that when the boosters were spent and jettisoned, the central stack still flew with full tanks, thus reducing dead weight and increasing a possible payload.