Energia

Energia (Russian: Энергия) was a super-heavy lift launch vehicle. It was designed by NPO Energia of Soviet Union for a variety of payloads including the Buran spacecraft. The Energia used four strap-on boosters each powered by a four-chamber RD-170 engine burning kerosene/LOX, and a central core stage with four single-chamber RD-0120 (11D122) engines fueled by liquid hydrogen/LOX.

The launch vehicle had two functionally different operational variants: Energia-Polyus, the initial test configuration, in which the Polyus system was used as a final stage to put the payload into orbit, and Energia-Buran, in which the Buran-class orbiters were the payload and the source of the orbit insertion impulse.

The launch vehicle had the capacity to place about 100 tonnes in Low Earth orbit, up to 20 tonnes to geostationary orbit and up to 32 tonnes via translunar trajectory into lunar orbit.

The launch vehicle made just two flights to orbit before being discontinued. Since 2016, there have been attempts to revive the launch vehicle.

First launch (Energia–Polyus)

The Energia was first test-launched on 15 May 1987, with the Polyus spacecraft as the payload. A FGB (“functional cargo block”) engine section originally built as a cancelled Mir module was incorporated into the upper stage used to eject the payload into orbit, similarly to Buran and the US Space Shuttle performing the final orbital insertion, since the planned “Buran-T” upper stage had not yet progressed beyond the planning stage. The intended orbit was altitude 280 km (170 mi), inclination 64.6°.

The Soviets had originally announced that the launch was a successful sub-orbital test of the new Energia booster with a dummy payload, but some time later it was revealed that in fact the flight had been intended to bring the Polyus into orbit. The two stages of the Energia launcher functioned as designed, but due to a software error in its attitude control system, Polyus’ orbital insertion motor failed to inject the payload into orbit. Instead, the Polyus reentered the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

Second launch (Energia–Buran)

The second flight, and the first one where payload successfully reached orbit, was launched on 15 November 1988. This mission launched the uncrewed Soviet Shuttle vehicle, Buran. At apogee, the Buran spacecraft made a 66.7 m/s burn to reach a final orbit of 251 km × 263 km.

~ wikipedia