Soyuz-U
The Soyuz-U launch vehicle was an improved version of the original Soyuz rocket. Soyuz-U was part of the R-7 family of rockets based on the R-7 Semyorka missile. Members of this rocket family were designed by the TsSKB design bureau and constructed at the Progress factory in Samara, Russia (now a united company, TsSKB-Progress). The first Soyuz-U flight took place on 18 May 1973, carrying as its payload Kosmos 559, a Zenit military surveillance satellite.[6] The final flight of a Soyuz-U rocket took place on 22 February 2017, carrying Progress MS-05 to the International Space Station.
 A Soyuz-U on the launchpad for the Soyuz 18 mission | |
| Function | Orbital carrier rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | TsSKB-Progress |
| Country of origin | Soviet Union |
| Size | |
| Height |
|
| Diameter | 3 m (9.8 ft)[1] |
| Mass |
|
| Stages |
|
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | R-7 (Soyuz) |
| Derivative work | Soyuz-U2 Soyuz-FG |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | |
| Total launches | 786[2][3][4] |
| Success(es) | 765[5] |
| Failure(s) | 22[2][5] |
| First flight | 18 May 1973[6] |
| Last flight | 22 February 2017 (Progress MS-05) |
| Type of passengers/cargo | Soyuz spacecraft Progress spacecraft |
| Boosters – Blok-B,V,G,D[7] | |
| No. boosters | 4 |
| Height | 19.6 m (64 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.68 m (8.8 ft) |
| Empty mass | Soyuz: 3,800 kg (8,400 lb) |
| Gross mass | 43,400 kg (95,700 lb) |
| Powered by | RD-117 |
| Maximum thrust | Sea Level: 838.5 kN (188,500 lbf) Vacuum: 1,021.3 kN (229,600 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | Sea Level: 262 s (2.57 km/s) Vacuum: 319 s (3.13 km/s) |
| Burn time | 118 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX/RG-1 |
| First stage – Blok-A[7] | |
| Height | 27.10 m (88.9 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.95 m (9.7 ft) |
| Empty mass | Soyuz: 6,550 kg (14,440 lb) |
| Gross mass | Soyuz: 99,500 kg (219,400 lb) |
| Powered by | RD-118 |
| Maximum thrust | Sea Level: 792.5 kN (178,200 lbf) Vacuum: 990.2 kN (222,600 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | Sea Level: 255 s (2.50 km/s) Vacuum: 319 s (3.13 km/s) |
| Burn time | 290 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX/RG-1 |
| Second stage – Blok-I[7] | |
| Height | 6.70 m (22.0 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.66 m (8.7 ft) |
| Empty mass | Soyuz: 2,410 kg (5,310 lb) |
| Gross mass | Soyuz: 25,200 kg (55,600 lb) |
| Powered by | RD-0110 |
| Maximum thrust | 297.9 kilonewtons (67,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 325 seconds |
| Burn time | 270 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX/RG-1 |
| Upper stage (optional) – Fregat[8] | |
| Height | 1.5 m (4.9 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.35 m (11.0 ft) |
| Empty mass | 930 kg (2,050 lb) |
| Propellant mass | 5,250 kg (11,570 lb) |
| Powered by | S5.92 |
| Maximum thrust | 19.85 kilonewtons (4,460 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 333.2 seconds |
| Burn time | 1100 seconds |
| Propellant | N2O4/UDMH |
| Upper stage (optional) – Ikar[9] | |
| Height | 2.56 m (8.4 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.72 m (8.9 ft) |
| Empty mass | 820 kg (1,810 lb) |
| Gross mass | 3,164 kg (6,975 lb) |
| Powered by | S5.144/17D61 |
| Maximum thrust | 2.94 kN (660 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 307 seconds |
| Propellant | N2O4/UDMH |
Soyuz-U was in use continuously for almost 44 years. Production of R-7 derived launch vehicles peaked in the late 1970s-early 1980s at 55–60 a year. Soyuz-U held the world record of highest launch rate in a year in 1979 with 47 flights until this was beaten by SpaceX's Falcon 9 in 2022.[10][11] Over its operational lifetime, the Soyuz-U variant flew a total of 786 missions, another world record. Soyuz-U has also been one of the most reliable launchers, with a success rate of 97.3%. The rocket had a streak of 112 consecutive successful launches between 11 July 1990 and 5 May 1996.