The Soviet meteo rockets history 1946-1991
- Paper number
IAC-08.E4.3.4
- Author
Mr. Christian Lardier, Air & Cosmos, France
- Year
2008
- Abstract
In 1948, on the initiative of G.I.Golychev from the Central aerological observatory (TsAO), the Laboratory n°1 was created for the study of the stratosphere (30-100 km) with use of high altitude probes and automatic aerostats. The chief of this laboratory was V.A.Poutokhine and the main engineer A.M.Kassatkine. Later, a Laboratory n°2 was created for the study of the tropopause until the altitude of 25-30 km. They gave the task to make the first meteo rocket to the main constructor A.D.Nadiradze (1914-1987) of the KB-2 of the agricultural machines minister (former ammunitions minister), which became the institute n°642 in . He made the MR-1 (diameter : 480 mm) which flew for the first time in october 1951. It’s a two stage rocket : a solid propellant booster and a liquid propellant second stage. The MR-1 had been launched 50 times from Kapustin Yar (alias Volgograd) between 1951 and 1959. In march 1952, D.D.Sevrouk (1908-1994) was named main constructor of the OKB-3 of the institute n°88. Nadiradze and Sevrouk were in charge of developping soviet variants of the german rocket Taïfun (diameter : 250 mm) : The liquid version Tchirok, using a S3-892 engine, was made by Sevrouk and the solid one Strij was made by Nadiradze. The Tchirok was produced by the weapons plant of Kovrov. From the Tchirok, Sevrouk made a tactical complex called 3R7 or Korchoun which was tested in Kapustin Yar. But it was abandonned in end of 1956-beginning 1957. At that time, Sevrouk decided to make a civil version : the meteo rocket MMR-05 able to reach the altitude of 50 km. In total, 261 rockets were launched from Heïss Island and Obi, Voeïkov and Chokalsky boats during the IGY of 1957-1959. In 1959, Sevrouk made a stretched version called MMR-08 able to reach 80 km. In total, 542 rockets were launched till 1965. In 1958, the OKB-9 (now OuralMach) of Sverdlovsk (now Ekaterinbourg), headed by the artillery main constructor F.F.Petrov (1902-1978), began to work on the tactical complex Onega. It used solid propellant rockets (diameter 450 mm). In 1959, the TsAO asked the OKB-9 to make a meteo version of this rocket : the MR-12 built by the constructor in chief V.P.Teslenko. The rocket was able to bring 30-35 kg to an altitude of 180 km. The rocket had been launched from Kapustin Yar, Heïss Island, Professor Zoubov and Professeur Vize boats. From the MR-12, two other variants MR-20 and MR-25 were developped by the OKB-8 Novator of L.V.Lioulev (1908-1985). From 1964 to 1997, more than 1200 rockets were launched (more than 100 over 200 km). The serial production was made by the Petropavlovsk plant of heavy machines (PZTM) in Kazakhstan. In 1963, a team under the main constructor A.T.Tchernov made a new rocket called M-100 (diameter 250 mm). It’s a two solid propellant stages rocket which was able to bring 12-14 kg to an altitude of 90 km. The serial production was made by the StankoMach plant (former factories n°78 and 200) of Tcheliabinsk (also producing the Luna tactical rocket). The M-100 gave birth to meteo rockets M-100B, M-130 and the targets MR-9ITs-B, MS-9ITs-B and 96M6M. They were made by the constructor in chief A.G.Ichtoulov (1938) of the StankoMach’KB. Thousands of them were launchedThis organisation also made the last model of soviet meteo rocket : the single stage MMR-06 (diameter 200 mm) developped in 1968-1970. This rocket bring 5 kg to 60 km. In the 80’s, soviet meteo rockets were launched from Kapustin Yar, Heïss Island, Balkhach, Molodejnaya (Antarctica) and some foreign places (Thumba, etc). M-100B and MMR-06 were launched from eight boats of the state committee for hydrometeology. After a long period without launches of meteo rockets, on september 24, 2007, a M-100B has been fired from Heïss Island. Ten rockets were to be launched during the 3rd international polar year.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.E4.3.4.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.