Space launch vehicleVolna (Russian:Волна,lit. 'wave'), is a convertedsubmarine-launched ballistic missile used for launchingsatellites into orbit. It is based on theR-29R designed byState Rocket Center Makayev and related to theShtil' Launch Vehicle.[1] The Volna is a 3-stage launch vehicle that uses liquid propellant.[2] The warhead section is used for the payloads that can be either put into orbit with the help of an additional boost engine or travel along a sub-orbital trajectory to be recovered at the landing site. Volna can be launched fromDelta III-class submarine or from land based facilities.
Because of its mobile launch platform the Volna launch vehicle can reach a large number of different inclinations and could increase its performance tolow Earth orbit by launching from equatorial sites. All flights to date have taken place from theBarents Sea. From this site the Volna can lift 100 kg (220 lb) into a 400 km (250 mi) high orbit with an inclination of 79°.[citation needed]The warhead section can accommodate a payload of up to 1.3 m3 (46 cu ft). For sub-orbital missions the payload can be either a recoverable vehicle of up to 720 kg (1,590 lb) or research equipment placed in a descent vehicle of up to 400 kg (880 lb).[citation needed]
The first launch of the Volna took place on June 7, 1995 on a suborbital trajectory.[2] The rocket was launched from a submarine in the Barents Sea, reached an apogee of 1250 km and the payload was recovered inKamchatka, 5600 km from where it was launched. The payload of this flight was a thermal convection experiment, developed byCenter of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity ofBremen University (Germany).[3][4]
On 20 July 2001 the second flight took place with a simplified (two-bladed) test vehicle of theCosmos 1 solar sail of thePlanetary Society and an inflatable re-entry heat shield.[2] The Volna was launched fromDelta III SubmarineBorisoglebsk in the Barents Sea. Although the launch vehicle reached the intended suborbital trajectory the spacecraft failed to separate.[5] The separation command was not issued by the flight software because of the presence of non-nominal variations. Failure of the Cosmos-1 to separate also resulted in the loss of the secondary payload, a new inflatable re-entry vehicle.[5][6]
On 12 July 2002 the Volna was used for a sub-orbital flight for a second attempt to test a new re-entry vehicle, IRDT-2.[2] The launch took place fromDelta III class submarineK-44 Ryazan. Due to a failure in the launcher/payload interface the vehicle was lost and did not land on the expected area on the Kamchatka peninsula. It is unclear whether the spacecraft separated from the third stage of the Volna and did not inflate correctly or that it remained attached to the payload module. Remains of the vehicle have not been found.[7]
The fourth flight took place at 21 June 2005 with on board theCosmos 1 Solar sail.[8] The launch took place fromDelta III SubmarineBorisoglebsk in the Barents Sea. The spacecraft failed to reach orbit after stage one shut down prematurely at 82.86 seconds instead of the expected 100 seconds. The failure was attributed to "critical degradation in operational capability of the engine turbo-pump". The second and third stage did not separate and the payload did not reach orbit.[9][10]
On 6 October 2005 the Volna carried IRDT-2R on a sub-orbital trajectory,[2][7] launched from Delta III Class SubmarineBorisoglebsk in the Barents Sea. The launch vehicle performed nominally and placed the payload on a trajectory towards the Kamchatka peninsula. Trajectory data shows that the vehicle most likely overshot the landing site and could not be recovered.
^abcde"Volna".Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved2025-01-12.
^"Ракета-носитель «Волна»" [Volna Carrier Rocket].www.makeyev.ru (in Russian). State Rocket Center Makayev.Archived from the original on 2024-05-15. Retrieved2024-05-16.
This template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future
Symbol† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)
Artist's concept of Volna launch, by Michael Carroll