Engineering:Soyuz-U2

Short description: Carrier rocket

Soyuz-U2

Function	Orbital carrier rocket
Manufacturer	Samara Progress
Country of origin	Soviet Union
Size
Height	34.54 metres (113.3 ft)
Diameter	2.95 metres (9 ft 8 in)
Mass	297,800 kilograms (656,500 lb)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO	7,050 kilograms (15,540 lb)
Associated rockets
Family	R-7 (Soyuz)
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	LC-1/5 & 31/6, Baikonur
Total launches	72
Successes	72
Failures	0
First flight	23 December 1982
Last flight	3 September 1995
Notable payloads	Soyuz crew Progress cargo Zenit, Orlets spy satellites Gamma telescope

The Soyuz-U2 (GRAU index 11A511U2) was a Soviet, later Russian, carrier rocket. It was derived from the Soyuz-U, and a member of the R-7 family of rockets. It featured increased performance compared with the baseline Soyuz-U, due to the use of syntin propellant, as opposed to RP-1 paraffin, used on the Soyuz-U.

The increased payload of the Soyuz-U2 allowed heavier spacecraft to be launched, while lighter spacecraft could be placed in higher orbits, compared to those launched by Soyuz-U rockets. In 1996, it was announced that the Soyuz-U2 had been retired, as the performance advantage gained through the use of syntin did not justify the additional cost of its production. The final flight, Soyuz TM-22, occurred on 3 September 1995 from Gagarin's Start in Baikonur.

The Soyuz-U2 was first used to launch four Zenit reconnaissance satellites, then it delivered crewed Soyuz spacecraft to space stations Salyut 7 and Mir: missions Soyuz T-12 to T-15 and Soyuz TM-1 to TM-22. It also supplied the stations with Progress cargo spacecraft: Progress 20 to Salyut 7, Progress 25 to 42 to Mir, followed by the new generation Progress M-1 to M-18 and finally M-23. Other missions included the Gamma telescope and three Orlets reconnaissance satellites. In total, Soyuz-U2 was launched 72 times and experienced no failures over its operational lifetime.

See also

• List of R-7 launches