Russia carries out final lunch of Soyuz-2.1v rocket for military purposes

The launch of the Soyuz-2.1v rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on Wednesday, February 5, was the last ever for this type of carrier rocket. According to a source in the space industry, no further launches of this model are planned.

Final Soyuz-2.1v Launch Conducted for the Ministry of Defense

Russia's Ministry of Defense announced the launch, stating that the Soyuz-2.1v lifted off from Plesetsk in the Arkhangelsk region, carrying military payloads.

The exact purpose of the space payload remains classified, but it was confirmed that the launch was conducted in the interests of the defense ministry.

Later, U.S. sources speculated that Russia may have used the light-class rocket to launch a secret Rodnik communications satellite. According to NSF, the Soyuz-2.1v is designed to place objects into a 1,400-kilometer orbit at an 82.5-degree inclination-parameters that match those of the Rodnik satellites, which are considered the military version of the civilian Gonets-D1M satellites.

A similar mission was conducted by Russia's Aerospace Forces in February of last year, when a Soyuz-2.1v launched a satellite for the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Inspector Satellites and Their Dual Purpose

Senior researcher at the Academy of Military Sciences, Vladimir Prokhvatilov, explained the possible role of these satellites:

"There are so-called inspector satellites, used both by Russia and the U.S… They maneuver in orbit and can approach enemy satellites, interfering with their operations-potentially even disabling them. They can also monitor enemy satellite activities."

In addition to military applications, such satellites can also serve civilian purposes, such as weather monitoring, satellite imaging, and geological reconnaissance.

Soyuz-2.1v: A Unique Design with a Limited Run

Russia regularly launches military satellites, including using the Soyuz-2.1b rocket.

The Soyuz-2.1v was developed as a light-class version of the Soyuz-2.1b, but with significant design changes:

• It lacks the four side boosters found on the medium-class Soyuz-2.1b.
• The central core uses an NK-33 engine instead of the RD-108A.

The first Soyuz-2.1v launch took place in December 2013. Over the years, Russia has launched a total of 13 of these rockets, all from Plesetsk Cosmodrome.

Details

The Soyuz‑2 1v (Russian: Союз‑2.1в, lit. 'Union‑2.1c', GRAU index: 14A15) known early in development as the Soyuz‑1, is a expendable Russian small-lift launch vehicle. It is derivative of the Soyuz‑2 but utilizing a single core stage (no boosters) built around the powerful NK-33 engine, 50-year-old refurbished remnants from the Soviet N1 moon rocket. It is a member of the R-7 family of rockets built by RKTs Progress in Samara. Launches have been conducted from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwest Russia, and are expected to be conducted in the future from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in eastern Russia, and the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz‑2.1v represents a major departure from earlier Soyuz rockets. Unlike the Soyuz‑2 upon which it is based, it does away with the four boosters used on all other R-7 vehicles.