Molniya-M
Soviet and Russian R-7-derived launch vehicle for planetary and satellite missions.
The Molniya-M (8K78M) was a Soviet and Russian launch vehicle derived from the R-7 Semyorka ICBM. It was developed to improve upon the unreliable 8K78 booster, which had suffered numerous failures in its early planetary missions. The 8K78M first flew on 4 October 1965, launching Luna 7.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- TsSKB-Progress
- Function
- Medium-lift launch vehicle
- Height
- 43.4 m / 142 ft
- Diameter
- 2.95 m / 9 ft 8 in
- Mass
- 305,000 kg / 672,410 lb
- Stages
- 3
- Family
- R-7
- Comparable
- Soyuz-2/Fregat
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The original 8K78 booster had 12 launches by the end of 1962, ten of which failed.
- The only failure of the first two stages occurred in 2005 when a racing fuel regulator caused premature RP-1 depletion and turbopump disintegration.
Retirement
The Molniya-M (Blok-ML) was planned to be the last variant, with two launches scheduled for 2008, but these were cancelled after the 2005 failure. It was believed retired on 23 October 2007 after launching Kosmos 2430, but another launch occurred on 2 December 2008 (Kosmos 2446). Following the launch of Kosmos 2469 on 30 September 2010, the Russian Space Forces confirmed retirement.
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