The previous information about Russian plans to develop a replacement for Satan (Voevoda) ICBM was confirmed yesterday ( February, 24) by Russian deputy DM Popovkin. An additional unnamed source in Russian mil-ind complex has
confirmed the information for ITAR-TASS. He said the new missile will have 10 warheads with 1 Mt capacity each, but probably will be slightly lighter than Satan. He confirmed the new missile uses liquid fuel and is planed to be ready in 2018.
I hope they add to the design from the start that these weapons can be used for satellite launches when they start to get too old to be kept in service as weapons.
ReplyDeleteIf done properly you will get 20 plus years of operational service from these missiles and when it comes time to retire they can generate funds launching payloads into orbit.
Very 21st century to plan for disposal at the design phase...
I hope it will be a militarized part of Angara program. Cannot see any justification for more one fully independent & costly rocket vehicle program.
ReplyDeleteIt would make sense to have a "militarised" Angara but is there any indication of any work in that direction?
ReplyDeleteI would prefer to see it the other way around... an ICBM designed to be very good as an ICBM with lots of room for manouvering warheads and decoys and jammers and all sorts of things... and then build a civilian version of it for commercial satellite launches.
ReplyDeleteA lot of what started out as ICBMs have become quite popular satellite launchers and a launcher in this heavy weight class will be very useful for launching heavier payloads into orbit, or vast quantities of smaller payloads into orbit.
lol Son of satan!:)
ReplyDeleteI don't think Angara can be basis of satan 2 becauise it uses cryogenic fuel in III stage not ery practical.
Better idea would be to cancel Rus M with a Angara human rated version and use the money saved to develop Satan 2.
Also any idea which design bureau will be developing it?
I suspect there is likely a component in START or SALT that prevents the development of a combined military ICBM/civilian space launch rocket as it would become too hard to distinguish one from the other when it came time to counting operational delivery platforms.
ReplyDeleteAs Anon points out too... cryogenic fuels are more efficient and of course not damaging to the environment as the combustion of hydrogen slush in liquid oxygen generates a lot of heat and light and other energy but the by product is water in the form of super heated steam, whereas the storable liquid propellents used in liquid fuelled ICBMs are quite toxic... as are solid fuels.
An ICBM that could be used for civilian rockets would lack the power of a civilian rocket designed from the start as a civilian rocket.
A civilian rocket designed from the outset as a civilian rocket would not be suitable for use as an ICBM because its fuel would be LOx (liquid oxygen) and LH2 (Liquid hydrogen), which makes it impractical to store in the missile so an ICBM launch would take about 20 minutes to pressure fuel the missile before it could be fired.