Star Trek of the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau
This week we celebrated the next anniversary of manned space flight. And part stories space - is the story of rockets.
One of the leading enterprises in the rocket and space industry is the design bureau Yuzhnoye, which is located in Ukraine in the city of Dnepropetrovsk (more precisely, today it is already the city of Dnepr).
10 April this year marked the 63 of the year since the creation of the twice Order of Lenin and the Order of the October Revolution of the Yuzhnoye State Design Bureau. M.K. Yangel
Therefore, I would like to recall the glorious pages of the history of this unique enterprise, since in addition to military strategic missiles in Dnepropetrovsk, they also produced satellites and launch vehicles for the peaceful exploration of space.
Part 1.
The main task of the Special Design Bureau No. 586 created during the Cold War years, as originally called GKB Yuzhnoye, was the development of strategic military missile systems providing the possibility of a nuclear strike in the event of a nuclear missile attack on the USSR. In a short time, OKB-586 under the leadership of M.K. Yangel became the leader in the country in terms of importance and the number of missile systems commissioned by the Soviet Army.
The strategic missile systems developed by Yuzhnoye GKB were the technical basis for the creation of the Strategic Missile Forces of the USSR and later formed the basis of the power of the Strategic Missile Forces. Among them are unparalleled in world practice complexes based on heavy liquid rockets with monoblock, separable and orbital warheads, as well as a combat railway missile complex with a solid-fuel rocket, which played an important role in achieving strategic parity with the United States and contributed to the beginning of the negotiation process on limiting and the reduction of strategic armaments of the two great nuclear powers.
Yuzhnoye GKB is also a leader among the space rocket design bureaux of countries in the post-Soviet space in the use of strategic combat missiles to create space carriers. The Kosmos, Intercosmos, Cyclone-2, Cyclone-3 launch vehicles, based on combat missiles, launched more than 1100 spacecraft into Earth orbits, playing a significant role in space exploration. Creating an environmentally friendly space carrier "Zenit", one of the best in modern rocket engineering for constructive and technological excellence, with a fully automated process of preparing and conducting a launch, ensuring high accuracy of launching spacecraft into specified orbits is a world-class achievement. The spacecraft developed by Yuzhnoye GKB, from small unified to automatic universal orbital stations, made it possible to successfully conduct space research in the interests of science, defense and the national economy, as well as in the interests of international cooperation in space.
The result of sixty-three years of creative activity and dedicated labor of the teams of Yuzhnoye GKB and the Southern Machine-Building Plant production association, related organizations of Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries developed and created four generations of strategic missile systems, five types of space carriers, more than seventy types of spacecraft.
Four generations of Soviet ICBMs created by Yuzhnoye Design Bureau
Launch Vehicles of Yuzhnoye Design Bureau
Successful work of the Yuzhnoye City Clinical Hospital would have been impossible without the creative participation of specialists from the extensive cooperation of related enterprises, design bureaus, factories, industry and academic institutions, etc. But the main creators of rocket and space technology are people: designers, designers, engineers , technologists, workers, scientists, all those who in their daily and tireless work showed deep knowledge, engineering erudition, ingenuity, courage in making technical decisions.
At the beginning of the 90 of the twentieth century, the era of confrontation of the major nuclear powers of the world is gone. The time has come for international cooperation. Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and Yuzhniy Machine-Building Plant Production Association became participants in a number of international space programs. The international cooperation expanding today and the work carried out in the interests of the National and Interstate space programs open new perspectives in the creation of the Yuzhnoye State Design Bureau. M.K. Yangel new models of rocket and space technology.
The beginning of the history of the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and the Yuzhmash plant has been adopted since the time when the first Soviet ballistic missile R-1 was commissioned. After the adoption of the P-1 missile and in the conditions of approaching the completion of the work on upgrading the P-2 missile, the problem of their mass production in mass quantities arose to increase the military potential of the country. At OKB-1 in Podlipki, there was a pilot plant for about ten thousand workers, but for mass production of missiles its capacity was insufficient, and the possibilities for expanding the plant were limited by territory. First, for the series, plant No. 66 in Zlatoust was under construction, built with 1949, but through the international situation, which was exacerbated (the so-called “Berlin crisis 1949”), the government decided to speed up the search for a new plant.
In order to select the appropriate factory for the mass production of missiles at the end of 1950, a government commission was set up, headed by the Minister of Weapons DF. Ustinov. According to Ustinov, it was necessary to select a sufficiently powerful and promising plant from any department, preferably a relatively “young” one - to facilitate “expropriation” and reprofiling. The commission first visited the plant in Zlatoust, then visited Kiev (they say that NS Khrushchev protested at the expense of Kiev: “You cannot declare the capital of Ukraine a closed city”), but later chose a young automobile plant in Dnepropetrovsk.
Rocket R-36 at the building of the plant "Yuzhmash"
The city even in pre-war years became the center of metallurgical production of a full cycle. Around the plants were located suppliers of the necessary raw materials, there was a powerful energy base. The industrial center had a large number of skilled workers, there were many universities and technical schools, where it was possible to organize the training of relevant engineering and technical workers. I.V. Stalin approved the choice of a government commission. The discussion did not last long. The minister of the automobile and tractor industry tried to timidly argue that the country needed trucks. On this I.V. Stalin said that if we have rockets, then there will probably be trucks too, and if there are no rockets, then perhaps there will be no trucks. The fate of the Dnepropetrovsk plant was decided.
9 May 1951 city Resolution No. 1528-768 of the USSR Council of Ministers “On the transfer of the Dnepropetrovsk Automobile Plant to the Ministry of Armaments of the Ministry of Automobile and Tractor Industry and the Dnepropetrovsk Tire Plant of the Ministry of Chemical Industry and their consolidation into a single Dnepropetrovsk Machine-Building Plant No. 586 of the Ministry of Armaments”.
The very next day, Minister of Weapons No. 312 No. 10 dated May 1951 was issued:
In pursuance of the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR 9 May 1951 No. 1528-768 "On the transfer of the Dnepropetrovsk Automobile Plant to the Ministry of Armaments ...
I order:
1. Include Dnipropetrovsk engineering plant in the enterprises of 7-th Main Department.
2. For the acceptance of the plant, appoint a commission ... "
Dnepropetrovsk Automobile Plant becomes a secret rocket enterprise "mailbox number 186", the full name is the State Allied Plant number 586. The plant’s territory is surrounded by barbed wire, later replaced by a capital fence with electronic signaling, a strict pass control is introduced, a special military unit is being created to protect the territory and assembly and test workshops. Since May 1951, for many years, all mention of the Dnepropetrovsk Automobile Plant has completely disappeared from the press.
The team of designers - motorists forcedly collapsed: someone went to Minsk, to the automobile plant; some returned to GAZ; most remained at the new plant and retrained as "rocket men."
The immediate task assigned by the government to the plant is the early development of serial production of the P-1, P-2 missiles, and after some time the P-5 missiles, also developed by OKB-1, under the guidance of S.P. Queen. The department of the Chief Designer of the plant was headed by Vasiliy Sergeevich Budnik, who previously worked as deputy S.P. Queen. Already in June, 1952 delivered the first serial P-1 missiles assembled from assemblies and parts made in Moscow and the Moscow region, and six months later the mass production of P-1 missiles from their own components and parts was mastered.
Vasily Sergeevich Budnik
The development of documentation OKB-1, the maintenance of serial missiles in production was invaluable for the department of the Chief Designer of the plant. The young team constantly felt the help from OKB-1, passing "primary education" under the guidance of more experienced mentors, at the same time developing their own position on the fundamentally important issues of creating strategic missiles.
10 April 1954 city By Resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers No. 67 4-292, the department of the Chief Designer of the plant No. 586 was transformed into the Special Design Bureau No. 586. The chief designer of the OKB-586 9 July 1954 was appointed Mikhail Kuzmich Yangelworking in 1951 - 1954 Deputy S.P. Queen, director, and then chief engineer of scientific research institute-88. VS became the first deputy chief designer of the OKB-586. Budnik.
Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel
From the very beginning of its activities as Chief Designer M.K. Yangel forms the general concept of creative collaboration between the bureau and the plant: "OKB to grow and develop as the head developer on the production base of the plant, the plant - to grow and strengthen as the head pilot enterprise based on and in the process of material implementation of OKB projects"
The plant director, Leonid Vasilyevich Smirnov, and the chief engineer Alexander Maksimovich Makarov showed complete understanding and support of the position of the Chief Designer. From now on and for many years the joint activity of large collectives of the design bureau and the plant, developers and production workers was subordinated to the main thing - the creation of combat missile systems of its own design.
The first rocket OKB-586 P-12 (8K63) became the first strategic missile in the world on high-boiling fuel components with an autonomous inertial control system. Its tactical and technical and operational characteristics significantly exceeded the characteristics of the P-5M rocket.
General view of the rocket R-12
In March, the X-NUMX rocket R-1959 was put into service, and in December of the same year, a new branch of the military was created - the Strategic Missile Forces, whose first commander-in-chief was appointed Chief Artillery Marshal Nedelin.
Missiles P-12 on the starting position
Installing the P-12 rocket into position
The end of the 50s - the beginning of the 60s of the XX century is one of the most fruitful periods of the creative activity of the enterprise. These are the years of development of the first generation of Dnepropetrovsk missile rockets - R-12, R-14 (8K65), the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile based on high-boiling fuel components R-16 (8K64), space carriers based on R-12 and R-14 rockets, R-15 and R-21 missiles for the Naval Fleet.
P-14 rockets
P-16 rockets
P-21 missiles for submarines D-4 complex
P-21 rocket launch
The high rates and effectiveness of work on the creation of first-generation missiles are evidenced by the date they were put into service: Р-12 - 1959, Р-14 - 1961, Р-16 - 1963.
The serial production of the missiles developed by OKB-586 (from 1966, Yuzhnoye Design Bureau) was carried out by the factories of Perm, Orenburg, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, which created additional capabilities for the plant No. 586 (from 1966, South Machine-Building Plant) to start timely implementation of new projects of KB "Yuzhnoye").
An assessment of the contribution of the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau to the defense capability of the country of that period is set forth in the memoirs of N.S. Khrushchev: "Questions of defense and armament of our army rocket weapons laid down mostly on Yangel's shoulders. "
Academician Mikhail Yangel, Nikita Khrushchev and Director of the Yuzhmash Plant Alexander Makarov
The need to protect the missiles during combat duty from the attack of a potential enemy demanded their shelter in the silo launchers. And the country's first mine launchers were created under the Yangel rocket, which were unified and could be launched from both the mine and ground structures. Already in 1963, standardized versions of the P-12U, P-14U, and P-16U silo-based missiles were put into service.
The duration of the operation of the first generation rockets was:
P-12 (8K63) - from 1959 to 1988. P-14 (8K65] - from 1961 to 1987, P-16 (8K64) - from 1961 to 1976,
Diagram of the installation of the P-14 rocket into the mine and the view of the shaft cover (photo below)
In the conditions of escalating confrontation and the Cold War, the improvement of existing and the creation of new types of weapons became paramount. On the basis of the multipurpose P-36 rocket, a family of combat missile systems was created: 8K67P - with a split head and 8K69 - with an orbital head. The three-block head of the 8K67P rocket was the first of the Soviet-made head units capable of hitting several targets within a given area.
The peculiarity of the orbital rocket 8K69 consisted in the removal of the head part, equipped with a propulsion system, into the satellite orbit and in the subsequent deceleration of the MS and its descent to any point of the globe. The rocket had enhanced capabilities for overcoming the missile defense system and the ability to approach targets from any direction, including the least protected warning systems. The creation of the 8K69 rocket became the most important basis for the start of negotiations between the USSR and the USA on the limitation of strategic armaments.
Intercontinental rocket P-36 with shared head
The main decisions defining the third generation of missile complexes, including the mortar launch of a heavy liquid rocket, were experimentally confirmed during the lifetime of Chief Designer Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel, who died on October 25 on 1971 in October, on the day of his 60 anniversary. After the death of Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel, Vladimir Fedorovich Utkin was appointed Chief and Chief Designer of Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, under whose leadership work was completed on the creation of third-generation rockets, including the mortar launch of a heavy liquid-propellant rocket, and fourth-generation rockets.
Utkin Vladimir Fedorovich
Of the 24-x strategic missile systems, adopted at different times, 16 created by the Dnieper missile.
At the end of 1957, the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau began the design studies of a light-weight space carrier based on the P-12 rocket, which ended in April of 1960 with the release of a draft design. In August of the same year, the Government issued a resolution 110 for creating a launch vehicle 6ЗС 1 based on the P-12 combat missile, developing and launching 10 small satellites. "
The idea of developing a space rocket carrier based on a combat rocket was extremely fruitful: the time and cost of developing the carrier and its operation were significantly reduced by using existing industrial equipment and components of the basic rocket at mass production plants, as well as the existing launch complex and its technological equipment.
Booster 6ЗС1 became the first domestic space carrier assembled according to a tandem scheme, which became traditional for all subsequent developments of space carriers of Yuzhnoye Design Bureau.
Booster 63C1 and its device diagram
The second stage was developed anew using the fuel vapor engine available in the OKB-456 reserve: liquid oxygen and asymmetric dimethyl hydrazine. 16 March 1962 of the Year TASS informed the world about the launch in the USSR of the first satellite of the new series, called "Space". The same name was also received by the launch vehicle, which was characterized by simplicity of design and low cost of manufacture, which ensured the output of spacecraft weighing up to 450 kg into orbits with a height of 200 km. A total of 165 launches were made, of which 143 ended successfully. The last launch was 18 June 1977. It was the Cosmos launch vehicle that launched the Intercosmos international program when 1969 launched a spacecraft into orbit, which the scientists of the GDR and Czechoslovakia took part in, in addition to the USSR.
Raketo - carrier "Cosmos"
Rocket - carriers "Cosmos" and "Intercosmos", as well as options for their loading (drawing from "Technique of youth" for November 1981 g.)
The development of the Cosmos carrier rocket allowed the creation of the second space carrier of the country in a relatively short time, but it was of a landmark character before the appearance in the USSR of a more powerful base rocket for the new carrier. The need to develop a new space carrier in the USSR was caused by the ever-increasing need for regular launching of various-purpose spacecraft into the satellite orbit in the interests of the national economy, science and defense of the country: communications, meteorology, exploration, navigation, and study of near-Earth space, etc.
Satellite Intercosmos-1, put into orbit in 1969.
The use of the powerful P-7 rocket and its modifications or the light Cosmos for these purposes was in some cases either economically inexpedient or did not provide a solution to the problem of energy possibilities. A mass space carrier of intermediate class was required. Such a carrier was the PH 65SZ (11 K65), developed on the basis of the P-14 combat missile (8K65), the energy characteristics of which more than twice exceeded the characteristics of the P-12 rocket.
However, due to the need to concentrate all the forces and capabilities of Yuzhnoye Design Bureau on the development and creation of second-generation combat missiles (8K67, 8K69, 8K67P) M.K. Yangel came out with a proposal to transfer the development of the 65C3 complex, which, in addition to the launch vehicle, included satellites for meteorological purposes and intercom systems, to other organizations.
In August 1962, this proposal was supported by the government, and the development of the 65SZ carrier and satellites of intercom systems was transferred to the OKB-10 Chief Designer MF. Reshetnev, and the meteorological satellite - at VNIIEM, then headed by A.G. Iosif'yanom. For Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, the role of the head organization remained.
Materials sketch project on the booster and a complete set of design documentation of the main version were transferred to Krasnoyarsk. The ground-based experimental testing of rocket units and systems, second-stage bench tests, flight design tests of the first ten carriers, successfully started from the adapted launch of the Baikonur cosmodrome 18 August 1964, were conducted jointly by Krasnoyarsk and Dnepropetrovsk specialists. M.K. Yangel on the eve of 1966 was given by MF Reshetnev, the rights and obligations of the Chief Designer of the 65C3 rocket (11К65,11 К65М), later known as Cosmos-2, Intercosmos, Cosmos-3, Cosmos-3М.
General view and launch of the rocket "Cosmos - 3M"
RN "Cosmos-2" with the spacecraft "Intercosmos-8"
Since 1970, the Kosmos-3M launch vehicle has been mass-produced by the Omsk software Polet, the design bureau of which constantly maintains and improves the technical characteristics of the rocket. In terms of longevity, high reliability, number of launches and spacecraft launched into the orbits of the satellite, the Kosmos-3М carrier occupies a leading position in its class.
OKB-10 (from 1966, the NGO of Applied Mechanics) has become the leading developer of spacecraft for various communication systems, television, geodesy, navigation.
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