The Soyuz rocket is a family of expendable launch systems that has been in use since 1966, deriving from the Soviet R-7 missile. It is the most frequently launched rocket in the world, with over 1700 launches. The Soyuz is used to launch Russian crews to the International Space Station and deliver cargo. It stands 49.5 meters tall and uses kerosene and liquid oxygen as propellants. The Soyuz can deliver payloads of up to 7,100 kilograms to low Earth orbit.

1. SOYUZ – RUSSIA’S MEGA ROCKET

2. INTRODUCTION
• Soyuz (Russian: Союз, meaning "union", GRAU index 11A511) is a family of expendable launch
systems developed by OKB-1, and manufactured by TsSKB-Progress in Samara, Russia.
• According to the European Space Agency, the Soyuz launch vehicle is the most frequently used
launch vehicle in the world.
• After the U.S. Space Shuttle program ended in 2011, Soyuz rockets became the only provider of
transport for astronauts at the International Space Station.
• The Soyuz vehicles are used as the launcher for the manned Soyuz spacecraft as part of the
Soyuz program, as well as to launch unmanned Progress supply spacecraft to the International
Space Station and for commercial launches marketed and operated by Starsem and Arianespace.

4. HISTORY
• The launcher was introduced in 1966, deriving from the Vostok launcher, which in turn was based on
the 8K74 or R-7a intercontinental ballistic missile.
• It was initially a three-stage rocket with a Block I upper stage. Later a Molniya variant was
produced by adding a fourth stage, allowing it to reach the highly elliptical molniya orbit.
• A later variant was the Soyuz-U.
• The production of Soyuz launchers reached a peak of 60 per year in the early 1980s. It has become
the world's most used space launcher, flying over 1700 times, far more than any other rocket. It is a
very old basic design, but is notable for low cost and very high reliability, both of which appeal to
commercial clients.
• In the early 1990s plans were made for a redesigned Soyuz with a Fregat upper stage.
• The creation of Starsem in July 1996 provided new funding for the creation of a less ambitious
variant, the Soyuz-Fregat or Soyuz U/Fregat. This consisted of a slightly modified Soyuz U combined
with the Fregat upper stage, with a capacity of up to 1,350 kg to geostationary transfer orbit.

6. LAUNCHPAD
• The entire rocket is suspended in the launch system by the load-bearing mechanisms on the
strap-on boosters where they are attached to the central core.
• The latter rests on the nose sections of the strap-on boosters.
• This scheme resembles flight conditions when the strap-on boosters push the central core
forward.
• The concept of suspending the rocket was one of the novelties introduced with the R-7/Soyuz.
• Since the launch pad has been eliminated, the bottom portion of the missile is lowered.
• The launch system trusses bear the wind loads. Resistance to high wind is an important feature
of the launch system, as the Kazakhstan steppes, where the Baikonur launch site is located, are
known for windstorms.

8. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION
• The Soyuz-FG Vehicle stands 49.5 meters tall and has a main diameter of 2.95
meters and a maximum diameter of 10.3 meters.
• All stages of the vehicle use Rocket Propellant 1 (Rocket-Grade Kerosene) and
Liquid Oxygen as propellants. Liftoff mass is about 305,000 Kilograms.
• The FG version of the Soyuz can deliver payloads of up to 7,100 Kilograms to
Low Earth Orbit.
• The Vehicle features a Launch Escape System to maintain high safety
standards for manned space flight.

10. PAYLOAD FAIRING
• The Payload Fairing protects the Soyuz Spacecraft while waiting for launch at the Launch Pad
and during atmospheric flight.
• It also provides structural integrity for launch abort scenarios and transfers loads from the
launch escape system to the capsule.
• It is jettisoned with the Launch Escape Tower at T+157 seconds. At that point, aerodynamic and
thermal loads are acceptable for the spacecraft to be exposed after the launcher has left the
dense portion of the atmosphere.
• For Soyuz FG Launches with a Fregat upper Stage, a variety of Fairings are available while the
Soyuz Spacecraft is encapsulated in a different fairing that provides access to the capsule.

12. REFERENCES
• http://www.spaceflight101.com/uploads/6/4/0/6/6406961/132133_orig.jpg?321
• http://www.spaceflight101.com/soyuz-fg.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_(rocket_family)#Fairings_used_for_unmanned_mission
s
• http://www.russianspaceweb.com/images/rockets/soyuz1/soyuz1_2_3_transition_1.jpg
• http://media.indiatimes.in/media/content/2013/Dec/soyuz_flies_olympic_torch_1388308903
_1388308909_540x540.jpg
• http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_free_images/0124-0610-2614-
1358_launch_of_the_soyuz_rocket_m.jpg

13. THANK YOU