Updates Soyuz-ST launch complex in Kourou

[SiberianTiger]

According to an interview with Alexander Kirillin, the Managing Director of Samara Space Centre, the two first Soyuz-ST rockets will be shipped to French Guiana on November, 1st and reach their destination on November, 25.

 

[Spicer]

Maybe kind of a silly question, but will they be using Kourou's Soyuz launch site to launch progress vehicles? Seems like a good opportunity to send more to the ISS.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Maybe kind of a silly question, but will they be using Kourou's Soyuz launch site to launch progress vehicles? Seems like a good opportunity to send more to the ISS.

Baikonur is just much better suited for sending Progresses to the ISS. Mostly because it's closer to the point where they are produced (Moscow) and where most of their payload comes from. And I am not sure a Progress is rated for either air or sea transportation. Only going by rail is the traditional way to transport them over.

 

[SiberianTiger]

It's not complete yet, but is taking shape quickly.

http://www.federalspace.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=6760

Equipment from the Russian space industrial companies arrived in French Guiana in late June is now at the launch pad. Assembly and mounting, as well as autonomous tests, at the Soyuz launch site are carried out in line with the schedule.

Operations at the Soyuz launch pad (ELS) performed by the Russian side (TSENKI, TSKB-Progress, Lavochkin R&D, KBOM design bureau) are the following:

- adjustment of the service cabin,

- adjustment of the launch system- continues;

- mounting of the automatic launch pad technical facility control system,
- etc.

 

[ryan]

Whats the actual point of this, is Kourou in a better position than Barkinour? or is this just a thing so the Soyuz can be launched more frequently.
Thanks.
Ryan.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Whats the actual point of this, is Kourou in a better position than Barkinour? or is this just a thing so the Soyuz can be launched more frequently.
Thanks.
Ryan.

1st reason: Greater payload capability thanks to equatorial location.

2nd reason: It's a deal between the ESA and Roscosmos. The ESA have got an economy class launcher for the middle range of payloads, Samara Plant has got money and the Roscosmos have got royalty fee.

3rd reason: No customs problems when transporting satellites to Kourou and less trasportation costs from Americas in contrast to Baikonur.

 

[SiberianTiger]

http://www.roscosmos.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=8073

05-11-2009 MN Colibri Ship is Loaded with Equipment and Rocket Components for CSG

This day the equipment and containers with Soyuz-ST rocket and Fregat upper stage components are loaded on the MN Colibri vessel to ship the cargo to Space Center in French Guiana.

:lol:

Considering how troubled the ocean waters became lately, I would rather ask the Navy to provide an escort...

The only piece still missing at the LC is the mobile service/assembly tower which is to be produced by The Barmin General Engineering Design Bureau (KBOM). They are experiencing delays forced by 'unexpected' necessity to comply with European safety rules for launch complexes. This is pushing the 1st launch of the Soyuz ST from Kourou to 2010's Autumn, earliest.

 

[Notebook]

Good stuff ST. I like the "Soyuz Inside" flag, wonder if they'll be flying that en-route?

N.

Arianespace link:

http://www.videocorner.tv/videocorner2/soyuz_vod/index2.htm

 

[SiberianTiger]

Pictures the 1st of Soyuz rockets arrival in Kourou aboard the MN Colibri. As it was punned about, it was the 1st Russian rocket transportation over the Atlantic after the end of Cuban missile crisis.

See more at http://www.roscosmos.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=8328

 

[tblaxland]

"Exceptional convoy"? Sure is.

Also, those "Soyuz Inside" signs remind me of certain Intel commercials...

 

[Notebook]

A generic promo for Kourou, but has some Soyuz info about 2:50 in.

I didn't know about the vertical part-assembly.


http://www.euronews.net/2009/12/10/europe-s-spaceport-the-future/

N.

 

[SiberianTiger]

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=9815645

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The first launch of a Russian space rocket from a site outside Moscow's control has been delayed while engineers test a service tower, Interfax news agency reported on Friday.


A modified Soyuz cargo ship had been due to take off before the end of this year from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana. Its location close to the equator means less fuel is needed to reach a geostationary orbit than launches from Russia's Baikonur site in Kazakhstan.


The new vehicle will be able to carry payloads of up to 3 tonnes into orbit, nearly double the weight that can be launched from Baikonur.


"The first launch of the Soyuz-ST rocket is not possible before the end of the year," Vladimir Gnezdilov the general director of Mir, a contractor involved in the launch was quoted by Interfax as saying.



Gnezdilov blamed the delays on the installation of a mobile service tower at the new site, 13 km (9 miles) from the launch site for European Ariane launches, which must undergo further tests in the coming months.

Pic: view of the Mobile Service tower Guyiana Space Centre (Sinnamari site) as of Feb, 9th (27 meters level is being assembled):

(taken here)

The last sentence sounds like something was lost in translation: AFAIK, no changes in the location of the MST have recently been envisaged. I am not sure what outlook European partners have on the problem, but here's what an employee of Russian company Mir which conducts assembling and testing of the Mobile Service Tower in a remote Moscow district:

Feb 11:

Currently we have talks over the found defect cards from Rheinmetall who control the technology of assembling. It takes recalculation of junction unit which our computing staff does.

We have an assembling schedule we are behind of for 15 days now. The slippage has many reasons for, including supplying of parts TSENKI-KBOM are responsible for, as well as outright sabotage from the Europeans who put forward ridiculous and unjustified requirements for virtually everything.

The Europeans don't need competitors from Russia, especially now when we are heading towards launching of Soyuz sooner than Vega LV. Agreements between governments are one thing, while real commercial interests of customers like Rheinmetall, AE or CNES are totally different.

As long as the mobile service tower could use only 'CE' marked equipment and materials for the list of parts, the siding and roof are to be made of sandwich panels from an Italian contractor.

Factory tests of the tower were done at RemMash where they assembled it to 27 meters level and tested all the rotating platforms. The rest of tests will be carried out in Guiana Space Centre once the mobile service tower is assembled and coated.

Right now we are assembling truss and joints from 10 meteres to 20 meters level. Next up, will be assembling of truss and joints up tp 45 meters, mounting the crane beam for the crane which lifts the upper composite, coating the bulkhead and the gates, assembling the roof.

I believe the first launch will not be possible until November or December of 2010.

Few pictures look the tower should assume, taken from the contractor's site http://www.pax.ru/ (BTW, they also make roller coasters):







A curious notion of attention French Security Service pays to keeping their secrets tight when dealing with Russians (auto-translated, taken here):

Europeans briefed by the Secret Service

Regarding the Russian methods, they are very pragmatic. Example: the design office of Arianespace sought to recalculate the thickness of the slab from the launch pad according to the characteristics of the Soyuz launch while Russian engineers, strong experience of 1,700 shots (cons 277 satellites launched by Ariane), make use of tested recipes. They resume the sampling medium that had not suffered from the explosion of the rocket a few years ago ... "We are facing engineers and technicians of high level, but highly specialized in a very accurate. Europeans are often system providers can have an overview of the program, "says a French framework putting the finger on the legacies of communism and the culture of secrecy.

European engineers have also been alerted by the Secret Service to the risks of "uncontrolled transfers of technology". The Russians dominated much of propulsion and mechanics but are seeking information in the areas of composites, electronics and informatics. The are instructed to avoid talks when barbecues and celebrations that mark the stages of a project, when we no longer distinguish the real taste of the vodka and rum.

 

[tblaxland]

Sounds like fairly typical standards compliance issues in the market of international engineering. We have come across similar issues when working in various parts of Asia. IMHO, the standards of each country will generally result in a sound engineering solution (as the saying goes: there's more than one way to skin a cat, right?) but often it is important to ensure compliance with the local standards so that the customer ends up with a product that they can understand from an operational and maintenance perspective. As an example, electrical earthing systems in Europe, US and Australia have subtle but important differences and local contractors will assume that the earthing system complies with their local standards, especially since they are superficially the same.

 

[SiberianTiger]

The new photos of the Mobile Service Tower assembling at GSC. This stage of assembly will be finished in April.

 

[Star Voyager]

Will this be used for manned spaceflight?

 

[clickypens]

Unfortunately, no, it isn't planned for manned spaceflight. (yet?)

 

[SiberianTiger]

Will this be used for manned spaceflight?

Doesn't look ready for manned spaceflight. The entire manned thing takes much more than a stone-laden pit at a jungle lawn and an oxygen factory nearby. For Kourou, it may take having a patrolling fleet of S&R vessels across the entire Atlantic.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Yesterday's pictures of construction site of the Mobile Service Tower (click to enlarge):



















---------- Post added at 03:05 ---------- Previous post was at 02:43 ----------

More info:

At this moment, such items as motor drives, control pillars, storm rests, cables, and cable conduits are being prepared for the next shipping to Guiana, which is to depart in March and to arrive in April.

As an elaboration on what difficulties Russian workers have with EU contractors, the employee cited a story about weld seams that had been positively checked by EU contractors during making of parts and now they require the parts to be checked again when they arrive at Courou:

All the metal works have been conducted in accordance with EU rules. All our welders have TUV certification. Everything has been oversighted by Rheinmetall representatives during production. Now, a Rheinmetall inspector suddenly wants to check 10 welds at the construction site. A defect card is automatically created. Our representative must contact Moscow and request QA data on those specific welds. Once they get it, they can chalk down the defect and continue working on this place. But the entire procedure takes 3-4 days alone.

Another example is when during assemling the rotating platforms pre-assured and pre-agreed fasteners were used. Now, in Guiana we are required to replace these fasterens with another type, which aren't even delivered to GSC. Often, such problems are caused by the fact that most of QA work on Moscow site was carried out by Arianespace, while assembling is oversighted by Rheinmetall, and the two firms don't seem to be in tight agreement on their standards. We have to make happy both.

The amount of bureaucracy surrounding the process is overwhelming, Every technical paper consists of 100 to 300 pages. I like the risk assessment parts, however: this is where European thorough style is an advantage.

 

[SiberianTiger]

New pictures as of Mar 3, 2010. It's apparently growing.

Click to enlarge:

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

May 7, 2010

History is being made in French Guiana as the first Soyuz undergoes its initial assembly checkout in preparation for Arianespace’s maiden commercial flight from the Spaceport in French Guiana later this year. The activity is part of a regular maintenance check that is standard for Soyuz launchers in storage awaiting liftoff, and the build-up process also is being used to qualify assembly procedures in the Spaceport’s new Launcher Integration Building for the Russian-built medium-lift workhorse.

This is one of two Soyuz 2-1a vehicles that were delivered to French Guiana last November, and it is scheduled for launch before the end of 2010 with the HYLAS telecommunications satellite for Avanti Communications.

Once Soyuz joins Arianespace’s launcher family, this vehicle will have the unique distinction of operating from three sites worldwide: at the Spaceport in French Guiana for Arianespace’s commercial missions, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.

Click here for full article with photos.