Molniya-M
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- See also: Molniya (rocket)
| Molniya-M (R-7 8K78M) | |
 Drawing of the Molniya-M carrier rocket |
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| Fact sheet | |
|---|---|
| Function | Medium carrier rocket |
| Manufacturer | TsSKB-Progress |
| Country of origin | Russia/Soviet Union |
| Size | |
| Height | 43.4 m (142.3 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.95 m (9.67 ft) |
| Mass | 305,000 kg (672,000 lb) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Associated Rockets | |
| Family | R-7 |
| Comparable | Soyuz-2/Fregat |
| Launch History | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | Baikonur LC-1 / LC-31 Plesetsk LC-16, LC-41, LC-43 |
| Total launches | 295 |
| Successes | 274 |
| Failures | 21 |
| Maiden flight | 19 February 1964 |
| Last flight | 23 October 2007 |
The Molniya-M (Russian: Молния, meaning "lightning"), designation 8K78M, was a Russian (previously Soviet) carrier rocket derived from the R-7 Semyorka ICBM. First launched in 1964, it had replaced its predecessor Molniya by the end of 1965. It was retired on 23 October 2007,[citation needed] having made 295 launches and experienced 21 failures, the last of which occurred on 21 June 2005 when a third stage malfunction prevented its payload, a Molniya-3K communications satellite from reaching orbit.[1].
For most of its operational life, the Molniya-M was used to launch its namesake Molniya and also Oko satellites into Molniya orbits, orbits of high eccentricity that allow satellites to dwell over polar regions. It was replaced by the Soyuz-2/Fregat.
[edit] Variants
There were four main variants of the Molniya-M, which varied in terms of their upper stage. Originally, the Block L stage was used, however uprated versions replaced this with more powerful, or specialised, stages, for different missions. The Molniya-M/2BL, used to launch Oko missile defence spacecraft, had a Block 2BL upper stage, The Molniya-M/ML had a Block ML upper stage, and the Molniya-M/SO-L had a Block SO-L stage.
[edit] Retirement
The Molniya-M/ML was scheduled to be the last variant to fly, with two launches of Molniya spacecraft scheduled to occur in 2008, however they were cancelled in light of the launch failure in 2005, in favour of the Meridian spacecraft. The Molniya-M retired on 23 October 2007 after launching the last Oko spacecraft. It flew in the 2BL configuration. Due to the late cancellation of the two Molniya satellite launches, it is possible that one or two Molniyas may remain in storage, and there is a very small chance that one could fly as a backup if a problem requires that a satellite be launched into a molniya orbit when Soyuz is unavailable, however in all probability, the launch on 23 October was the last time a Molniya rocket would fly.
[edit] Notes
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