| Description | ||
|---|---|---|
| Role: | Manned spacecraft to supply the military Almaz space station | |
| Crew: | three | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Height: | 43.31 ft | 13.2 m |
| Diameter: | 13.61 ft | 4.15 m |
| Volume: | 45.00 m3 | |
| Rocket engines | ||
| Main Engine (N2O4/UDMH): | 1763 lbf ea | 7840 N |
| Performance | ||
| Endurance: | 7 days | |
| Apogee: | 266 km | |
| Perigee: | 223 km | |
| Inclination: | 52 degrees | |
| Spacecraft delta v: | 2290 ft/s | 700 m/s |
| Cutaway of TKS vehicle | ||
TKS spacecraft was a Soviet spacecraft design in the late 1960s intended to supply the military Almaz space station. The spacecraft was designed for manned or autonomous cargo resupply use. The design was used on four test missions but was never flown manned due to the abandonment of the Almaz program.
The TKS consisted of two main parts, the VA manned crew return capsule (now known as Merkur), and the Functional Cargo Block (FGB) which housed the on-orbit maneuvering engines, fuel, a large pressurized supply area, and a docking adaptor. The FGB could also be used alone as an unmanned cargo module. In either case, the FGB would have been used as the primary orbital maneuvering system for the TKS/Almaz, eliminating the need for fuel transfer.
Although several complete TKS systems were launched in tests, the system was not used operationally in its intended role. However, the FGB was later used as the basis of several other station components, including the Zarya module on the International Space Station. As of August 2009[update], Excalibur Almaz planned to use the VA as low-cost cargo return vehicles.[1]
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The TKS spacecraft was designed by Vladimir Chelomei as a manned spacecraft launched with Proton rocket alternative to the Soyuz spacecraft. Development began in 1965, but by the time the first flight articles were ready the Almaz programme had been abandoned. The VA ("Vozvrashaemiy Apparat") capsule was flown separately on four test missions with two capsules on one booster to test the design, as well as one "all-up" test mission and three resupply missions. It was never flown manned, although in December 1978 formation of a special group of six cosmonauts was approved for manned missions on board the TKS spacecraft.
The project had further evolved with space station "Modulny" ("Modular") based on the TKS design outline, reworked to dock with Salyut 7, Mir and ISS space stations. This development was designated FGB, or Functional Cargo Block.
The TKS spacecraft consisted of an 11F74 "Vozvraschaemyi Apparat" (or Return Vehicle commonly referred to as the VA), attached to an 11F77 "Transportniy Korabl Snabzheniya" (Functional/Cargo Block module or FGB).
The TKS VA was itself a very compact and efficient spacecraft. Typically it would reenter the atmosphere within 2 orbits, but could fly autonomously for up to 31 hours. The pressurized crew re-entry capsule was equipped with its own environmental control system, and topped with reaction control system, de-orbit braking engine, parachute system, and soft landing engines. Although extensively flight tested, it never flew with a crew on board (due to political rivalry).
The VA design was derived from the planned capsule for the Chelomei's LK-1 manned circumlunar spacecraft of the 1960s. It was also the basis for Chelomei's LK-700 Lunar Lander crew capsule. The VA looked somewhat similar to the Apollo capsule, but was 30% smaller than its NASA counterpart.
The FGB was entered from the VA capsule via a short tunnel. At the aft end a pilot station was equipped with controls and windows for manual docking with the Almaz space station. The docking port was also located here. Operational TKS would have delivered KSI film return capsules to Almaz stations. These would have been stored around the docking port for transfer to the film capsule airlock for loading.
| Crew Size: | 3 |
|---|---|
| Design Life: | 7 days |
| Orbital Storage: | 200 days |
| Typical orbit: | 223 km x 266 km at 52 degrees inclination |
| Length: | 13.2 m (43.31 ft) |
| Maximum Diameter: | 4.15 m (13.61 ft) |
| Span: | 17.00 m (55.00 ft) |
| Habitable Volume: | 45.00 m3 |
| Mass: | 17,510 kg (38,600 lb) |
| Payload: | 12,600 kg (27,700 lb) |
| Main Engine Thrust: | 7.840 kN (1,763 lbf) |
| Main Engine Propellants: | N2O4/UDMH |
| Main Engine Propellants: | 3,822 kg (8,426 lb) |
| Main Engine Isp: | 291 sec |
| Spacecraft delta v: | 700 m/s (2,290 ft/s) |
| Electrical System: | Solar panels 17 m span 40 m² |
| Electric System: | 2.40 average kW |
| Associated Launch Vehicle: | Proton 8K82K |
Orbital test of a pair of two VA capsules in 1976-12-15 that started jointly and reentered on the same day.
Lone flight of full TKS-1 with FGB and VA capsule. Launched 1977-07-17.[2] The VA capsule returned to Earth 1977-08-16. The remainder of the spacecraft deorbited 1978-02-02.[3]
Launched on 1977-08-04. Launch vehicle failure forty seconds into the flight on a suborbital test of two VA capsules. VA #009L/P is destroyed in the resulting booster explosion, VA #009P/P is rescued by the Proton SAS abort system and is recovered safely.
On 1978-03-30 pair of two VA capsules that started jointly and reentered separately
On 1979-05-23 pair of two VA capsules that started jointly and reentered separately
On April 25, 1981, TKS-2 was launched unmanned as Cosmos 1267. The VA capsule was recovered on 24 May 1981. The FGB docked with Salyut 6 on June 19 after 57 days of autonomous flight. It remained attached to the station until both deorbited and were destroyed on 29 July 1982.
On 2 March 1983, TKS-3 was launched unmanned as Cosmos 1443. This time, the VA remained attached and the TKS docked to Salyut 7 two days after launch. TKS-3 separated from the station on 14 August. The FGB and the VA re-entry capsule separated, and the FGB deorbited itself on 19 September 1983. The VA capsule continued in space for four more days demonstrating autonomous flight, before successfully re-entering on 23 August 1983, landing 100 km south-east of Arkalsk and returning 350 kg of material from the station.
TKS-4 was launched unmanned as Cosmos 1686 on 27 September 1985. In the VA capsule landing systems, the ECS, seats, and manned controls were removed and replaced with a high-resolution photo apparatus and optical sensor experiments (infrared telescope and Ozon spectrometer). The TKS successfully docked with Salyut 7. After 21 November 1985, Salyut 7 was moved to a higher orbit while awaiting the second 'TKS' crew, but control of the station was lost. There were plans to return using the Buran shuttle for inspection, but the first flight of the spaceplane was delayed. Salyut 7 and Cosmos 1686 burned up in the atmosphere together in a fiery show over Argentina on 7 February 1991.
The TKS design, which has never been flown manned, has gone on to provide the basic structure for several space future space station components, such as:
TKS/Almaz VA capsules are presently being modernized for commercial use, by the private spaceflight company, Excalibur Almaz.
TKS based and descendant spacecraft and modules.
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