VKS-G
Winged orbital launch vehicle. Year: 1988. Family: Winged. Country: Russia. Status: Study 1988.

Air launched from Kholod Mach 5 mother ship. This was a Mikoyan supersonic cargo aircraft, designed from Spiral 50-50 design. Combined-cycle turbo-ramjet engine. Release conditions: Piggy-back, 200,000 kg, Mach 5 at 25 to 30 km altitude. Effective velocity gain compared to vertical launch 1130 m/s. It was concluded that the extensive development would be required for the combination-cycle engines, resulting in an extended development schedule and high technical risk. The more conservative subsonic-launched MAKS was chosen instead.

Manufacturer: Molniya. LEO Payload: 21,000 kg (46,000 lb). to: 200 km Orbit. at: 51.00 degrees.



Bibliography and Further Reading
  • Lozino-Lozinskiy, G E, editor, Aviationno-kosmicheskiye sistemy, MAI, Moscow, 1997. ISBN: 5703520681. Russian language collection of technical papers that cover the design, development, engineering, and flight test results of the BOR-4, BOR-5, Buran, and MAKS spaceplanes. Includes intermediate designs More at amazon.com...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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