Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Polyus spacecraft was launched 15 May 1987 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 250 as
part of the first flight of the Energia system,[2] but failed to reach orbit.
According to Yuri Kornilov, Chief Designer of the Salyut Design Bureau, shortly
before Polyus' launch, Mikhail Gorbachev visited the Baikonur Cosmodrome and
expressly forbade the in-orbit testing of its capabilities. Kornilov claims that
Gorbachev was worried that it would be possible for Western governments to view
this activity as an attempt to create a weapon in space and that such an attempt
would contradict the country's previous statements on the USSRs peaceful intent.
[3]
For technical reasons, the payload was launched upside down. It was designed to
separate from the Energia, rotate 180 degrees in yaw, then 90 degrees in roll and
then fire its engine to complete its boost to orbit. The Energia functioned
perfectly. However, after disconnecting from Energia, the Polyus spun a full 360
degrees instead of the planned 180 degrees. When the rocket fired, it slowed and
burned up in the atmosphere over the south Pacific ocean. This failure was
attributed to a faulty inertial guidance system that had not been rigorously tested
due to the rushed production schedule.[4]
Parts of the Polyus project's hardware were re-used in Kvant-2, Kristall, Spektr
and Priroda Mir modules, as well as in the ISS module Zarya.
Contents [hide]
1 Development
2 Specifications
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
Development[edit]
NPO Energia received orders from the Soviet government to begin research on space-
based strike weapons in the mid-70s. Even before, the USSR had been developing
maneuverable satellites for the purpose of satellite interception. By the beginning
of the 1980s, Energia had proposed two programs: laser-equipped Skif and guided
missiles platform Kaskad (where Skif would cover the low-orbit targets, Kaskad
engaged targets in high and geosynchronous orbits). Together with NPO Astrofizika
and KB Salyut, they began developing their orbital weapons platform based on the
Salyut DOS-17K frame.
Later, when the objective of ICBM interception proved too difficult, the aims of
the project were shifted towards anti-satellite weapons. The 1983 announcement by
the US of their SDI program prompted further political and financial support for
the satellite interceptor program. In the nuclear exchange scenario, the
interceptors would destroy the SDI satellites, followed by a so-called "pre-emptive
retaliation" large-scale Soviet ICBM launch.
The laser chosen for the Skif spacecraft was the 1-megawatt carbon-dioxide laser,
developed for the Beriev A-60 aircraft (an Il-76 flying laboratory with a combat
laser). The introduction of the Energia, capable of launching about 95 tonnes into
orbit, finally allowed the spacecraft to accommodate the massive laser. The massive
exhaust of the carbon-dioxide laser precipitated the objective of making the laser
"recoil-less". The zero-torque exhaust system (SBM) was developed to that end. Its
testing in orbit meant the release of a large cloud of carbon dioxide, which would
hint at the satellite's purpose. Instead, the xenon-krypton mix would be used to
simultaneously test the SBM and perform an innocent experiment on Earth's
ionosphere.
In 1985, the decision was made to test-launch the new Energia launch vehicle, which
was still in the testbed phase. A 100-ton dummy payload was initially considered
for the launch, but in a series of last-minute changes, it was decided that the
almost-completed Skif spacecraft would be launched instead for a 30-day mission.
The development of the real Skif was completed in just one year, from September
1985 to September 1986. Testing and tweaking the Energia launch vehicle, the launch
pad and the Skif itself moved the launch to February, and later to May 1987.
According to Boris Gubanov, the head designer of the Energia launch vehicle, the
work schedule of the preceding years was exhausting, and at the point of Mikhail
Gorbachev's visit on 11 May, he asked the Soviet premier to clear the launch now,
because "there will be heart attacks".
The catastrophic malfunction that led to Skif entering the atmosphere in the same
area as Energia's second stage was successfully investigated. It was found that 568
seconds after launch, the timing control device gave the logical block a command to
discard the side modules' covers and laser exhaust covers. Unknowingly, the same
command was earlier used to open the solar panels and disengage the maneuvering
thrusters. This wasn't discovered because of the logistics of the testing process
and overall haste. Main thrusters engaged while the Skif kept turning, overshooting
the intended 180-degree turn. The spacecraft lost speed and reverted to the
ballistic trajectory.
Specifications[edit]
Length: 37.00 m (121.39 ft)
Maximum Diameter: 4.10 m (13.5 ft)
Mass: 80,000 kg (180,000 lb)
Associated Launch Vehicle: Energia.
Intended orbit: altitude 280 km (170 mi), inclination 64
Targeting system: optical, radar, with low-yield laser for final targeting
Armament: 1-megawatt carbon-dioxide laser