Satan Harnessed For Peaceful Ends
Last Tuesday, a Dnipro joint Ukrainian-Russian carrier rocket was successfully launched in Kazakhstan. The rocket was developed on basis of the SS-18 ICBM, code named Satan in the West due to its destructive capabilities. Dnipro carried five satellites, two Italian, two Saudi Arabian, and one Malaysian, to orbits of 650 kilometers. All of the satellites will be used for telecommunication, scientific experiments, and earth observation. For the Saudis and Malaysians it is not an ordinary event, for this is the first time their satellites have been put in space.
According to Yuri Alekseyenko, press secretary of Pivdenne Design Bureau, which developed the SS-18 missile and Dnipro carrier rocket, the launching of the 214 ton spacecraft was carried out according to the flight schedule. This is all the more important as the launch, previously scheduled for August 25, had to be postponed twice, mainly due to abnormal pressure in the first stage fuel tank, detected by the diagnostic and safety system. However, the clients, who ordered the launch, showed understanding of the situation.
Mr. Alekseyenko also said that work on Dnipro carrier rockets is being carried out within the framework of the Kosmotras Ukrainian-Russian joint venture, set up on a 50:50 basis in 1997. Russia is the owner of all the SS- 18, which after the breakup of the Soviet Union have been on its territory in a combat-ready mode. However, any further work related to the rockets designed in Dnipropetrovsk would be impossible without participation of their main creator. Pivdenne designers think that the idea to use the outmoded missiles for commercial launches is very successful. First, there is no need to dispose of the rockets, which would be expensive, and, second, launching a Dnipro is less expensive for the clients than using new carriers of the same class. Actually, until now all launches have been used for the promotion of the project and search of long-term partners, rather than to make big profits. This Dnipro launch is already the third. The trial run of the rocket carrier was performed as long ago as 1998. And a year ago Dnipro carried a British satellite.
It is worth noting that currently the Pivdenne Bureau carries out work to create an upgraded SS-18- based version of the Dnipro-M rocket which will have a wider range of capabilities. According to experts, this project could be accomplished in a two to two and a half years if funds are available.
