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Volna
Launches Mini-Shuttle Demonstrator From Submarine
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A Volna rocket
launched a mini-shuttle demonstrator spacecraft at 0058 UTC from a
Russian submarine located in the Barents Sea on July 12. The
spacecraft was launched on a suborbital trajectory from the
Barents Sea and landed in Kamchatka. Noted expert, Jonathan
McDowell reports that no information on the apogee of the flight
has been made available, but that the standard Volna commercial
microgravity trajectory is about -2200 x 200 km. The Planetary
Society solar sail mission in 2001 had an apogee of 400 km. The
spacecraft, named Demonstrator 2, is designed to deliver and
return cargo from the space station, as well as land on other
planets. The spacecraft is equipped with an inflatable landing
system. This is a follow on to the IRDT spacecraft launched on
Soyuz-Fregat in 2000.
 RIA Novosti
reported that telemetric data indicated that Demonstrator 2
successfully entered orbit and later re-entered the Earth's
atmosphere. Data obtained during the test flight will be used to
develop a new generation of descent modules. This test model is
not reusable, although future mini-shuttles are planned to be
reusable. The 146 kg (322 lbm) mini-shuttle is 0.8 meters (2.6 ft)
in diameter when folded. The Babakin Science Research Center
developed the mini-shuttle. The mini-shuttle began development as
part of the "Mars 96" project which was later cancelled
due to budget cuts.
The sub-orbital
launch was made from the Barents Sea by the submerged K-44 Ryazan
submarine, with the shuttle attached to Volna (Wave) which is
based on an earlier RSM-50 ICBM (NATO designation SS-N-18).
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