Encyclopedia entry

Start-1

Launch vehicle · Russia

Part of Topol'

Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.

Russian orbital launch vehicle. Launch vehicle based on decommissioned ICBM's. Launched from mobile transporter. Liftoff mass 47 metric tons.

LEO Payload: 632 kg (1,393 lb) to a 200 km orbit at 52.00 degrees. Payload: 500 kg (1,100 lb) to a 407 km 51.6 deg orbit. Launch Price $: 9.000 million in 1999 dollars.

Stage Data - Start-1

Stage 1. 1 x Start-1. Gross Mass: 26,000 kg (57,000 lb). Empty Mass: 3,000 kg (6,600 lb). Thrust (vac): 980.000 kN (220,310 lbf). Isp: 263 sec. Burn time: 60 sec. Isp(sl): 238 sec. Diameter: 1.61 m (5.28 ft). Span: 1.61 m (5.28 ft). Length: 8.50 m (27.80 ft). Propellants: Solid. No Engines: 1. Engine: MIHT-1. Status: In Production. Comments: All estimated.

Stage 2. 1 x Start-2. Gross Mass: 13,000 kg (28,000 lb). Empty Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Thrust (vac): 490.000 kN (110,150 lbf). Isp: 280 sec. Burn time: 64 sec. Isp(sl): 220 sec. Diameter: 1.55 m (5.08 ft). Span: 1.55 m (5.08 ft). Length: 6.00 m (19.60 ft). Propellants: Solid. No Engines: 1. Engine: MIHT-2. Status: In Production. Comments: All estimated except stage gross mass.

Stage 3. 1 x Start-3. Gross Mass: 6,000 kg (13,200 lb). Empty Mass: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). Thrust (vac): 245.000 kN (55,078 lbf). Isp: 280 sec. Burn time: 56 sec. Isp(sl): 220 sec. Diameter: 1.50 m (4.90 ft). Span: 1.50 m (4.90 ft). Length: 3.00 m (9.80 ft). Propellants: Solid. No Engines: 1. Engine: MIHT-3. Status: In Production. Comments: All estimated.

Stage 4. 1 x Start-4. Gross Mass: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). Empty Mass: 300 kg (660 lb). Thrust (vac): 9.800 kN (2,203 lbf). Isp: 295 sec. Burn time: 207 sec. Diameter: 1.40 m (4.50 ft). Span: 1.40 m (4.50 ft). Length: 2.50 m (8.20 ft). Propellants: Solid. No Engines: 1. Engine: MIHT-4. Status: In Production. Comments: All estimated.

More at: Start-1.

Family: orbital launch vehicle
People: Nadiradze
Country: Russia
Spacecraft: Start satellite, Ofeq 3, Zeya, Early Bird, Odin
Launch Sites: Plesetsk, Plesetsk LC158, Svobodniy, Svobodniy LC5
Stages: MIHT-1, MIHT-2, MIHT-3, MIHT-4.

Start-1 - .
Payload: EKA-1
Mass: 260 kg (570 lb)
Nation: Russia
Agency: MO
Class: Communications
Type: Military communications satellite
Spacecraft Bus: Strela
Spacecraft: Start satellite
USAF Sat Cat: 22561
COSPAR: 1993-014A
Apogee: 964 km (599 mi)
Perigee: 681 km (423 mi)
Inclination: 75.80 deg
Period: 101.40 min. Test flight of new booster based on SS-25 ICBM. Full-scale mock-up (actual weight) for the flight-design testing of the Start-1 carrier rocket. Experimental satellite launched by a Start-1 carrier rocket from the Plesetsk launch site.

Photo Gallery

ICBM-Derived LVs
The range of launch vehicles derived from decommissioned ballistic missiles offered for sale by Russia after the cold war.
Credit: © Mark Wade

Chronology

4 events

1997 December 24

13:32 GMT - . Launch Site: Svobodniy. Launch Complex: Svobodniy LC5. LV Family: Topol'. Launch Vehicle: Start-1.

Early Bird - . Payload: EarlyBird. Nation: USA. Agency: DigitalGlobe. Manufacturer: McLean. Class: Surveillance. Type: Civilian surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: Early Bird. Decay Date: 2000-07-27 . USAF Sat Cat: 25123 . COSPAR: 1997-085A. Apogee: 488 km (303 mi). Perigee: 479 km (297 mi). Inclination: 97.30 deg. Period: 94.10 min.

2000 December 5

Launch Site: Svobodniy. Launch Complex: Svobodniy LC5. LV Family: Topol'. Launch Vehicle: Start-1.

EROS A1 - . Mass: 240 kg (520 lb). Nation: Israel. Agency: ImageSat. Manufacturer: IAI. Class: Surveillance. Type: Civilian surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: Ofeq 3. Decay Date: 2016-07-07 . USAF Sat Cat: 26631 . COSPAR: 2000-079A. Apogee: 542 km (336 mi). Perigee: 533 km (331 mi). Inclination: 97.60 deg. Period: 95.40 min.
Launch delayed from November 28. The Israeli commercial imaging satellite EROS A1 was owned by ImageSat (an Israeli-led company registered in the Netherlands Antilles) and built by IAI using the Ofeq-3 design. EROS A1 was placed in a sun-synchronous orbit together with the DS 5th stage. The 250 kg (dry mass) triaxially stabilized spacecraft carried a black and white high resolution (1.8 m) CCD camera, to obtain images (with terrain width of 12.6 km) of locations chosen by Israeli military or world-wide commercial clients, and downlink them at one of the 14 ground stations.

2001 February 20

08:48 GMT - . Launch Site: Svobodniy. Launch Complex: Svobodniy LC5. LV Family: Topol'. Launch Vehicle: Start-1.

Odin - . Mass: 250 kg (550 lb). Nation: Sweden. Agency: ZAO. Manufacturer: SSC. Class: Astronomy. Type: Infrared astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: Odin. USAF Sat Cat: 26702 . COSPAR: 2001-007A. Apogee: 580 km (360 mi). Perigee: 573 km (356 mi). Inclination: 97.70 deg. Period: 96.20 min.
Sweden's Odin scientific satellite carried a submillimeter wave astronomy instrument and a radiometer for atmospheric studies. The 1.1-meter reflector fed 500 GHz and 119 GHz radiometers and was used to study galactic molecular clouds, complementing NASA's SWAS satellite. The Odin satellite was designed and built by the Swedish Space Corporation (Svenska Rymdbolaget or Rymdaktiebolaget). SSC does most of its satellite design and construction in-house, although Saab made the antenna and carried out satellite final assembly. SSC was a goverment-owned company and a contractor for the Rymdstyrelsen (Swedish National Space Board).

2006 April 25

16:47 GMT - . Launch Site: Svobodniy. Launch Complex: Svobodniy LC5. LV Family: Topol'. Launch Vehicle: Start-1.

EROS-B - . Mass: 350 kg (770 lb). Nation: Israel. Agency: ImageSat. Manufacturer: IAI. Class: Surveillance. Type: Civilian surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: Ofeq 3. USAF Sat Cat: 29079 . COSPAR: 2006-014A. Apogee: 514 km (319 mi). Perigee: 505 km (313 mi). Inclination: 97.30 deg. Period: 94.80 min. Combined civilian/military imaging satellite operated by an Israeli company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Its capability was demonstrated when, within days of launch, sharp photographs of people and motor vehicles on a Syrian dam were released..