Angara launches to be more expensive than Rokot - design bureau head
MOSCOW. Aug 2 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia may continue to use Rokot rockets, a civilian modification of the decommissioned ICBM RS-18 'Stiletto', even after the new-generation Angara is put into service, Khrunichev Salyut Design Bureau Head Yuri Bakhvalov said.
"The light Angara is superior to the Rokot. Yet, Rokot rockets are made of decommissioned missiles, which means there is no need to spend money. The Angara has to be built from scratch. So, Angara launches will cost more than Rokot launches," he said.
A decision on further use of Rokot rockets, which run on poisonous fuel, will depend "on how long the missiles they are made from will continue to perform their function," he noted.
The creation of the Rokot was suggested in the 1990s when strategic reductions began, he recalled.
It was possible to either scrap the decommissioned missiles or use them as launch vehicles. Rokot rockets are capable of putting Earth monitoring satellites with optical and radar instruments into solar synchronous orbits.
Earlier reports said that Khrunichev would create a family of light, medium and heavy Angara rockets of one to five universal modules. An Angara launch site is being built in Plesetsk. The maiden launch of a light Angara is planned for the second quarter of 2013, while the heavy Angara may take off at the end of that year. In contrast to Rokot and Proton-M rockets, the Angara uses environmentally friendly fuel, such as kerosene and oxygen.