Tsyklon-2
Encyclopedia
The Tsyklon-2, also known as Tsiklon-2 and Tsyklon-M, GRAU
index 11K69, was a Soviet
, and subsequently Ukrainian
orbit
al carrier rocket. A derivative of the R-36 ICBM, and a member of the Tsyklon
family, it made its maiden flight on 6 August 1969, and after 106 launches, made its final flight on 24 June 2006. At the time of retirement, it was the most reliable active carrier rocket in the world, having failed only once. It is the second most reliable carrier rocket overall, behind the Atlas II
. It was retired in favour of future modern and all-Russian carrier rockets, such as the Angara
.
Due to the covert nature of its missions, it is hard to be certain that it has been retired, however it has been reported that the Tsyklon
family of rockets is now retired (except for the Tsyklon-4
, which is currently (2011) under development).
Grau
Grau is a German word meaning "gray" and a Catalan word meaning "grade". It may refer to:* BAP Almirante Grau , a De Zeven Provinciën class cruiser in service with the Peruvian Navy* Grau Käse, Tyrolean grey cheese...
index 11K69, was a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and subsequently Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
al carrier rocket. A derivative of the R-36 ICBM, and a member of the Tsyklon
Tsyklon
The Tsyklon , GRAU index 11K67, was a Soviet/Ukrainian-designed expendable launch system, primarily used to put Cosmos satellites into low Earth orbit. It is based on the R-36 intercontinental ballistic missile designed by Mikhail Yangel and made eight launches, with seven successes, and one failure...
family, it made its maiden flight on 6 August 1969, and after 106 launches, made its final flight on 24 June 2006. At the time of retirement, it was the most reliable active carrier rocket in the world, having failed only once. It is the second most reliable carrier rocket overall, behind the Atlas II
Atlas II
Atlas II was a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which evolved from the successful Atlas missile program of the 1950s. Atlas II was the last Atlas to use a three engine, "stage-and-a-half" design: two of its three engines were jettisoned during ascent, but its fuel tanks and other...
. It was retired in favour of future modern and all-Russian carrier rockets, such as the Angara
Angara rocket
The Angara rocket family is a family of space-launch vehicles currently under development by the Moscow-based Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center...
.
Due to the covert nature of its missions, it is hard to be certain that it has been retired, however it has been reported that the Tsyklon
Tsyklon
The Tsyklon , GRAU index 11K67, was a Soviet/Ukrainian-designed expendable launch system, primarily used to put Cosmos satellites into low Earth orbit. It is based on the R-36 intercontinental ballistic missile designed by Mikhail Yangel and made eight launches, with seven successes, and one failure...
family of rockets is now retired (except for the Tsyklon-4
Tsyklon-4
The Tsyklon-4 or Cyclone-4, also known as Tsiklon-4, is a Ukrainian carrier rocket which is being developed for commercial satellite launches. Derived from the Tsyklon-3, it has a new third stage, a larger payload fairing, and a modernised flight control system compared to its predecessor...
, which is currently (2011) under development).