View source for Volna

{{Short description|Space launch vehicle}}
{{For|the football team named Volna|FC Volna Pinsk|FC Volna Nizhny Novgorod Oblast| FC Volna Dzerzhinsk}}
{{Infobox Rocket|caption=A Volna rocket with the Cosmos 1 is loaded into the launch tube of K-496 Borisoglebsk submarine, photo by The Planetary Society|height=|mass=|diameter=|function=[[Small-lift launch vehicle]]|country-origin=[[Russia]]|capacities={{Infobox Rocket/Payload
  |location = [[Low Earth orbit|LEO]]
  |kilos    = {{convert|115|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
  }}|status=Retired|first=June 07, 1995|last=June 21, 2005|sites=[[Russian submarine Borisoglebsk (K-496)|K-496 ''Borisoglebsk '']], [[Russian submarine Ekaterinburg (K-84)|K-84 ''Ekaterinburg'']], [[Russian submarine Ryazan (K-44)|K-44 ''Ryazan'']], [[Russian submarine Novomoskovsk (K-407)|K-407 ''Novomoskovsk'']],|launches=5|success=2|fail=1|partial=2|image=Cosmos 1 deployment test.jpg|stage1engines=RD-0243}}[[launch vehicle|Space launch vehicle]] '''Volna''' ({{langx|ru|Волна|lit=wave}}), is a converted [[submarine-launched ballistic missile]] used for launching [[satellite]]s into orbit. It is based on the [[R-29 (missile)|R-29R]] designed by [[Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau|State Rocket Center Makayev]] and related to the [[Shtil']] Launch Vehicle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vysota / Volna / Shtil |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/shtil_volna.htm |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}</ref> The Volna is a 3-stage launch vehicle that uses liquid propellant.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Volna |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/volna.htm |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}</ref> The warhead section is used for the payloads that can be either put into orbit with the help of an additional boost engine or travel along a sub-orbital trajectory to be recovered at the landing site. Volna can be launched from [[Delta III-class submarine]] or from land based facilities.

== Performance ==
Because of its mobile launch platform the Volna launch vehicle can reach a large number of different inclinations and could increase its performance to [[low Earth orbit]] by launching from equatorial sites. All flights to date have taken place from the [[Barents Sea]]. From this site the Volna can lift {{cvt|100|kg}} into a {{cvt|400|km}} high orbit with an inclination of 79°.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}
The warhead section can accommodate a payload of up to {{cvt|1.3|m3}}. For sub-orbital missions the payload can be either a recoverable vehicle of up to {{cvt|720|kg}} or research equipment placed in a descent vehicle of up to {{cvt|400|kg}}.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

==Launch history==
{{External image|<!-- image1=[https://www.planetary.org/space-images/cosmos-1-deployment-test A Volna rocket with the Cosmos 1 is loaded into the launch tube of ''K-496 Borisoglebsk'' submarine] -->
|image1=[https://www.planetary.org/space-images/volna-launch Artist's concept of Volna launch, by Michael Carroll]
|image2=[https://www.planetary.org/space-images/volna-rocket-launch A stock photo of the Volna launch, unknown date and mission]}}
*The first launch of the Volna took place on June 7, 1995 on a suborbital trajectory.<ref name=":0" /> The rocket was launched from a submarine in the Barents Sea, reached an apogee of 1250 km and the payload was recovered in [[Kamchatka]], 5600 km from where it was launched. The payload of this flight was a thermal convection experiment, developed by [[Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity]] of [[Bremen University]] (Germany).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ракета-носитель «Волна» |trans-title=Volna Carrier Rocket |url=https://www.makeyev.ru/activities/space-and-rocket-research/2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515144454/https://www.makeyev.ru/activities/space-and-rocket-research/2/ |archive-date=2024-05-15 |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=www.makeyev.ru |publisher=State Rocket Center Makayev |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Seibert |first=Günther |url=https://www.esa.int/esapub/hsr/HSR_38.pdf#page=66 |title=The History of Sounding Rockets and Their Contribution to European Space Research |date=November 2006 |publisher=ESA Publications Division |isbn=92-9092-550-7 |location=Noordwijk |pages=59 |chapter=Very-long-duration Russian sounding-rocket flight opportunity using Wolna rocket |issn=1683-4704 |id=HSR-38}}</ref>
*On 20 July 2001 the second flight took place with a simplified (two-bladed) test vehicle of the [[Cosmos 1]] solar sail of the [[Planetary Society]] and an inflatable re-entry heat shield.<ref name=":0" /> The Volna was launched from [[Russian submarine K-496 Borisoglebsk|Delta III Submarine ''Borisoglebsk'']] in the Barents Sea. Although the launch vehicle reached the intended suborbital trajectory the spacecraft failed to separate.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Cosmos Test |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/cosmos-test.htm |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}</ref> The separation command was not issued by the flight software because of the presence of non-nominal variations. Failure of the Cosmos-1 to separate also resulted in the loss of the secondary payload, a new inflatable re-entry vehicle.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/inflatable.html|title=Russia jumps on the inflatable bandwagon| publisher= RussianSpaceWeb| access-date=2016-07-09}}</ref>
*On 12 July 2002 the Volna was used for a sub-orbital flight for a second attempt to test a new re-entry vehicle, IRDT-2.<ref name=":0" /> The launch took place from [[Delta III class submarine]] ''K-44 Ryazan''. Due to a failure in the launcher/payload interface the vehicle was lost and did not land on the expected area on the Kamchatka peninsula. It is unclear whether the spacecraft separated from the third stage of the Volna and did not inflate correctly or that it remained attached to the payload module. Remains of the vehicle have not been found.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=IRDT 1, 2, 2R |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/irdt-1.htm |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}</ref>
*The fourth flight took place at 21 June 2005 with on board the [[Cosmos 1]] Solar sail.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Volna-O |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/volna-o.htm |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}</ref> The launch took place from [[Russian submarine K-496 Borisoglebsk|Delta III Submarine ''Borisoglebsk'']] in the Barents Sea. The spacecraft failed to reach orbit after stage one shut down prematurely at 82.86 seconds instead of the expected 100 seconds. The failure was attributed to "critical degradation in operational capability of the engine turbo-pump". The second and third stage did not separate and the payload did not reach orbit.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friedman |first=Louis D. |date=20 July 2005 |title=Volna Failure Review Board Reports on Loss of Cosmos 1 |url=https://www.planetary.org/articles/ss_update_20050720 |access-date=2024-05-17 |publisher=The Planetary Society}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Story of LightSail, Part 2 |url=https://www.planetary.org/sci-tech/the-story-of-lightsail-part-2 |access-date=2024-05-15 |website=The Planetary Society}}</ref>
*On 6 October 2005 the Volna carried IRDT-2R on a sub-orbital trajectory,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> launched from Delta III Class Submarine ''Borisoglebsk'' in the Barents Sea. The launch vehicle performed nominally and placed the payload on a trajectory towards the Kamchatka peninsula. Trajectory data shows that the vehicle most likely overshot the landing site and could not be recovered.

==See also==
* [[Comparison of orbital launchers families]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{Cite book |last1=Isakowitz |first1=Steven J. |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781563475917 |title=International reference guide to space launch systems |last2=Hopkins |first2=Joseph P. |last3=Hopkins |first3=Joshua B. |date=2004 |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |isbn=978-1-56347-591-7 |edition=4th |location=Reston, VA |pages=377–390 |chapter=Shtil and Volna |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781563475917/page/377 |url-access=registration |via=the Internet Archive}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050828041145/http://www.makeyev.ru/english/start.htm State Rocket Company Makayev]
*[http://www.2r2s.com/ Inflatable Re-entry vehicle]
*[http://planetary.org/programs/projects/solar_sailing/ Planetary Society website]
{{Russian launch vehicles}}
{{Expendable launch systems}}

[[Category:Space launch vehicles of Russia]]
[[Category:Barents Sea]]
[[Category:Microsatellite launch vehicles]]
[[Category:Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau]]