Published: 3/27/1998

Russian experience in cryogenic technologies has attracted both European and US scientists and governmental structures. Much interest has been shown toward the Kholod ("Cold") research project led by TsIAM, the Central Institute for Aviation Motors in co-operation with the Tupolev design bureau and other Russian aerospace scientific and industrial establishments. The central part of the Kholod is flight experiments on a small-sized scramjet firmly attached to the upper part of the S-200 (5V28, NATO code name SA-5) surface-to-air missile. The missile serves as a booster, accelerating up to Mach 3-5, to enable the scramjet to work for a few seconds with supersonic flow in the channel. So far, four launches have been made, with the latest one in February this year. The Kholod is a small part in a multi-directional research effort "Oryol" (Eagle), initiated in 1993, under the initiative of the Russian Space Agency (RKA). Its main task is to work out technologies for "Russian Aerospace Plane" (RAKS) and other prospective aerospace vehicles. The RAKS is conceived as a single or two-stage atmospheric-and-space vehicle able to put payloads into low orbits at a price ten times lower than the current expendable launch vehicles ($1000 per kg instead of $10,000). Using RAKS will help ease the problem of "space garbage" with a simultaneous increase in the number of satellites put into low orbits (commercial orders for deployment of communications satellites are expected to double over the next ten years). Commercial usage of the RAKS is tentatively planned for 2015. Although state financing for this project is limited, due to cash difficulties in Russia, it continues to receive funds from the Federal budget. The Russian Parliament included this research effort into the list of high priority national projects, for which budgetary funding is provided, via "development of a national technological base" and "national task programmes" budgetary assignments. The Russian Parliament is also concerned with finding aerospace applications for cryogenic technologies in an effort to replace traditional fossil fuels, due to the effect on the environment. The scramjet, consuming liquid hydrogen and oxygen, an environmentally-friendly rocketry fuel pair, might be used in future transportation systems. On 25 March, Richard Christiansen, Aeronautics Administrator for NASA, told ConCISe that the agency is "very much interested" in Russian scramjet programmes. Studies conducted in frame of the X-30 project, with the US Air Force for a projected National Aerospace Plane, showed that the scramjet is a more challenging task than had been previously thought. Chistiansen carried on that "we continue basic research efforts and have worked closely with TsIAM, supporting the most recent - and successful - launch of the TsIAM's research vehicle" created in frame of the Kholod project. Christiansen said that NASA is ready to share with the Russians some basic research data to be gathered on a American "Mach 10 design that will fly next year". When asked to comment on this decision, he said, "Our working relationship with the TsIAM is beginning to share more of the data from their flight tests and as we get the data we will again share the scientific knowledge." He admitted that NASA financially participates in the Kholod project. At the same time, Christiansen made it clear that "NASA is not finding missile work. We are just trying to understand the physics of the scramjet." This rider was obviously added to preserve a distance from such projects as the GELA (AS19 Coala) scramjet missile of the MKB Raduga design bureau (GELA, or "Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle" in Russian, reached Mach 5 in flight several years ago). Somewhat earlier, the Kholod attracted attention of the European Space Agency (ESA), working on "Future European Space Transportation Investigation Program" (FESTIP) initiated in 1994. After intensive consultations with RSA, the Europeans decided to take part in the flight experiments being made in the framework of the Kholod project.(VK) (IN398.1)  

Article ID: 114