Ultralight launch vehicles will allow the ROSCOSMOS State Corporation to save significant funds when launching light satellites. Retired colonel, military observer Viktor Litovkin told Izvestia about this on October 9.
According to him, an ultralight rocket can put light satellites weighing 20-30 kg into Earth orbit, and for this it will not be necessary to launch a heavy rocket, as before. Such a decision will allow the state to save budget funds.
"An ultralight rocket can sometimes be launched from an airplane, when the liner accelerates to certain heights, it flies into space. Thus, there is no need to build a cosmodrome, an airfield is enough," Litovkin added.
He recalled the joint project of Russia and Kazakhstan, when they tried to launch rockets into space with the help of a MiG-31 fighter.
"He could gain supersonic speed and, going out into the upper atmosphere, launch a rocket," the expert added.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry showed the appearance and technical characteristics of the new Russian ultralight carrier rocket "Irkut" for space purposes.
The first launch is planned to be carried out from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region in 2024, said the head of the cosmodrome Nikolay Bashlyaev. The rocket will exist in two versions: disposable and reusable. The weight of the first option will be 23.6 tons, the second - 25 tons. The oxygen–methane pair in the rocket will be used as fuel, and heptyl with amyl will be used in the upper stage.
