How good is your Russian?
This image shows a proposed new rocket by Russia's Samara Space Center called the Rus.
Ignore the slides about the Soyuz 2 variants and the construction progress in French Guiana. The slide above was taken from the forum of the Russian space news magazine Novosti Kosmonautica
Sponsored by Russia's Federal Space Agency I don't know how independent it is, or could be in Putin's Russia, but the editor was a nice enough chap when I met him in Moscow in 2005
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Here is the Google translation for the forum web page with these Rus rocket slides
I would imagine this would be a candidate for the new launch site in Vostochny. According to a senior RSC Energia official the booster for the proposed Crew Space Transportation System that will launch from Vostochny would be a wholly new rocket
So the Rus is a potential candidate and as you can see in the slide there are there different flavours with 20,000kg, 40,000kg and 100,000kg launch capabilities, I am assumig to low Earth orbit. The Russians may be looking to replicate the US Moon mission architecture with 20t and 100t launches
That is the representation of the russian "Universal Rocket Modules". As you can see from the pictures you can configure the rocket as you want to answer the dirrenent needs of the mission.
The first is the Light Class vehicle, 3 tons. The second and third are the Medium Class with 6 and 8 tons. Forth and fifths are Heavy Class vehicles, the heavy-lifters with 20 and 22 tons. The last one is the Super Heavy Class rocket configuration for more than 100 tons. Everything else are just technical designations in russian.
This reminds me of Lockheed-Martin's propossed Atlas evolution.
Interesting! I see a new engine there: the RD-0163(LOX/SINTINperhaps? Strap-ons) The RD 0120 is a LOX/LH2 engine in the SSME class but of simpler, lighter and cheaper design. Promising...
Using 6*RD171 strap-ons gives the large config' a lift-off thrust of some 10.5m lbs burning for 150 secs, with the core of 4* RD-0120, approximately 1.8m lbs burning for what, 600 secs. I'd wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't capable of 150t to LEO! Quite a beast. I'll work the numbers and get back.
Sorry about how long it took to publish this comment. I don't understand why I was not alerted by email that you had posted it. Now you have been approved your comments will automatically go up without me needing to ok them. Thanks for commenting!
Oh Dear,
I seem to be catching the NASA disease! Bugs everywhere ,and my HP48 "b/u storage" unit has had it's memory wiped, so a case it's re-entering my LV flight simulator program by hand; only 24K though, so only a mere couple of weeks!
As to the Lockheed-Martin solution, it's a dead ringer for our HSD Europa III solution back in the early seventies! We in turn, got the idea from early NASA work ourselves. Nothing new under the Sun is there?!