Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Tsyklon
The Tsyklon (Cyclone) is an expendable launch system designed in the Soviet Union and used primarily used to put Cosmos and Meteor class satellites into low earth orbit. It is based on the R-36 rocket engine.
There are two major variants, the Tsyklon-2 and Tsyklon-3, known respectively as the SL-11 and SL-14 by the US DOD. The two stage Tsyklon-2 was first launched October 27, 1967 . The Tsyklon-3 features a restartable third stage, and first launched June 24 1977.
Tsyklon-2 is 35.5 - 39.7 meters long and has a fueled mass of 182 tons. Tsyklon-3 is 39.27 meters long and has a fueled mass of 186 - 190 tons.
Tsyklon launch vehicles are manufactured by the Yuzhnoe Design Bureau in Ukraine. They are launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome and Plesetsk Cosmodrome, and are still in service as of May 2004.
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