The Makeev State Rocket Center (SRC), named after Academician V. P. Makeev, its founder, is one of the complex enterprises devoted to ballistic missile developments, which were inherited by Russia from the former Soviet Union. The term 'complex' means that such an enterprise could provide for the complete development of an article including the necessary experimental work, manufacturing of experimental/test examples and tests of these examples. During the cold war the SRC was narrowly specialised in a single field - the development of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). Thanks to this circumstance, the SRC was in practice one of the most secret enterprises of the Soviet Union.
The SRC has achieved high design/technological successes in the fields of its activity. Despite attempts of such powerful competitors as the design bureaux (DB) headed by Academicians V. Chelomey and M. Yangel, the Makeev's DB became a real monopolist in the field of SLBM development for the Soviet Navy (not one of the SLBMs developed by any other DB was added to the Navy's armoury!). Having no suitable solid-propellant engines, the designers of Makeev's DB created liquid-propellant SLBMs which were actually equal to the U.S. solid-propellant SLBMs in operational performances.
However, it was found after the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union and a transfer to a market economy that the price of this narrow specialisation was high. Nevertheless, after about a decade of running in the conditions of a market economy, the Makeev SRC has survived and has not halted its attempts to enter into the space market (and even has had a few particular successes in this direction) and keeps, in general, its potential. In this capacity, it merits attention by the world's companies, organisations and specialists which would use the SRC's experience, technologies and articles and would become its potential partners, customers or investors. Despite the former top secrecy covering the activity and capabilities of the Makeev SRC, it is now possible not only to describe its history and its current potentialities and capabilities but also to examine its potential role in the world's space market.
The lecture will cover the current products of the Makeev SRC such as the RSM-54 submarine launched ballistic missile which has been converted into the ‘Shtil’ family of launch vehicles and successfully launched small satellites. Projects now in hand such as Berkut and Russkaya Troika will be discussed as well as other future plans.
Public open lecture – no tickets, no booking, no charge
This lecture has been organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Space Group and will be held in the Society’s Lecture Theatre commencing at 18:00 hrs.
Contact: Conference Department, RAeS, 4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ
Tel: 020 7670 4300 Fax: 020 7670 4349 Web: www.aerosociety.com Email: space@aerosociety.com