Ukraine Looks to Operate Cyclone 4 Launcher in North America
Cyclone 4 first and second stages. (Credit: Alcantara Space)
RESTON, Va. & DNIPRO, Ukraine — The Yuzhnoye Design Office in Dnipro, Ukraine has been authorized by the State Space Agency of Ukraine to proceed with a new international launch complex and operations in North America based on the existing Cyclone 4 rocket.
The search has begun for business and investment partners to develop the launch infrastructure and conduct sales, marketing, and mission management. On site assessments have already been conducted in Canada and the United States for
possible launch complex locations.
The all Ukrainian vehicle will offer highly competitive pricing in this launch class along with reliable launch services, and eliminate the need for US customers to seek waivers for the use of other launch service providers. Operating from North America will provide operational convenience with negligible export control issues for customers. Cyclone 4 launch service target pricing will be $45 million USD (all inclusive) for 3,700 kg payloads to sun synchronous orbit.
Locations in Canada are being considered which would leverage and build upon the close ties between Canada and Ukraine, and would provide much desired economic activity to the municipalities involved. John Isella, US representative of the Yuzhnoye Design Office (Designer of the Cyclone 4) said “Operating Cyclone 4 commercially in North America will be attractive to investors and customers alike. We’re pleased at the prospect of bringing this mature launch system into commercial operation. Cyclone 4 will make a significant positive impact on the business cases of spacecraft constellation operators.”
The Cyclone 4 launch vehicle design is complete and the first flight vehicle manufacturing is nearly complete and will be ready for launch shortly. It’s estimated that with sufficient and timely funding the launch site construction will take 2.5 years since the ground systems are also designed and partially manufactured.
Yuzhnoye in Ukraine has been in operation for 62 years and has launched 875 vehicles and built and launched over 400 spacecraft. The Cyclone family of vehicles have launched successfully 221 times.
11 responses to “Ukraine Looks to Operate Cyclone 4 Launcher in North America”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Holy SS-18s in the USA Batman! …. How do they expect to operate a vehicle filled with all that toxic fuel in the US? It’s one thing for the Martin company to do it for the USAF, but ….. The Ukrainians … for money?
canada.
The Canadian Maritime provinces should be viable launch locations.
Hmm, wonder if the Come by Chance NF location is among the candidate sites.
If I were Canada, I would not turn down this gift. I’d offer launch site, and easy immigration terms to the Ukrainians involved and their families.
Speaking of, they ought to referb some of those SS-18 TEL(transporter erector launcher) and use them instead of going thru all the costs of building fancy hardstands like Americans and Europeans like to do. Just a shed with a gantry crane for mounting the rocket and a bit of concrete pad and you’d be in the launch business!
Yeah, but then you could not charge money for that SS-18 launch sequence! He’ll I’d pay money to be close to that. It’ as sexy as you can get in the rocket business. However, Cyclone launches from a pretty minimal pad as it is if memory serves correct. It shows it’s ICBM heritage in a pretty sparse pad.
This is the only way I want to see SS-19–well, Dnepr is SS-18, Tsyclon was just SS-9 (R-36)
They can keep the warhead, thank you very much
That would be suicide and they don’t have any warheads. Ukraine gave up all its nuclear weapons in exchange for NATO protecting it. So much for that…
that is NOT quite accurate. NATO was not to just protect it, BUT neither the west, nor russia were supposed to interfere with Ukraine gov.. Sadly, all have.
It would probably provoke the Russians into seizing the rest of the country.
Virginia for GEO, Canada for Orbital.