{ "id": "ep5px63fvb", "slug": "tsiklon-2", "title": "Tsiklon-2", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "technology", "label": "Technology and the built world", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/technology" }, { "id": "technology.transport", "label": "Transport and spaceflight", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/technology.transport" }, { "id": "technology.transport.space", "label": "Spaceflight", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/technology.transport.space" }, { "id": "technology.transport.space.launch-systems", "label": "Launch systems and rocketry", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/technology.transport.space.launch-systems" }, { "id": "technology.transport.space.launch-vehicles", "label": "Launch vehicles", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/technology.transport.space.launch-vehicles" }, { "id": "technology.transport.space.launch-vehicle-families", "label": "Launch vehicle families", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/technology.transport.space.launch-vehicle-families" }, { "id": "technology.transport.space.launch-vehicle-families.soviet-russian-families", "label": "Soviet and Russian launch vehicle families", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/technology.transport.space.launch-vehicle-families.soviet-russian-families" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946.technology.transport.space.launch-systems", "label": "Eastern Europe · 1946 to 2000: Launch systems and rocketry", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946.technology.transport.space.launch-systems", "path": [ { "id": "geo.eeu", "label": "Eastern Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946", "label": "Eastern Europe · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946.technology", "label": "Technology and the built world", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946.technology" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946.technology.transport", "label": "Transport and spaceflight", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946.technology.transport" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946.technology.transport.space", "label": "Spaceflight", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946.technology.transport.space" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t1946.technology.transport.space.launch-systems", "label": "Launch systems and rocketry", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t1946.technology.transport.space.launch-systems" } ] }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t2001.technology.transport.space", "label": "Eastern Europe · 2001 to 2020: Spaceflight", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t2001.technology.transport.space", "path": [ { "id": "geo.eeu", "label": "Eastern Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t2001", "label": "Eastern Europe · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t2001.technology", "label": "Technology and the built world", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t2001.technology" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t2001.technology.transport", "label": "Transport and spaceflight", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t2001.technology.transport" }, { "id": "geo.eeu.t2001.technology.transport.space", "label": "Spaceflight", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.eeu.t2001.technology.transport.space" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Tsiklon-2, also written Tsyklon-2 and known as Tsyklon-M, was a Soviet and later Ukrainian two-stage orbital launch vehicle that flew 106 times from 1969 to 2006.", "snippet": "Tsiklon-2, also written Tsyklon-2 and known as Tsyklon-M, was a Soviet and later Ukrainian two-stage orbital launch vehicle that flew 106 times from 1969 to 2006.", "node": "technology.transport.space.launch-vehicle-families.soviet-russian-families", "markdown": "# Tsiklon-2\n\n**Tsiklon-2** (Ukrainian: Циклон-2, \"Cyclone-2\"), also written Tsyklon-2 and known as Tsyklon-M, was a two-stage Soviet and later Ukrainian orbital launch vehicle, GRAU index 11K69 and designated SL-11 by the [United States Department of Defense](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-department-of-defense). Developed by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and built by Yuzhmash as a derivative of the [R-36](https://www.edgepedia.org/r-36) intercontinental ballistic missile, it flew 106 times between 6 August 1969 and 25 June 2006, almost entirely carrying military Kosmos satellites from the [Baikonur Cosmodrome](https://www.edgepedia.org/baikonur-cosmodrome).[1](https://nextspaceflight.com/rockets/138/) • [2](https://orbitcodex.com/launch-vehicles/tsiklon-2a) • [3](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/tsiklon-2.htm)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Designations | GRAU index 11K69; US DoD designation SL-11; also called Tsyklon-M[1](https://nextspaceflight.com/rockets/138/) |\n| Origin | Derived from the R-36 (8K67, SS-9 Mod 1) ICBM with minimal modification; built by Yuzhnoye Design Bureau / Yuzhmash[2](https://orbitcodex.com/launch-vehicles/tsiklon-2a) |\n| Vehicle | Two stages; height 39.7 m; liftoff mass 182 t; liftoff thrust 2,366 kN; LEO capacity 2,820 kg[4](https://liftoff.top/rockets?manufacturer=Yuzhnoye+Design+Bureau&status=retired) |\n| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome, pads 90/19 and 90/20[3](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/tsiklon-2.htm) • [1](https://nextspaceflight.com/rockets/138/) |\n| Final flight | 25 June 2006, carrying Kosmos 2421 (US-PM #13)[5](https://spacestatsonline.com/rockets/tsyklon2/) |\n\n## Vehicle and variants\n\nThe Tsyklon-2 was a member of the Tsyklon family of expendable launch systems, which Yuzhnoye developed from its R-16 and R-36 missile designs. Its development was a direct consequence of the R-36 ICBM, from which it was minimally modified to serve as a space launch vehicle.[2](https://orbitcodex.com/launch-vehicles/tsiklon-2a) The first stage used an RD-251 cluster of three RD-250 engines plus an RD-68M steering unit, and the second stage an RD-252 with RD-69M.[3](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/tsiklon-2.htm)\n\nA precursor variant, the **Tsiklon-2A**, flew first. Its maiden flight on 27 October 1967 opened the Tsyklon family's operational history, and it made 8 flights with a low Earth orbit capacity of 3,000 kg before its last flight on 25 January 1969.[2](https://orbitcodex.com/launch-vehicles/tsiklon-2a) The baseline Tsiklon-2 configuration then took over on 6 August 1969 and remained in service for 37 years.[6](https://orbitcodex.com/launch-vehicles/tsiklon-2)\n\n## Missions\n\nNearly every Tsyklon-2 launch carried a military Kosmos satellite into low Earth orbit. Gunter's Space Page flight list shows the vehicle's workload: US-A naval reconnaissance (radar ocean reconnaissance) satellites, [US-P](https://www.edgepedia.org/us-p) electronic intelligence satellites, and their successor US-PM satellites account for the great majority of flights, alongside IS-A antisatellite test vehicles in the 1970s and 1980s and two Plasma-A satellites in 1987.[3](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/tsiklon-2.htm) The first flight carried Kosmos 291 (IS-GVM #1).[3](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/tsiklon-2.htm)\n\nFrom 1993 the vehicle flew almost exclusively US-PM satellites, at a pace of roughly one per year or two: Kosmos 2238 (US-PM #1) in March 1993 through Kosmos 2421 (US-PM #13) on 25 June 2006, all from Baikonur.[3](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/tsiklon-2.htm) • [5](https://spacestatsonline.com/rockets/tsyklon2/) The final mission, US-PM 13, concluded a 37-year operational history with a successful launch.[7](https://orbitcodex.com/operations/us-pm-13-tsiklon-2)\n\n## Reliability record\n\nThe Tsyklon-2 is noted for an exceptional reliability record. A study of orbital carrier rocket failures describes the Tsyklon family as one of the most reliable, surpassing Ariane, Delta, and Proton, and states that Tsyklon-2, together with the American Atlas II, never experienced a failure of the rocket itself.[8](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270733265_A_Study_of_Orbital_Carrier_Rocket_and_Spacecraft_Failures_2000-2009)\n\nThe single blemish in the record is disputed. The 25 April 1973 launch of Kosmos (556) (US-A #5) is marked as a failure in some databases, but the failure study states that the launch description attributes it to a failure of the payload's propulsion system, not of the Tsyklon-2 itself, in line with the manufacturer's statement.[3](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/tsiklon-2.htm) • [8](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270733265_A_Study_of_Orbital_Carrier_Rocket_and_Spacecraft_Failures_2000-2009)\n\nDatabases disagree on the totals. Next [Spaceflight](https://www.edgepedia.org/spaceflight) counts 106 missions with a 97.2% success rate (102 successes, 2 failures, 2 partial failures); Orbit Codex counts 113 flights across both configurations with a 97.3% success rate; Padside counts 105 flights with a 98.1% success rate; and Space Stats counts 105 orbital launches.[1](https://nextspaceflight.com/rockets/138/) • [6](https://orbitcodex.com/launch-vehicles/tsiklon-2) • [9](https://padside.space/rockets/tsiklon-2-443) • [5](https://spacestatsonline.com/rockets/tsyklon2/) These differences reflect how suborbital flights, the 2A variant, and the 1973 payload failure are classified.\n\n## Retirement\n\nRussia stopped purchasing the Yuzhnoye-built rocket in 2006, despite its reliability record, in favor of new-generation all-Russian carrier rockets such as the Angara and Soyuz-2, and the Tsyklon-2 was retired along with the Tsyklon-3.[10](https://club.bruxelles2.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/rapsecretcoreenordbalistique%40iiss170814.pdf) • [1](https://nextspaceflight.com/rockets/138/) The last Tsyklon-2 launch took place on 25 June 2006 from Baikonur, carrying Kosmos 2421.[5](https://spacestatsonline.com/rockets/tsyklon2/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Tsyklon-2 | Yuzhmash | Next Spaceflight](https://nextspaceflight.com/rockets/138/)\n2. [Tsiklon-2A | Launch Vehicles | Orbit Codex](https://orbitcodex.com/launch-vehicles/tsiklon-2a)\n3. [Tsiklon-2 (11K69), Gunter's Space Page](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/tsiklon-2.htm)\n4. [Rocket Catalog - Global Launch Vehicle Database - Liftoff.Top](https://liftoff.top/rockets?manufacturer=Yuzhnoye+Design+Bureau&status=retired)\n5. [Tsyklon 2 | Space Stats](https://spacestatsonline.com/rockets/tsyklon2/)\n6. [Tsiklon-2 — Variants, Launch History & Success Rate | Orbit Codex](https://orbitcodex.com/launch-vehicles/tsiklon-2)\n7. [US-PM 13 — Tsiklon-2 | Orbit Codex](https://orbitcodex.com/operations/us-pm-13-tsiklon-2)\n8. [A Study of Orbital Carrier Rocket and Spacecraft Failures: 2000-2009](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270733265_A_Study_of_Orbital_Carrier_Rocket_and_Spacecraft_Failures_2000-2009)\n9. [Tsiklon-2 — spec sheet & flight record · Padside](https://padside.space/rockets/tsiklon-2-443)\n10. [IISS report on North Korean ballistic missile development (referencing Tsiklon-2 retirement)](https://club.bruxelles2.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/rapsecretcoreenordbalistique%40iiss170814.pdf)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Spaceflight › Launch systems and rocketry › Launch vehicles › Launch vehicle families › Soviet and Russian launch vehicle families*\n\n*Initially written Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/tsiklon-2", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/tsiklon-2.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Tsiklon-2\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/tsiklon-2. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Tsiklon-2](https://www.edgepedia.org/tsiklon-2)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/tsiklon-2](https://www.edgepedia.org/tsiklon-2). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Tsiklon-2\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/tsiklon-2. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Tsiklon-2, also written Tsyklon-2 and known as Tsyklon-M, was a Soviet and later Ukrainian two-stage orbital launch vehicle that flew 106 times from 1969 to 2006." }