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Zenit Launch Vehicle Family

Zenit was a Soviet and Ukrainian medium-lift launch-vehicle lineage designed by Yuzhnoye and manufactured by Yuzhmash. Its high-performance kerosene and liquid-oxygen two-stage base flew from Baikonur, supported the international Sea Launch and Land Launch programmes, and supplied the technology used for Energia’s strap-on boosters.

Zenit Launch Vehicle Family
jurvetson · CC BY 2.0; the exact Wikimedia Commons record identifies jurvetson as the photographer/source of this byte-matched Zenit-3SL launch photograph, links the original Flickr record, and records that the CC BY 2.0 status was reviewed and confirmed. Credit jurvetson, link the source and licence, and indicate changes if modified. This licence does not grant trademark, logo, personality, or other third-party rights; do not imply photographer or Sea Launch endorsement. · Source
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Identity

Aliases
Zenit rocket family11K77 familyЗенитЗеніт
Family Name
Zenit
Full Name
Zenit Launch Vehicle Family
Status
retired
Type
rocket

Details

Description
Zenit was a Soviet and Ukrainian medium-lift launch-vehicle lineage designed by Yuzhnoye and manufactured by Yuzhmash. Its high-performance kerosene and liquid-oxygen two-stage base flew from Baikonur, supported the international Sea Launch and Land Launch programmes, and supplied the technology used for Energia’s strap-on boosters.
First Flight Year
1,985
Last Flight Year
2,017
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      first-stage
      Variant Notes
      One exact four-chamber RD-171 engine powers the Zenit-2 first stage.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      second-stage
      Variant Notes
      One exact RD-120 sustainer engine powers the Zenit-2 second stage.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      attitude-control
      Stage
      second-stage
      Variant Notes
      One exact RD-8 steering engine controls the Zenit-2 second stage after RD-120 cutoff; it is not counted as a second main engine.
    Name
    Zenit-2 base configuration
    Notes
    Exact two-stage Zenit-2 base alternative: one RD-171 first-stage main engine, one RD-120 second-stage main engine, and one RD-8 second-stage steering engine. Zenit-3SL, Land Launch, and other later variants with distinct upper stages or modernized RD-171M remain separately represented or intentionally unmodeled.
Rocket Specs
Reusability
expendable

Links

Official Url
https://yuzhmash.com/ua/richnitsya-proyektu-energiya-buran/
Wikipedia Url
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenit_(rocket_family)

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
July 13, 2026 at 10:46:21 UTC
Updated Time
August 1, 2026 at 15:10:12 UTC
Image
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Zenit Launch Vehicle Family - AeroVia