Ioonos

Competition during the Cold War

After the Second World War, the world was dominated by the giants of America and Russia, who struggled fiercely in all possible spheres of influence. It was a matter of showing each other how powerful they were, and that they could strike a blow at their rival if they desired, even at a great distance. As a result of this ballistic missiles were developed, in the wake of the German V2" >V2 rocket of the Second World War. These missiles became increasingly impressive: propelled by rocket engines, they acquired ever greater power and range, eventually becoming intercontinental or, in other words, capable of crossing oceans.

Good ideas get recycled!

Each new technical development in the field of aerospace requires an average of ten year’s work. So engineers, when they began the conquest of space, initially used knowledge and techniques that had been acquired in the development of military missiles. Thus the first two commercial American launchers, Atlas and Delta, were built on the basis of two military missiles: the first on the Atlas missile, an intercontinental missile with a range of 10,000 km, to which a half-stage was added; the second on the Thor missile, which served as the first stage.

Soyuz: simplicity and secrecy

The Soviet Union also used its military experience. Its most famous “Soyuz” launcher was based on the Zemiorka intercontinental missile. Initially a Zemiorka missile was all that was used to provide propulsion. Then, in order to improve its performance, the Russians added another stage to Soyuz. The technology of this historical launcher does not seem to have evolved much over time, but information on this remains sparse. The fact remains that, due to its reliability, it was to become a legend. Today, it is actively involved in the construction and life of the ISS legend: a veritable symbol of the conquest of space.