NPO Lavochkin (Russian: НПО Лавочкина, OKB-301,[3][circular reference] also called Lavochkin Research and Production Association or shortly Lavochkin Association, LA) is a Russian aerospace company. It is a major player in the Russian space program, being the developer and manufacturer of the Fregat upper stage, as well as interplanetary probes such as Fobos-Grunt. As of 2015, it was headed by Sergei Lemeshevskii.[4] On 10 August 2017 the Lavochkin Association's Board of Directors appointed Vladimir Kolmykov Director General of the enterprise.
 | |
| Formerly | OKB-301 |
|---|---|
| Company type | State-owned company |
| Industry | Space industry Aerospace industry Defense industry |
| Founded | 1937 |
| Headquarters | Khimki, Moscow region, Russia |
Key people |
|
| Products | Spacecraft, space probes, satellites, aircraft, missiles, ballistic missiles |
| Revenue | $275 million[1] (2017) |
| $8.54 million[1] (2017) | |
| $8.16 million[1] (2017) | |
| Total assets | $862 million[1] (2017) |
| Total equity | $154 million[1] (2017) |
Number of employees | 5000 |
| Parent | Roscosmos[2] |
| Website | www |
Overview
editThe company develops and manufactures spacecraft such as the Fregat rocket upper stages, satellites and interplanetary probes. It is a contractor for a number of military programs, such as the Oko early warning satellite, Prognoz and Araks programmes as well as the civilian program Kupon. One of the company's most notable projects was the participation in the failed Fobos-Grunt sample return mission.[5] NPO Lavochkin has also developed the Elektro–L series of new-generation weather satellites, as well as the Navigator standardised satellite platform, which will serve as the basis for several future Russian satellites.[6]
History
editThe company was founded in 1937 as OKB-301, a Soviet aircraft design bureau (OKB). The head designer was Vladimir P. Gorbunov, supported by Mikhail Gudkov and Semyon Lavochkin. In October 1945 Lavochkin was promoted for the head designer of the design bureau. The bureau gained distinction for its family of piston-engined fighter aircraft during World War II, and later shifted to missile and jet fighter designs. Following the death of the head designer, the OKB-301 succumbed to the growing power of Vladimir Chelomey and became OKB-52 Branch No. 3 on 18 December 1962.[7]: 300 Later, it turned to work on interplanetary probe designs for Luna sample return program, the Lunokhod program, Vega program, Phobos program, etc. The former OKB-301 became named NPO Lavochkin.
In January 2012, officials of Lavochkin faced administrative punishment for not taking[clarification needed] into account of designing the computer system after the crash of Russia's Mars moon spacecraft Fobos-Grunt.[8]
Projects
editAircraft
editRockets and missiles
edit- S-25 Berkut (SA-1 "Guild") - surface-to-air missile
- S-75 Dvina (SA-2 "Guideline") - surface-to-air missile
- La-205 is V-300, a SAM for S-25 air defense system
- La-350 Burya - intercontinental cruise missile
- La-400 DAL - surface to air missile[9][10]
- Fregat - upper stage
Spacecraft
edit- Astron
- Elektro-L - satellite
- Fobos-Grunt - space probe
- Granat - satellite
- Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment - space probe
- Luna programme
- Lunokhod programme
- Mars program
- Mars-96
- Oko - missile early warning satellite.
- Spektr-R - space radio telescope satellite, dedicated to very Long Baseline Interferometry
- Spektr-RG - space observatory satellite
- US-K - satellite
- US-KMO - satellite
- US-KS - satellite
- Venera program
- Vega program
Future projects
edit- Luna-Glob
- Mars-Grunt - space probe
Designers and engineers
edit- Georgy Babakin
- Semyon Lavochkin
- Yuri Koptev, later director of Roscosmos, worked at Lavochkin from 1965
Awards
edit- 1944 — Order of Lenin: for the creation of new types of fighter aircraft during the Great Patriotic War (the OKB-21 team led by S. A. Lavochkin in Gorky).
- 1956 — Order of the Red Banner of Labour: for the successful completion of the government's task to create special equipment.
- 1971 — Order of the Red Banner of Labour: for the successful implementation of the five-year plan and the organization of production of new equipment.
Museum
editThe S. A. Lavochkin NGO has its own museum. It was founded on June 25, 1965. Museum address: 24 Leningradskaya str., Khimki, Moscow region, 141400. The visit is only subject to prior requests.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Бухгалтерская отчётность". Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ "О мерах по созданию Государственной корпорации по космической деятельности "Роскосмос"". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
- ^ "OKB".
- ^ "Acting Director General of NPO Lavochkin appointed Sergei Lemeshev". News in Russian. 2015-08-07. Retrieved 2016-01-12.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Harvey, Brian (2007). "The design bureaus". The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program (1st ed.). Germany: Springer. ISBN 978-0-387-71354-0.
- ^ "Russia meteo satellite Electro-L successfully orbited". ITAR-TASS. 2011-01-21. Archived from the original on 2011-01-22.
- ^ Siddiqi, Asif A. Challenge To Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945–1974, part I. NASA.
- ^ "Phobos-Grunt chips supposedly were counterfeit". ITAR-TASS. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "Defending the Kremlin: The First Generation of Soviet Strategic Air Defense Systems 1950-60 by Steven J. Zaloga".
- ^ Lardier, Christian; Barensky, Stefan (2018-03-27). The Proton Launcher: History and Developments. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781786301765.
- ^ "Музей". www.laspace.ru. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
Further reading
edit- William H Mott, Robert B Sheldon, L Philip Sheldon (2000). Laser Satellite Communication: The Third Generation. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 132. ISBN 1-56720-329-9
- GlobalSecurity.org - http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/russia/npolav.htm