Soyuz-U-PVB

11A511U-PVB

Mission Profile

The Soyuz-U-PVB (11A511U-PVB) was a specialized variant of the Soyuz-U rocket configured for launching Yantar-class optical reconnaissance satellites into precise sun-synchronous orbits, featuring an improved upper stage for enhanced orbit insertion accuracy. Standing 51.1 m tall with a 3 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 313 tonnes, it generated 4,070 kN of liftoff thrust and could deliver 6,900 kg to low Earth orbit. First flown in March 1984, it served exclusively for Soviet and Russian military reconnaissance satellite missions throughout the late Cold War era and into the 1990s.