this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2023
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I always suspected that it was just a missile painted like a rocket.
It launched on a soyuz, which has an extremely long history. It first launched in 67. All rockets back then had icbm roots or aspirations. But for a long time all icbms use solid propellent for better long term storage rather than liquid propellant like soyuz.
I hear you saying that they're very similar platforms. I'm saying that the neccesary differences that would make it a scientific rocket were simply missing, an empty shell, a smokeshow.
What differences? The difference between icbms and rockets to launch to space is usually the time it takes to get the rocket ready to launch, and how long it can be stored for.
Scientific instruments, sufficient navigation technology, communications
That's on the satellite itself, not the launch vehicle. As far as I know, there's no commonality between the lander and the multiple reentry vehicle upper stages of rockets. Here's more about the lander: https://youtu.be/XM8bJsqCLYQ