The Soyuz (pronounced "Soy-YOOZE") expendable space booster is due for a pair of upgrades that will make it even more competitive and cost effective, according to the French-led Starsem consortium. Russian rockets by tradition and design are more robust and often more reliable than their western counterparts. With launching sites on the barren Eurasian steppes and countdowns in sub-zero cold and blowing snow, these rockets carry both human passengers and cargo with nearly to-the-second accuracy and a success rate better than 96 percent.

The Soyuz, a succeeding generation of the R-7 rocket first tested in 1957, made its first test flight the week before President John F. Kennedys assassination in November, 1963. Now after nearly 36 years and more than 1,500 launches, the Starsem group is offering new versions of the booster to commercial clients. One new version will use a brand new upper stage called Fregat (pronounced "Free-gat") that will be capable of being fired in space up to 20 times. Derived from the upper stage rocket flown on Russian Mars missions, the unit will boost the Soyuzs lifting power by nearly 20 percent.

A second advanced version, called the Soyuz-ST, is also being developed. It will feature a new digital control system, new payload covers, and redesigned rocket engines in the vehicles first and second stages. The improved performance will make the Soyuz more competitive with such western launchers as Delta II, Delta III, and Atlas II. The Soyuz, like its competitors, uses all-liquid rocket engines and stages.

Soyuz vehicles have a perfect flight record on commercial launches. Rockets flew on February 9, March 15, and April 15 carrying Globalstar small communications satellites. The new Soyuz-Fregat will get its first commercial test carrying European Cluster satellites on a pair of flights between May and August of next year. Another launch contract was announced last month at the Paris Air Show, for the Mars Express mission by Europes space agency. Yuri Gagarin might not recognize his old booster, but the upgrades will likely keep it flying well into the 21 century.