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The information here is based on writings in 1991 and is dated but still generally correct
The Zenit (SL-16, Type J) was a new medium lift booster and its first stage was used for the Energia booster stap-on's. It was developed at the Yuzhnoye (southern) Scientific Production Association in 1985.
In the mid-1970s, development got under way of a unique, new-generation launcher. Ecologically clean, capable at a launch weight of 459 tons of putting a satellite weighing 16 tons into orbit.
The Zenit first stage had a single four nozzle RD-171 engine that used LOX-Kerosene as propellant. 804,000 kg. thrust for first stage, 93,000 kg. thrust second stage. The RD-171 engines four nozzles were supplied by a single 250,000 horse power turbo pump, in a design much like the RD-107 on the Soyuz booster. The engine is a varient of the RD-170 designed for the Energia.
Glushko guided the design of the engine and over a period of 15 years it was developed with a staff of hundeds of workers. The engine produced about 740,000 kg. to 806,000 kg. vacuum thrust each. Glushko said that the biggest problem in developing the RD-170 was eliminating high frequency pressure oscillations in the engine which demanded most of the time and money allocated. 900 test firings of the entire engine were carried out during its development program.
Adding a newly designed kerosene/LOX second stage with an RD-120 engine made the booster into the Zenit 2. The Zenit 3 version added the Block-D third stage (See Proton) to the booster with 8500 kg. thrust. In 1990, the Zenit 3 was scheduled for testing for 1993 but it never came about due to low demand until the Sea Launch project adopted it.
The Zenit is carried to the launch pad on a rail car/erector combination similar to the Proton. The booster was designed to be assembled in 10 working days, to be storable in that configuration for up to a year, and payload integration took 10 days for the booster and 4.5 days for a standard payload. After 24 hours of preperation on the pad the booster is ready to launch. Booster is 3.9 m diameter, 57 m long, inside payload shroud diameter is 3.4 meters, length 8.37 or 7.3 m depending on upper stage.
The Zenit booster was tested in at least four sub-orbital tests in 1985 (one on April 13). The first orbital launch of a Zenit was on June 21, 1985, and was the unintentional result of a sub-orbital test in which the upper stage exploded with some resulting pieces pushed into a 64.4° orbit, a characteristic of a launch from Baykonur. The Soviets were unaware of this and the pieces became the first unannounced launch in many years. The second orbital test was Kosmos 1697, the third was Kosmos 1714. Kosmos 1767 in July 30, 1986, and Kosmos 1786 were the fourth and fifth orbital test flights. The next tests were Kosmos 1820 and 1833.
Kosmos 1697 and 1714 were probably ELINT satellites (but 1714 was stranded in a low orbit after the upper stage failed to restart and 1767 showed no activity. Kosmos 1786 was put into a highly elliptical orbit and probably failed to restart to circularize at 2560 km. All the missions seem to leave four objects in orbit before separating the upper stage from the payload.
The Zenit program was downscaled by 1990 eliminating some payloads and delaying others mainly due to the slowdown in Energia operations. On Oct. 4, 1990 a Zenit launch failed shortly after launch due to an explosion in the first stage.
The Zenit also introduced a revolution in launch pad systems witha highly automated system allowing for 10 times faster than comparable Proton preperations.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service, USSR, Space, JPRS-USP-90-002, May 15, 1990, Joint Publications Research Service, pp. 59
Moscow EKONOMlKA I ZHIZN in Russian No 42, Oct 91 p 11, by M. Arkhipov, senior officer of press corps for space units, USSR Ministry of Defense, under the rubric "Problems of Conversion": Where Did 'Zenit' Run Off To?", JPRS USP-92 001, 27 January 1992
"Rocket Space Transportation Systems Produced by Yuzhnoye Rocket-Space Association", by YA Smetanin, IAF-92-0862, Aug, 28, 1992
Moscow Television Service in Russian 0630 GMT I Dec 90, [From the "Man, Earth, Universe" by USSR Pilot-Cosmonaut V.I. Sevastyanov, FBIS-UPS-91-001
Foregin Broadcast Information Service, USSR, Space, JPRS-USP-90-003, July 30, 1990, Joint Publications Research Service, pp. 59
"Reach for the Sky." Pravda International, Vol. 2 , No. 10, Fall, 1988
Foreign Broadcast Information Service, USSR, Space, JPRS-USP-90-002, May 15, 1990, Joint Publications Research Service, pp. 59
Foregin Broadcast Information Service, USSR, Space, JPRS-USP-89-010, Nov. 22, 1989, Joint Publications Research Service, pp. 44
Foreign Broadcast Information Service, USSR, Space, JPRS-USP-90-001, March 15, 1990, Joint Publications Research Service, pp. 59
Mishin V.P., "Why Didn't We Fly to the Moon.", Novoye V Zhizni, Nauke, Tekhnike: Seriya Kosmonavtika, Astromomiya, No.12, 1990, pp3-43
Asker, James. "Australians Pitch Cape York Complex as Best Way to Ease Sovites into Luanch Market." Aviation Week & ST, April 9, 1990, pp. 25
"Zenit to Fly From Cape York." Spaceflight, Vol. 32, May, 1990, pp. 148
"Rocket Space Transportation Systems Produced by Yuzhnoye Rocket-Space Association", by YA Smetanin, IAF-92-0862, Aug, 28, 1992
Clark, Phillip S. The Soviet Manned Space Program. NewYork : Orion, pp. 166
Clark, Phillip S. "Soviet Space Activity, 1985-1986." Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, Vol. 40, No. 5, May, 1987, pp. 220
"Zenit to Fly From Cape York." Spaceflight, Vol. 32, May, 1990, pp. 148
"News Breaks." Aviation Week & ST, Oct. 15, 1990, pp. 17
Moscow IZVESTIYA in Russian, 11 Oct 90 p 3, [TASS Report: "At the Baykonur Cosmodrome", FBIS-UPS-90-005, Nov, 26, 1990
Moscow KRASNAYA ZVEZDA 23 Mar 91 First Edition p 5, by Colonel M. Rebrov: "Profile of a General Designer: The Owl of Minerva Appears at Night", FBIS-UPS-91-003, 6/26/91
Moscow KRASNA YA ZVEZDA in Russian 30 Jul 91 First Edition p 4 ["Reportage From the Cosmodrome" by KRASNAYA ZVEZDA correspondent Lieutenant Colonel A. Voro- byev: "Zenit": Postponed Launch"FBIS-UPS-91-004, 8/20/91
Moscow KRASNAYA ZVEZDA in Russian 31 Aug 91 p. 2 [Interview with F. Chelkis and I. Pisarev, experts from the Energomash Scientific-Production Association and Yuzhnoye Scientific-Production Association, by M. Fedorov; place and date not given: "What Happened With the Zenit?], FBIS-UPS-91-004, 8/20/91
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