New Delhi: Russia successfully conducted the test launch of its Angara-A5 rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome on Thursday. This achievement comes after a series of technical glitches forced officials to abort missions in the last two days.
The Angara-A5, a post-Soviet launch vehicle, represents Russia’s renewed space ambitions. The launch also underscores the growing significance of the Vostochny which sits in the forests of the Amur region in Russia’s Far East.
The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, declared the flight as “normal.” All systems operated as expected. Within minutes, the rocket achieved speeds exceeding 25,000 kilometres per hour and successfully entered orbit.
Notably, the previous day a test launch was canceled due to an engine launch control system malfunctioned. Despite this setback, Russia remains committed to the Angara project, initiated in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991. The Angara launch vehicle ensures access to space, even without relying on the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which Russia leases from Kazakhstan.
“With this launch, flight design tests of the Amur space rocket complex with Angara heavy-class launch vehicles on Vostochny began,” Roscosmos said. The Angara-A5’s test flight occurred in 2014, followed by another mission in 2020, both launched from the Plesetsk
Roscosmos added that the Angara-A5 is significantly more environmentally friendly than Russia’s Proton M heavy-lift rocket, which has been operational since the mid-1960s.
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