Moscow, Apr 11 (EFE).- Russia launched the Angara-A5 heavy rocket Thursday from the Vostochny cosmodrome, in the Russian Far East, after two failed attempts in recent days.
A handout picture made available 09 April 2024 by Roscosmos space corporation press service shows Angara-A5 rocket stands on the launch pad preparing for the launch at Vostochny cosmodrome outside the city of Tsiolkovsky, in the far eastern Amur region, Russia. EFE-EPA/ROSCOSMOS
The Angara-A5 took off at the scheduled time of noon at Moscow time (09:00 GMT), from launch pad 1A in the Amur region, according to Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Powered by an Orion module, the rocket with the test load will separate from the third phase of the Angara 12 minutes after its departure.
The launch was postponed Tuesday according to Yuri Borisov, head of Roscosmos, due to a problem in the pressurization system of the oxidizer tank in the central block of the rocket, while a technical failure also prevented its launch Wednesday.
This is the first test launch of this rocket from Vostochny, since the previous ones took place from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, in the Arkhangelsk region, in northern Russia.
In total, six Angara rockets, three light and three heavy, have been launched from Plesetsk in the last decade.
The Angara heavy rockets will replace the Russian Proton carrier rockets, manufactured since the mid-1960s and modernized in 2001.
The rocket’s builders predicted this week that test launches, both light and heavy, will conclude in 2025.
The Angara rocket family has oxygen-kerosene propellants and includes various load modes, from 3.5 tons to 38 tons.
Russia also postponed the launch of the Soyuz MS-25 with three crew on board on Mar. 21, a takeoff that finally took place two days later from the Kazakh Baikonur cosmodrome. EFE
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