Moscow
A new heavy-lift rocket was successfully test-launched by Russia on Thursday from its Far Eastern space complex. This launch followed two unsuccessful attempts earlier in the week. The first attempt on Tuesday was canceled due to a failure in the pressurization system of the oxidizer tank. The second attempt on Wednesday was aborted by the automatic safety system due to a flaw in the engine start control mechanism, possibly caused by a programming error.
Thursday’s launch marked the fourth for the Angara-A5, part of the new Angara family of rockets developed to replace the Soviet-designed Proton rockets. Unlike the previous three launches carried out from the Plesetsk launchpad in northwestern Russia, this launch took place from the Vostochny spaceport.
Following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia continued to lease the Baikonur Cosmodrome from Kazakhstan for most of its space launches. However, Russian authorities have developed Vostochny as the preferred facility for Angara launches. Despite delays in its construction, Vostochny has been increasingly utilized, albeit to a limited extent.
