The Angara-A5 heavy launch vehicle lifted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome for its initial flight, according to Roscosmos.”
“The launch vehicle performed as expected, the upper stage separated from the third stage and is now placing the test payload into the designated orbit,” the state company stated.
Angara-A5 carried the Orion upper stage, which was tasked with delivering the Gagarinets small spacecraft, created by Avant Space, into low Earth orbit.
Ivan Moiseev, head of the Space Policy Institute, told socialbites.ca that it is premature to declare success for Gagarinets and that formal updates from Roscosmos are awaited.
The Kremlin extended congratulations to the rocket industry team on the milestone. “We all join in expressing our congratulations to our rocket scientists who launched the Angara. We rejoice with them.” said Dmitry Peskov, the presidential press secretary.
No shows or fireworks
“It was a tough three days,” Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov told reporters. “This isn’t a television stunt or a fireworks display. It is a routine, demanding operation.”
According to Borisov, the launch marks the start of flight tests for the Amur missile system using Angara missiles at Vostochny.
“We have begun the flight design tests to identify all shortcomings and nuances, ensuring the reliability of future Angara pre-production launches,” said the Roscosmos director general. He noted the missile has not yet reached the required level of readiness.
“This is the fourth heavyweight Angara launch in ten years. The rocket is still progressing toward readiness, which is normal for a new spaceport and a new automated launch system,” he added.
Borisov also acknowledged that more work remains on the Angara A5 and suggested that a manned spacecraft could launch in 2028.
Ivan Moiseev emphasized that manned missions require dedicated infrastructure and safety measures to protect crews in case of an anomaly. He described the Eagle (Federation) as the next-generation spacecraft being developed to accompany future launches. While a full ship is under construction, a mockup exists at Energia. He then tempered expectations, noting that a 2028 timeline remains possible but contingent on completing the ship and the supporting systems.
Launch delayed twice
The initial April 9 launch was scrubbed two minutes before liftoff due to an automated stop linked to a malfunction in the pressurization system of the central oxidizer-tank unit.
On April 10, Angara A5 did not fly again, this time because of a fault in the engine-start control system.
“Such serial issues are not unusual with a new rocket and a new program. It’s an ordinary phase of development, especially here at a brand-new spaceport”, commented Ivan Moiseev, head of the Space Policy Institute, to socialbites.ca.
Roscosmos also highlighted environmental considerations, stating that Angara-A5 is designed to be more eco-friendly and does not utilize the toxic propellants associated with the Proton-M system it replaces.
The launcher was developed by the State Space Research and Production Center named after MV Khrunichev, with the Orion upper stage produced by Energia named after SP Korolev, both units of Roscosmos.