The Angara-A5 is designed to deliver equipment into space, according to Roscosmos
Russia has launched its Angara-A5 heavy-lift rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Far East for the first time, the country’s space agency Roscosmos announced on Thursday.
The previous three Angara-A5 launches took place at Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
The launch was initially scheduled for Tuesday, but two take-offs were canceled at the last minute due to a failure in a pressurizing system in an oxidizer tank and the engine control system, according to Roscosmos head Yury Borisov.
Thursday’s successful launch took place a day before Russia celebrates Cosmonaut Day, which marks the anniversary of Yury Gagarin’s historic flight 63 years ago, which made him the first man in space.
The launch put a test load in low orbit as part of Russia’s efforts to develop a new space booster.
“Today, the Orion upper stage, launched by the first Angara-A5 launch vehicle, delivered the Gagarinets lightweight satellite into low Earth orbit,” Roscosmos said in a social media post shortly after the launch, adding that “the rocket worked according to plan.”
“With this launch, flight design tests of the Amur space rocket complex, with Angara heavy-class launch vehicles at Vostochny begins,” the agency announced.