Russia Launches Angara-A5 Space Rocket

On Thursday, a Russian space rocket launched on a test flight of the third attempt, after previous efforts earlier this week were cancelled in the closing seconds of the countdown.

The flagship Angara A5, a powerful spacecraft built to carry heavy payloads into low Earth orbit, launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East.

Shortly after the launch, the Roscosmos space agency said, “The rocket worked according to plan. The upper stage separated … and is currently putting the test payload into target orbit”.

According to Roscosmos, launch attempts on Tuesday and Wednesday were cancelled due to a failure in a pressurising system in an oxidiser tank and the engine control system.

Russia’s space programme has suffered several high-profile setbacks in recent years.

Last month Russia postponed the launch of a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) until the last minute.

On that occasion, three astronauts from Russia, Belarus and the United States were strapped in and preparing for take-off when a voltage dip caused an automatic shutdown seconds before launch.

The launch took place two days later.

And last year, Russia’s first mission to the moon in nearly 50 years failed after a lander collided with the lunar surface.

Russia’s development of the Angara A-5, a heavy booster rocket designed to transport tonnes of equipment into space, has also been delayed.

It has only had three previous test launches in the last decade, one of which was a partial failure.

Russia intends to use its cargo capacities to send modules for a rival to the ISS, which it aims to build in the coming years.

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