In a much-anticipated moment in Moscow, Russia’s freshly minted heavy-lift rocket christened the skies above the Far Eastern space complex this Thursday. After a pair of botched launch attempts dampened by system failures earlier in the week, the successful blast-off ushered in a new era for Russia’s space exploration endeavors.
This week carried the promise of the first departure of the Angara-A5 rocket from the Vostochny spaceport. However, a systematic hiccup with the pressurization system that feeds the central block’s oxidizer tank forced a halt to Tuesday’s proceedings just two minutes shy of the scheduled lift-off.
Following the first setback, the team found itself grappling with a second on Wednesday. The automatic safety mechanism of the colossal space vehicle detected a flaw in the engine start control mechanism, thwarting the launch in its tracks. Work was immediately rolled out to rectify the issue. Yuri Borisov, at the helm of Russia’s state-run space corporation, Roscosmos, noted that the hitch was believed to stem from a programming error.
Thursday marked the fourth journey skyward for the Angara-A5, the heavy-lift sibling of the nascent Angara family of spacecraft. Designed to usher in the post-Soviet Proton rocket era, the launch was eagerly awaited. It’s worth noting that the repertoire of the Angara-A5 includes three previous take-offs, each carried out with precision from the Plesetsk launchpad, cast against the backdrop of the sweeping landscapes of northwestern Russia.
The disbanding of the Soviet Union in 1991 did little to snap Russia’s space voyage endeavors. With the Baikonur Cosmodrome nestled in Kazakhstan leased under Russia’s aegis, the nation continued to soar to the cosmos from this site. The agreement inked between Russia and Kazakhstan allows for the Baikonur Cosmodrome’s lease to be upheld at a cost of $115 million annually until the year 2050.
However, as the Roscosmos continued their patronage of Baikonur, the Russian authorities were eyeing Vostochny as the ideal launchpad for the Angara family of rockets. Yet, the development of the Vostochny spaceport has lagged behind its intended schedule, with the site only seeing a smattering of use so far.
In the same vein, the fabrication of the Angara-A5 has been no stranger to delays and hurdles, routinely falling behind schedule. This vehicle is pegged as the future of Russia’s ambitious lunar research program. Embodying the spirit of its predecessor – the Soviet-era Proton, the newly crafted rocket will specialize in propelling intelligence and communication satellites toward their geostationary orbits.
