Новейшую российскую ракету «Союз-5» раскритиковали в США

According to the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov, whose statement attracted the attention of American journalist and space observer for Ars Technica, Eric Berger, the first flight of the promising two-stage Russian medium-class rocket "Soyuz-5" is expected by the end of this year.

Yes, we are planning the launch for December, everything is ready.

Dmitry Bakanov, head of the state corporation "Roscosmos"

According to Berger, "Soyuz-5" is not a breakthrough development. Despite a decade of development, it remains disposable, which distinguishes it from promising medium-class launch vehicles that are being developed with an emphasis on reusability.

According to the observer, "Soyuz-5" is an enlarged modification of the "Zenit-2" rocket, which was produced at the Ukrainian "Yuzhmash" plant. The first and second stages of "Zenit" were also produced there. However, the first stage engine, the extremely powerful RD-171, was developed and manufactured in Russia by NPO Energomash. The medium-lift rocket, which appeared in the 1980s and made many flights until the 2010s, became the last major Soviet development.

The key feature of the "Soyuz-5" rocket is its RD-171MV engine. It represents the development of technologies originally created for the Soviet "Energiya" program — the carrier of the "Buran" space shuttle. An earlier version, the RD-171, was used on "Zenit" rockets. The new modification completely abandoned Ukrainian components.

These engines, using kerosene and liquid oxygen, have a thrust three times greater than the main engine of the NASA space shuttle. This makes them the most powerful liquid rocket engines in the world.

Despite the fact that "Soyuz-5" will be able to put up to 17 tons into low Earth orbit, the main question is its commercial success and ability to attract foreign customers. The cost of putting a kilogram of payload into LEO for "Soyuz-5" is estimated at 300 thousand rubles. For comparison, the American competitor SpaceX with its partially reusable Falcon 9 rocket offers a similar service for 2939 US dollars, which at the current exchange rate is just over 230 thousand rubles.