Russian heavy-lift launch vehicle Angara-A5 launched from Vostochny. The flight is proceeding as normal.
This is the third launch attempt of Angara-A5. The launch was scheduled for noon Moscow time on April 9, with several backup dates. On the first day, the launch was canceled two minutes before the start, the reason was a failure in the pressurization system of the oxidizer tank of the central block.
A day later, on April 10, they tried to launch again at Vostochny. But it also was canceled in the last minutes: the automation worked. According to Yuri Borisov, head of the state corporation, according to preliminary data, the reason was related to a failure in the engine launch control system.
The fact that two launches were canceled in a row for technical reasons, according to the head of the space agency, is normal and there is no need to worry: the Amur space rocket complex, which includes Angara-A5, is just beginning its tests, and it is better to identify and eliminate all the nuances now.
Irreversible processes requiring the removal of the launch vehicle from the launch complex did not occur. Therefore, the launch was rescheduled for the same time, noon
Angara A-5 is the first Russian heavy rocket to fly from Vostochny. It weighs 761 tons, the Orion upper stage weighs 22.1 tons, and the payload that can be put into near-Earth orbit thanks to this rocket is 24-24.5 tons. For the Angara family, a separate launch complex was built from scratch in five years.
The heavy Angara A-5, among other things, is entrusted with the tasks of transporting modules of the Russian Orbital Station into orbit and launching manned spacecraft to it. The leadership of Roscosmos plans to build about eight heavy Angara-A5 rockets plus some light Angara-1.2 rockets per year in the coming years.
