The Soyuz-5 medium-class carrier rocket is in the final stage of assembly. This was reported by the Russian government following a visit by Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and Head of Roscosmos Dmitry Bakanov to the Progress Rocket Space Centre in Samara.
The new rocket is designed to launch automatic spacecraft into various orbits, including geostationary. It will be able to deliver up to 17 tons of payload to low Earth orbit. The design incorporates the latest NPO Energomash engines.
Development of the Soyuz-5 began in 2017 as a replacement for the Ukrainian Zenit. In the future, its elements are planned to be used in the first stage of the Russian super-heavy rocket.
The new carrier rocket is being created to ensure the launch of automatic spacecraft into sun-synchronous, highly elliptical, geostationary transfer, and geostationary orbits
The Soyuz-5 will become a key element of the Russian space program and will expand the country's capabilities for launching heavy spacecraft. This is a step towards creating a super-heavy rocket, which is necessary for future interplanetary missions.
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