Preparations for flight tests of the newest Russian Soyuz-5 rocket carrier have begun at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. This was reported by Roscosmos.
The rocket units have already been delivered to the assembly and testing facility, where specialists will assemble it and prepare it for launch, scheduled for the end of 2025.
The Soyuz-5 rocket is being created as part of the joint Kazakh-Russian project "Baiterek". The main developer is RKK Energia. The new medium-class carrier is being developed under the Feniks ROC program and is equipped with an RD-171MV engine. This is a two-stage rocket capable of launching up to 17 tons of payload into a reference orbit. The launch will be carried out from the Baiterek launch complex, previously used for Zenit rockets.
The rocket traveled almost 1500 km from Samara (RCC Progress) to Baikonur. Transportation was carried out in specially equipped railway cars, which provide mechanical protection of the structure and comply with the dimensions of the railway network. Before transportation, covers and protective plugs of red color were installed on the rocket, which will be removed before launch.
