The "Soyuz-2.1a" launch vehicle lifted off from the launch pad of the Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome on April 3, 2026, at 09:28 Moscow time. The first and second stage engines – RD-107A and RD-108A manufactured by the Samara-based enterprise ODK-Kuznetsov (part of the United Engine Corporation of Rostec) – operated normally and placed the spacecraft into the target orbit at the calculated time. Specialists from the ODK-Kuznetsov service center participated in the preparation of the rocket for launch and monitored the operating parameters of the power plants.
The RD-107A (installed on the first stage) develops a thrust of 85.6 tons on Earth, with a specific impulse in vacuum of 320.2 s. The RD-108A (second stage) has a thrust of 80.8 tons and a specific impulse of 320.6 s. These engines equip the first and second stages of all rockets in the "Soyuz" family.
All domestic manned launches, starting with Yuri Gagarin's flight on April 12, 1961, have been powered by power plants manufactured at the Samara enterprise. More than 12,000 serial rocket engines have rolled off the factory's assembly line, and 2,016 launches of space rockets with RD-107/RD-108 engines have been carried out. ODK's share in the rocket engine segment of the Russian market exceeds 80%, and in manned launches – 100%. The statistical reliability of the engines is 99.9%.
The RD-107 and RD-108 engines, created in the late 1950s, have undergone multiple modernizations (version A). They remain among the most reliable liquid-propellant rocket engines in the world. The thrust and specific impulse of modern modifications allow for the placement of up to 7.5 tons of payload into low Earth orbit. A reliability indicator of 99.9% means one failure per thousand launches – in fact, the engines do not fail for decades.
The successful launch from Plesetsk confirms the trouble-free operation of a key element of the Russian space infrastructure – engines for the "Soyuz" rockets. Not only the commercial and military satellite constellation, but also manned programs (docking with the ISS, future flights to the Russian Orbital Station) depend on their uninterrupted functioning. A 100% share in manned launches underscores complete import substitution in a critically important area.
The Aerospace Forces carried out a successful launch of the "Soyuz-2.1a" rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, located in the Arkhangelsk region. The launch occurred on April 3 at 9:28 Moscow time.
