The launch of the new Soyuz-5 launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome has been postponed again after a technical malfunction was detected in the second stage system.
The first test launch of the rocket was supposed to take place on April 29, but the launch was canceled due to a pressure drop in the oxidizer tanks. Later, it was attempted to reschedule it for the next day, but the launch was again postponed due to the need for additional checks of the launch complex equipment and the rocket itself.
Initially, the launch was planned for March 27, but the dates were repeatedly shifted due to technical reasons. After the rocket was delivered to the launch pad and placed in a vertical position, specialists carried out a series of preparatory operations, but they failed to complete the launch preparations within the scheduled timeframe.
Soyuz-5, also known as Sunkar and previously designated Irtysh, is being developed as part of the joint Russian-Kazakhstani Bauterek project. The rocket is being built at the RKTs Progress enterprise in Samara and uses naphthyl and liquid oxygen as fuel.
