The Russian Soyuz-5 launch vehicle did not become a continuation or deep modernization of the Soviet Zenit. It is a completely new development with different engineering solutions and component base. This was announced by Vyacheslav Smolenko, former CEO of the Russian industrial group Yuzhmash.
It's a new rocket, completely new.
According to him, comparing Soyuz-5 with Zenit is incorrect, since different technological approaches were used in the creation of the new rocket. Smolenko noted that the launch vehicle was developed practically from scratch and does not repeat the previous design.
He also recalled that the Zenit project was lost to Ukraine after the breakdown of cooperation with Russia. According to the former head of Yuzhmash, the rocket was considered one of the most efficient in the world due to the combination of launch cost, payload, and ease of operation.
The first launch of the medium-class Soyuz-5 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome took place on April 30.
