The domestic eight-core processor of the Elbrus family was first used in the control system of the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle. This was announced by the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov, at the Microelectronics-2026 forum. As specified by the state corporation, the processor is used in the ground segment of the 'onboard-ground' control complex.
The transition to Elbrus required redeveloping the entire software complex for the new architecture. According to Bakanov, after the implementation of the solution, the system's power consumption decreased and data transfer speed increased.
The exact model of the eight-core Elbrus processor installed in the Soyuz-5 control system has not yet been publicly disclosed. Roscosmos also does not provide quantitative data on the reduction in power consumption and the increase in data transfer speed.
Two more Soyuz-5 rockets, whose tests are scheduled for 2027, are also expected to be equipped with Elbrus-based solutions.
The first test launch of Soyuz-5 took place on April 30, 2026, from Baikonur as part of the Russian-Kazakhstani project Baiterek. The first and second stages operated normally, and a dimensional-mass mock-up was launched into the calculated suborbital trajectory. The rocket belongs to the medium class and is designed to deliver up to 17 tons of payload to low Earth orbit.
The developer of the Elbrus family of processors is MCST. The rocket itself was developed and manufactured by RCC Progress. The RD-171MV first stage engine was developed by NPO Energomash, and the RD-0124MS second stage engine by KB Khimavtomatiki. The control system and engine emergency protection system were created by NPO Avtomatiki named after Academician N. A. Semikhatov.
Olga Kvashenkina, head of SNDGlobal, notes that the practical significance of Elbrus in this case is related to the processors' own architecture and the software environment being developed around it. According to her, when porting the platform to onboard software, it will be additionally necessary to check drivers, the bootloader, memory and peripheral operation, and for real-time functions, compliance with specified timing characteristics.
According to Kvashenkina's assessment, the use of Elbrus on several space products may indicate a transition from single use of the domestic computing platform to its repeated application. A broader industry effect, she says, will become more noticeable with the appearance of the platform in several independent projects and with different developers.
Read more on the topic:
- Programmers honestly evaluated Russian processors: performance is not comparable to x86, but higher than expected
- "Making life easier for developers": Russian "Elbrus" processor opens source codes of the platform
- "Elbrus" is back in service: after four years of downtime, supplies of 16-core processors have resumed in Russia