Angara-A5 liftoff.  Credit: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

Angara-A5 liftoff.
Credit: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

Russia has launched its new heavy-weight-class launch vehicle – the Angara-A5.

Liftoff took place on December 23 from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in north-west Russia.

The Angara rocket series consists of light, middle, and heavy weight types of boosters.

The Angara-A5 rocket can hurl spacecraft up to 24 tons into a low Earth orbit and up to 4 tons into a geostationary orbit. The Angara-A5 uses non-toxic fuels: oxygen and kerosene.

Initial word is that the booster did lob into orbit a dummy spacecraft. A Briz-M upper stage is to boost the dummy spacecraft into geostationary orbit.

Last July, a lighter version of the Angara was test flown on a suborbital trajectory.

The family of boosters is being produced by the Khrunichev State Research and Production Center.

Video of launch available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsQOpD4TIZM

Note: For a Russian video on the suborbital test of the Angara, go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WegrjmrP6MU

 

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