Russia’s New Angara Space Rocket Test Flight Successful

[Sandhi Yudha]

Russia’s New Angara Space Rocket Test Flight Successful - Defense Ministry

Russia’s New Angara Space Rocket Test Flight Successful - Defense Ministry
© RIA Novosti. Vitaly Belousov
18:31 09/07/2014


MOSCOW, July 9 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s new Angara rocket, powered by engines using so-called “green” fuels, successfully completed its suborbital test flight Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

“Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on the first successful test launch of the Angara-1.2PP rocket,” the ministry’s statement reads.

The rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia at approximately 2:00 p.m. Moscow time [10.00 a.m. GMT].

After a 20-minute flight, the rocket’s second stage and a dummy payload impacted the Kura testing range on Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula some 5,700 kilometers away from the launch site.

Angara is the first new carrier rocket to be developed by Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Angara’s maiden launch, initially scheduled for June 25, was delayed until June 27, and then until June 28. The June 28 launch attempt was aborted automatically 19 seconds before the launch.

The Angara family of rockets, in development since 1995, is planned to be built in light, semi-heavy and heavy versions to lift a variety of payloads between two and 40 metric tons into low earth orbit.

Angara is designed to complement the country’s venerable Soyuz rocket, currently the only vehicle in the world capable of launching astronauts to the International Space Station.

Taken from
Russia

More info Angara rocket launches on maiden flight | NASASpaceFlight.com

"Angara is designed to complement the country’s venerable Soyuz rocket"
So, they mean is that the Angara is not a replacement for the Soyuz rockets...
I wonder why its not a replacement, maybe the Soyuz is cheaper? Or they just want to keep the Soyuz for the next 10-20 years because its such a reliable and proven design?

 

[Ananda]

Perhaps because Soyuz is reliable and tested system for manned space mission. You want to stick with reliable and tested system for manned operations.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Perhaps because Soyuz is reliable and tested system for manned space mission. You want to stick with reliable and tested system for manned operations.

Yes, that should be the reason.
BTW, The first launch of the Angara 1,2 was a success, and in December the Russians want to test the heaviest variant, the Angara 5.

Heavy Angara-5 to fly next

 

[kato]

Soyuz-U and Soyuz-FG will be replaced by Soyuz-2, which already replaced the Molniya-M.

The reason is the preexisting launch facilities at Russian spaceports, which are mostly built for R7-derived launchers. Replacing Soyuz with Angara would mean that one would need to rebuild the launch complexes as well. The Soyuz-2 modifications to the launch pad are comparably cheap and minor.

Russia has 10 regularly active launch sites for the following systems:

- Baikonur - LC-1/5 - Soyuz - regular launches (manned launches, not Soyuz-2-capable)
- Baikonur - LC-31/6 - Soyuz - regular launches (Soyuz-2-capable, manned possible)
- Baikonur - LC-81/24 - Proton - regular launches
- Baikonur - LC-200/39 - Proton - regular launches
- Baikonur - LC-250 - Energia - inactive, supposed to be repurposed for Angara 5
- Kourou - ELS - Soyuz - regular launches (Soyuz-2-capable)
- Plesetsk - LC-35/1 - Angara 1.2 - active, repurposed
- Plesetsk - LC-43/4 - Soyuz - regular launches (Soyuz-2-capable)
- Plesetsk - LC-133/3 - Rockot - regular launches
- Yasni - silo site - Dnepr-1 - regular launches

There are additionally 12 inactive launch pads: four for Tsyklon, two for Soyuz, one for Zenit, one for Kosmos-3M, one for Dnepr-1, two for Proton and one for Energia. The two for Soyuz have not been converted for Soyuz-2, the Dnepr-1 primary launch site has been switched from Baikonur to Yasni, Zenit and Tsyklon have been retired due to Ukrainian sources, Kosmos-3M has been replaced by Rockot, the remaining inactive Proton and Energia sites are "superfluous".

LC-45/1 previously being used for Zenit has been treated as a possible candidate for conversion to Angara 1.2 at Baikonur, although it's more likely this will not be funded and Angara 1.2 being used as a primary launcher at the newly being constructed Vostochny Cosmodrome for a second site. LC-35/1, being used at Plesetsk for Angara launches, is also a repurposed Zenit launch site.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Wauw.. ^^ thanks for this overview, nice to know.
Ten active and twelve inactive launchpads.....thats a lot.

 

[Desperado_Daddy]

Ananda

Perhaps because Soyuz is reliable and tested system for manned space mission. You want to stick with reliable and tested system for manned operations.

Russian Space Shuttleclass Siberian SiR-80G Desperado - NATO class Black Dragon - under trek Flight of Valkirie on YouTube RAIlvfWyT50
tested a ASS (Artificial Stability System) of aircraft control and fly very good with multyfunctional third head stage type Thunder.
:argue

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Sadly it is not reported when the serial production starts.

Price of Angara rocket to decline in future — designers

Once the serial production of the Angara family of rocket is launched at the Polyot plant, their price will be comparable to the price of serial Proton launch vehicles

tass.com

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

A third test launch of the Angara-A5 heavy launch vehicle with the Perseus upper stage and the overall mass model of the payload from the Plesetsk cosmodrome is carried out on Monday 27 December 27.

It seems that there were some problems with the third stage.

Spacenews Nederland

spacenews.nl ruimtevaart en sterrenkunde website met nieuws, foto's,achtergrondartikelen, agenda en nog veel meer.

www.spacenews.nl

Angara-A5 heavy missile launched in Russia

Photo: Screenshot Launch of the Angara-A5 rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome The orbital block as part of the Perseus upper stage and the overall mass model of the payload separated from the third stage of the rocket 12 minutes after launch. The Russian military conducted the third test launch...

www.perild.com

"Ангара-А5" с разгонным блоком "Персей" впервые стартовала с космодрома Плесецк

Как сообщили в Минобороны РФ, ракета-носитель взята на сопровождение наземными средствами

tass.ru