Russia’s space program achieved a milestone Thursday evening with the inaugural test flight of its advanced Soyuz-5 rocket, according to an announcement from the nation’s space agency.
The rocket departed from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur launch facility at 9 p.m. Moscow time on April 30th without complications, Roscosmos officials reported. The space agency touts the vehicle as featuring the globe’s most potent liquid-fuel propulsion system.
According to Roscosmos, the advanced rocket can transport cargo weighing as much as 17 metric tons while delivering substantial cost savings compared to previous models. The agency emphasized the vehicle’s enhanced efficiency for deploying satellites and other equipment into low Earth orbit.
Dmitry Bakanov, Roscosmos director, praised the achievement as representing a “new step in space exploration” and predicted the program would generate employment opportunities across Russia and Kazakhstan.
The Soyuz-5 represents Russia’s first newly engineered launch system since 2014, according to previous statements Bakanov made to President Vladimir Putin.
