Russia resumes Angara test flights with third mission
December 14, 2020
After a six-year pause, Russia has resumed flight tests of its next-generation Angara rocket with a demonstration mission from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on Monday. The Angara-5 vehicle lifted off at 08:50 Moscow Time (05:50 UTC), carrying an inert payload bound for a near-geosynchronous orbit.
(Lead photo via Roscosmos)
Monday’s launch marked the third flight of the Angara rocket, the second test of the heaviest configuration, Angara-5, and the type’s first flight since December 2014. The mission, which continues work to certify Angara to carry national security payloads, had already been delayed by several years due to manufacturing and quality control issues.