Preparations are in full swing for the launch of Angara 5 heavy-lift launch vehicle, marking the next testing phase of the new Angara Space Rocket Complex (SRC). The required testing completed, the first Angara 5 launch vehicle flight article has been shipped to Plesetsk from Khrunichev Space Center (Moscow).

The MoD State Testing Cosmodrome (Plesetsk Cosmodrome) in the Archangelsk Region is witnessing the initial flight tests of Angara-1.2, the latest Russian space rocket complex. Per State Commission decision, the light-lift Angara-1.2ML (“Maiden Launch”) integrated launch vehicle (ILV) with a not-to-be-separated payload dummy lifted off from the Angara multi-purpose launch pad, earlier today, the 9th of July. All ground processing operations, the launch and the mission of Angara-1.2ML have proceeded nominally.

A Russian Aeorspace Defense Force’s team has successfully launched a Rockot integrated launch vehicle (ILV) with a cluster of three Gonets M spacecraft (the Russian Gonets stands for Messenger) earlier today, at 16:43 Moscow Time, July 3. This is a second Rockot mission in 2014.