Russia's Next-Generation Launch Vehicle 'Soyuz-5' Postpones First Launch to 2026

 

 

 

Russia has postponed the first launch of its next-generation medium launch vehicle, the Soyuz-5, to 2026.

Ravil Akhmetov, vice president of the Progress Space Rocket Center, mentioned the current development status of the Soyuz-5 on October 2, stating that the first launch is now planned for 2026, instead of the initially scheduled 2025. The specific reasons for the delay were not disclosed.

The Soyuz-5 is Russia's new medium-class launch vehicle, designed for launching into low Earth orbit, and is based on the former Zenit rocket.

The first stage of the rocket is set to be equipped with the modernized RD-171 engine, and it will have the capacity to launch up to 17 tons of payload into low Earth orbit.

In August, Russia's TASS news agency reported that the assembly of the Soyuz-5 would be completed by August 2025 at Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome, with the first launch expected in December of the same year.

However, this latest announcement confirms that the launch schedule has been postponed by about a year.

Approximately $963 million is expected to be invested in the development of the Soyuz-5, and the estimated cost per launch after the first launch is expected to be between $55 million and $56 million.

Moreover, the technology used in the development of the Soyuz-5 will be utilized in the future to build Russia's heavy-lift launch vehicle, the "Energia-5."

The Soyuz-5 is considered a significant project to enhance Russia's space exploration capabilities and increase its competitiveness in the international space launch market.

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Russia's Next-Generation Launch Vehicle 'Soyuz-5' Postpones First Launch to 2026