Marking a significant show of the country’s militarization of space, Russia has successfully launched its largest space rocket since the dissolution of the Soviet Union 30 years ago.
The Angara A-5, weighing 761 tons and standing at a height of 210ft, took off with a simulated payload from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia on Tuesday, December 28.
In light of heightened warnings concerning Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin celebrated the launch, recognizing the rocket’s capability to deploy military satellites into space, where the future of warfare could be determined.
Russia’s space program achieved a milestone by launching the first satellite in 1957 and subsequently sending the first man into space in 1961. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the program faced challenges such as corruption and technical setbacks, causing a lag behind the US and China in space exploration.
This marked the third launch of the new rocket following its inaugural flight in 2014.
‘Roscosmos congratulates the military-space forces and the entire Russian space industry,’ proclaimed the agency in a statement, hailing the launch as ‘successful.’
Agency head Dmitry Rogozin took to Telegram to express his excitement, stating, ‘Come on, baby!’
President Vladimir Putin aspires for the new launchers to reinvigorate Russia’s space industry.
Named after the Siberian river flowing out of Lake Baikal, the Angara rockets constitute the first new family of launchers developed since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. They are designed to replace the aging Proton rockets, which trace back to the 1960s and have encountered multiple failures in recent years.