First launch of Angara-A5 rocket from Vostochny set for April 9 - Roscosmos

MOSCOW. March 29 (Interfax) - The first launch of an Angara-A5 heavy-lift launch vehicle coupled with an Orion upper stage and carrying a payload is scheduled for April 9 from Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia's Roscosmos state space corporation said on Friday.

"The launch of an Angara-A5 launch vehicle coupled with an Orion upper stage and carrying a payload from Vostochny is planned for April 9," Roscosmos said in a video published on its social account.

Roscosmos said on March 26 that an Angara-A5 launch vehicle had been installed on a launch pad at Vostochny for its first launch.

Roscosmos CEO Yury Borisov said on January 23 that the first launch of an Angara-A5 from Vostochny would take place between April 1 and 10.

It will mark the start of design and flight testing for the Amur launch vehicle at Vostochny.

Angara is a family of Russian modular rockets with oxygen-kerosene engines based on universal rocket modules (URM), ranging from light to heavy versions. The rocket's lift capacity varies from 3.5 tonnes (for the Angara 1.2) to 38 tonnes (for the Angara A5V) delivered to low-Earth orbit.