23 Oct 2014 11:49

Heavy-lift Angara to blast off on December 25

MOSCOW. Oct 23 (Interfax-AVN) - The maiden launch of a heavy-lift Angara launch vehicle is due on December 25, said Andrei Mazurin, the head of the Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) launch vehicles and ground-based space infrastructure department.

"So far, we expect to launch [the vehicle] in December of this year. Previously, December 25 has been suggested as a launch date," Mazurin said at a press conference at the Interfax main office in Moscow on Thursday.

He said preparations for launching the rocket had been on schedule. "We have a certain time reserve to deal with possible contingencies," Mazurin added.