Roscosmos Commences Production of Three Angara-A5M Rockets for Russian Orbital Station

MOSCOW, June 6. /TASS/. Roscosmos has announced the commencement of production for three upgraded Angara-A5M rockets, which will be used to launch modules for a future Russian orbital station (ROS). "Roscosmos and the Khrunichev Center have signed a state contract for the manufacture of three Angara-A5M carrier rockets to deploy modules for the new Russian orbital station. Unlike the standard Angara-A5, the upgraded version features increased payload capacity. It will be capable of launching spacecraft having a mass of up to 27 tons into low Earth orbit, compared to the 24-ton limit of the Angara-A5," the corporation stated on its Telegram channel. The next phase in the Angara-A5 modernization program involves adapting the rocket for launching manned spacecraft. Angara rockets Angara is a family of Russian launch vehicles ranging from light to heavy classes. Their propellants - kerosene and liquid oxygen - are environmentally friendly, unlike the fuel used by Proton-M, which Angara rockets are set to replace in the near future. It is expected that, beyond the basic heavy Angara-A5 (with a launch mass of approximately 773 tons and a payload capacity of up to 24.5 tons to low Earth orbit), modifications such as the Angara-A5M - with increased payload capacity - and the Angara-A5V, which will feature returnable first and second stages and a third stage powered by hydrogen, will be developed. Rockets from this family are planned to be used for launching satellites into low Earth orbit (for example, the Spektr-UF orbital observatory), deploying modules for the future Russian orbital station, and delivering crews to the orbital outpost.