Last week, Russia launched a prototype of its next-generation Angara A5 rocket, the third test for this vehicle designed to replace the aging Proton launchers. While hailed as a success, the mission encountered significant issues.
Russia has invested nearly two decades in developing the Angara rocket family, including the heavy-lift Angara A5 to succeed the polluting Proton rockets. The program's first test flight occurred in 2014, successfully placing a 2-ton mass simulator into geosynchronous orbit. A second test followed six years later in December 2020, orbiting a 2.4-tonne dummy payload.
The lengthy gap between flights stemmed largely from the high cost of each Angara A5 vehicle, estimated at about $100 million.
The third flight lifted off from Plesetsk Cosmodrome on December 27, carrying another dummy payload. Russia aimed to transition to military and commercial satellite launches, but challenges arose.
This Angara A5 configuration used a single Universal Rocket Module (URM) core stage powered by an RD-191 engine, augmented by four URM boosters. The new upper stage, Persei, was fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene.
The core and booster stages performed nominally, and the second stage's RD-0124 engine completed its initial burn. However, the second burn failed, preventing payload orbit insertion.
Despite the anomaly, Russian officials declared success. As Ars Technica reports, RT highlighted Persei's potential benefits. Tracked as IPM 3/Persei, the stage has not reignited and orbits below 200 km. It is expected to undergo uncontrolled re-entry this Wednesday. Fingers crossed for an ocean impact.
