Russia Carrier Angara Can Launch Commercial Spacecraft In Addition To Satellite- Developer

The Russian-made Angara-A5 heavy-lift carrier rocket, set to launch Defense Ministry's satellites to low Earth orbits, can carry a small commercial spacecraft in addition to the satellite, the general director of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, Angara-A5 developer and manufacturer, said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2019) The Russian-made Angara-A5 heavy-lift carrier rocket, set to launch Defense Ministry's satellites to low Earth orbits, can carry a small commercial spacecraft in addition to the satellite, the general director of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, Angara-A5 developer and manufacturer, said.

Alexey Varochko said in an interview with Russian newspaper Kommersant, released on Thursday, that the Russian military would make a decision on Angara-A5 payload in July or August.

He specified that no launch of a full-size prototype of the carrier was planned.

"I'll disclose a small secret. A small commercial spacecraft can be [launched atop Angara-A5] together with the main satellite, as secondary payload," Varochko told the newspaper.

A Russian space industry source told Sputnik in early March that the Defense Ministry planned to use the Angara-A5 rocket, able to carry up to 24.5 tonnes of payload, for the launches of its satellites from the new Vostochny space center in Russia's Far East.