Russia To Carry Out Test Launch Of Angara-A1.2 Lightweight Rocket In Early 2022

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2022) A test launch of the Russian lightweight rocket Angara-A1.2 will take place from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the country's northwest in early 2022, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said.

"At the beginning of 2022, tests of the lightweight Angara will continue in Plesetsk," he said in an interview with the "Russian Space" magazine.

Rogozin also recalled that Russia will begin testing heavy-lift rocket Angara-A5 from the Vostochny cosmodrome in December, 2023. Moreover, in 2024, the country plans to carry out the first launch of the upgraded Angara-A5M with improved characteristics.

The new modification will make it possible to launch up to 27 tonnes of payload into a near-earth orbit, Rogozin said.

In October, 2021, Commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin said the country intended to launch two heavy and one light versions of the Angara rocket in 2022. In December, 2021, Rogozin said the lightweight rocket is expected to be launched in the first half of the year. In January, he clarified that Russian plans to carry out at least two launches of the lightweight vehicle in 2022.

Angara is a family of Russian environmentally friendly carrier rockets ranging from light to heavy class.