Russia successfully test-launched its new Soyuz-5 rocket for the first time on 30 April, the country's space agency Roscosmos has confirmed. The rocket lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2100 Moscow time (1800 GMT) without any issues.
Roscosmos described the Soyuz-5 as a launch vehicle equipped with the world's most powerful liquid-fuelled engine. The rocket is capable of carrying payloads of up to 17 metric tonnes, will significantly reduce launch costs, and is more effective than its predecessors at placing objects like satellites in near-Earth orbit.
Dmitry Bakanov, the head of Roscosmos, hailed the rocket as a “new step in space exploration” and said it would create new jobs in both Russia and Kazakhstan. Bakanov has previously told President Vladimir Putin that the Soyuz-5 is the first new launch vehicle Russia has developed since 2014.
