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Russia to increase number of Soyuz launches 50% in 2018

About 20 Soyuz rockets will be launched in 2017

© Egor Aleev/TASS

LE BOURGET, June 19. /TASS/. Russia plans to increase the number of launches of Soyuz rockets 50% in 2018 in contrast to 2017, the CEO of Russia’s space rocket center Progress, Aleksandr Kirillin, told TASS at the international aerospace show Le Bourget on Monday.

"About 20 Soyuz rockets will be launched in 2017. The space rocket center Progress has made provisions for four launch campaigns. In 2018, 20 to 32 Soyuz rockets are to be launched," he said.

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Russia plans to launch new Soyuz-5 carrier rocket in 2022

Kirillin said the 2017-2018 launch campaigns will depend on the readiness of space vehicles to be put in orbit.

Mockups of rockets Soyuz-FG, Soyuz-2.1v, Soyuz-2 and Soyuz-ST and also spacecraft Resurs-P, Obzor-R and Bion-M and small-size spacecraft Aist-2D are on display at Le Bourget at the joint exposition of the state-run corporation Roscosmos.

In 2017, Russia launched Soyuz-U, Soyuz-FG, Soyuz-2.1b and Soyuz-2.1a rockets to put in space the cargo spacecraft Progress MS-05, manned spacecraft Soyuz MS-04, a military satellite and one cargo spacecraft Progress MS-06.

The forthcoming launch of a Soyuz rocket is due on June 23. It will orbit a military satellite from the northern Plesetsk space site.

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