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Baikonur spaceport, Soyuz-5 carrier rocket ready for first launch — Roscosmos

Roscosmos representatives said that the Baiterek project is in its final stages

MOSCOW, December 26. /TASS/. General assembly of the Soyuz-5 carrier rocket has been completed at the Baikonur spaceport. Both the infrastructure and the carrier rocket are ready for the first launch, Deputy General Director for Rocket Projects of Russia’s Roscosmos state-run corporation Dmitry Baranov said.

"General assembly of the Soyuz-5 rocket has been completed at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Both the ground infrastructure and the rocket itself are ready for the first launch," he said.

Roscosmos representatives said that the Baiterek project is in its final stages: tests are continuing at the launch facility in preparation for the maiden launch of the advanced Russian Soyuz-5 carrier rocket.

Specialists are carrying out an expanded test program to confirm the reliability of all rocket systems and launch facility components. The state corporation explained that this is due to the implementation of a number of new engineering and technological solutions in the development of the rocket and launch facility.

Roscosmos emphasized that additional tests are needed to confirm the stable operation of all systems in normal and abnormal modes, ensure maximum readiness for flight tests, and create optimal conditions for a safe and successful maiden launch. According to Aidyn Aimbetov, Chairman of the Board of JSC Kazakh-Russian Baiterek Joint Venture, virtually all pre-launch preparations have been completed. Autonomous testing of the technological systems is currently underway, with integrated autonomous testing planned for the future.

The Soyuz-5, developed and manufactured by the Samara-based Progress Rocket and Space Center, is designed to deliver automatic spacecraft to near-Earth orbits, including with the use of upper stages. The new rocket is set to become fully operational in 2028. The Soyuz-5 is a two-stage carrier rocket with a sequential configuration. It utilizes reliable and flight-proven solutions, and the rocket boasts a high level of environmental safety due to the use of environmentally friendly rocket propellant components.

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