The second test launch of “Angara-A5” was postponed for several days for technical reasons. RIA Novosti was informed about this by three sources in the rocket and space industry.
The launch was to take place on November 28 from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region. Structurally, “Angara-A5”, which Roskosmos planned to launch in November for the second time in its history, will not differ from the launch vehicle, which was first launched in December 2014. The head of the state corporation Dmitry Rogozin then indicated that the rocket was unfinished. According to him, the carried out “test did not confirm the requirements of the customer,” because “the withdrawn mass was lower than necessary.”
The agency's source added that due to the transfer, the rocket will have to be returned from the launch pad to the assembly and test building. The decision to postpone was made for technical reasons.
In the financial report of the Khrunichev Center for 2019, it was reported that the cost of production of Angara-A5 is seven billion rubles, which is three times more expensive than the Proton-M rocket, which it has to replace. In total, within the framework of flight tests, it is planned to carry out six launches of Angara.
