Soyuz-5 Makes First Test Launch Under the Baiterek Project
Photo: Kazakhstan Aerospace Committee
On April 30 at 11:00 p.m. Astana time, the Soyuz-5, also known as Sunkar, rocket was tested at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The launch took place from Site 45 as part of the joint Kazakh-Russian Baiterek project, Orda.kz reports.
This was the rocket’s first launch as part of flight design testing.
The first and second stages of Soyuz-5 performed normally. The mass-dimensional model was delivered to the planned suborbital trajectory and then fell in an area of the Pacific Ocean that had been closed in advance to shipping and aviation.Roscosmos said.
According to the press service of Kazakhstan’s Aerospace Committee, the ground infrastructure was modernized for the creation of the complex, including upgrades to control, fueling, security and launch systems. In total, more than 40 technical systems are involved, and the pre-launch operations themselves are highly automated.
Soyuz-5 is a medium-class launch vehicle designed to carry up to 17 tons of cargo into low Earth orbit. It runs on kerosene and liquid oxygen, which is considered less toxic than earlier types of fuel.
The Baiterek project is being implemented by Kazakhstan together with Russian partners and is regarded as one of the key projects for the country’s space industry. Its goal is to create modern launch infrastructure of its own and expand Kazakhstan’s role in the space services market.
The launch of Soyuz-5 had been postponed several times before. It was initially planned for 2022, then moved to 2023. Later, the timeline was shifted to the end of 2025. But in December last year, the project partners again decided to delay it for technical reasons.
Video: Roscosmos
Original author: Raushan Korzhumbekova
Read also:
Latest news
- Orda.kz Editorial Team to Cease Operations on September 1
- The Price of a Degree: How Students in Kazakhstan Pay for University
- Second Przewalski’s Horse Foal Born as Species Returns to Kazakhstan
- Kazakh Mining Companies Can Recalculate Purchases if Tenge Weakens
- Kazakhstan Names First Vice President in Three Decades
- What Almaty’s Bus Shelters Are Missing
- 400-Truck Queue Builds at Kazakh–Kyrgyz Border
- Kazakhstan Ready to Help Feed and Rebuild Gaza
- Tokayev Establishes New Presidential Security Body
- Almaty Takes Back Its Nearly Century-Old Hippodrome
- No More Guesswork on Savings: Kazakhstan Tightens Energy Audits for Businesses
- Public Money Could Be Used to Rescue Failing Kazakh Banks
- Third Kazakh Woman Reported Missing in Nepal-China Flood Zone
- Falconer Convicted Over 35 Protected Birds, Spared Punishment Under Amnesty
- Kazakh Citizen Detained in Yakutia in Phone Fraud Case
- Yuan Instead of Dollars? KazMunayGas Draws Record Demand in Asia
- China Gains Oil-Market Influence as OPEC+ Weakens
- Kazakhstan to Divide Smartphones Into White, Gray and Black Lists
- Kazakhstan’s Government Formally Resigns as First Kurultai Session Opens
- Rare Lynx Sighting Recorded in Northern Kazakhstan
