Petr Levochkin, Deputy General Director and Chief Designer of the Rocket and Space Corporation “Energomash,” stated on January 23 that the reusable heavy-class rocket stage “Angara-A5” will be engineered for ten missions, with its core engine expected to ignite three times in a single flight.
As per the presentation made by Levochkin in the plenary session of the Royal Readings, it is stipulated that the reusable phases must be used a minimum of ten times. Three engine starts will take place throughout one flight.
Four landing supports will be deployed before the touchdown of the rocket carrying the reusable stage.
Additionally, Levochkin stated that the organisation has created a set of RD-180 engines that have been modified to be reusable. He said, nevertheless, that Russia has no intention of developing such a rocket.
The chief designer of Energomash disclosed a noteworthy particular about the potential use of the RD-180 engine for the benefit of Russia. Although American funding was used to develop the Atlas V rocket’s engine, Russia retains the right to use it. Additionally, it may be used for commercial purposes with the client’s consent.
Previously, Alexey Varochko, the Director General of the Khrunichev Centre, the manufacturer of the “Angara” rockets, announced that developers had verified the viability of fabricating the “Angara-A5V” rocket, which features a hydrogen third stage and is the most potent iteration of the rocket, using reusable boosters for both the initial and subsequent stages, in the preliminary design.
During the plenary session of the Royal Readings, Yuri Borisov, the Director General of “Roscosmos,” stated that the organisation is prepared to execute the inaugural launch of the “Angara” rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the winter of 2024.
The rocket is already at Vostochny with the booster. Borisov stated that this would mark a new era and chapter in the development of the modern Russian Vostochny Cosmodrome.
In addition, exhaustive testing is nearing completion, and construction of the launch complex for the “Angara” missiles at Vostochny is at 99% completion, he added.
It was anticipated that the inaugural deployment of the “Angara” from Vostochny would occur during the initial quarter of 2024. Since 2018, the complex has been under construction in that location.
Concerning the Russian Orbital Station (ROS), Yuri Borisov expressed optimism that construction on the new facility will commence in earnest in 2024, with the ultimate goal of deploying it in space in its complete configuration by 2032.
