Russia has successfully launched the Angara-1.2 launch vehicle again. Why is this important?

Another launch of the Angara-1.2 launch vehicle, which delivered satellites of the Ministry of Defense into orbit, took place at the Plesetsk cosmodrome. This is the sixth successful launch of this Angara family rocket, which also includes the heavy Angara-A5. What are the features of rockets and what is the importance of their launches — in the material of Izvestia.

How were the Angara launches?

• On November 25, an Angara-1.2 launch vehicle was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Region. The launch was carried out in the interests of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The rocket launched spacecraft into the calculated near-Earth orbit, which were taken over by the means of the space forces of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation. Telemetry communication is maintained with the satellites, they operate normally.

• This is the sixth successful launch of Angara-1.2 in its standard configuration. The rocket was launched the first two times in 2022, then it launched reconnaissance satellites in 2024, and three more flights took place in 2025. In each case, the launch was carried out from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

• In addition, two successful launches of the Angara-A5 heavy launch vehicle with a payload took place. In April 2024, a launch took place from the Vostochny cosmodrome, the rocket launched after canceling two attempts and launched the Orion upper stage with the Gagarin small satellite into orbit. The next launch took place in June 2025, and the rocket also launched satellites of the Ministry of Defense into orbit.

What are the features of Angara

• Angara family rockets differ from most analogues in that they are modular rockets. Its individual blocks can be varied among themselves, creating a device with the necessary lifting capacity for launch. If "Angara-1.2" consists of universal rocket modules UTM-1 and UTM-2 as the first and second stages, while Angara-A5 uses five modules UTM-1 and one UTM-2 used as the third stage. The versatility of the Angara makes it possible to reduce the cost of its construction and use one launcher for all launch vehicles in the family.

• Angara-1.2 light launch vehicles are capable of carrying up to 3.5 tons of payload into low Earth orbit. This is enough to put several satellites into orbit. The Angara-A5 belongs to the heavy class of missiles. Thanks to additional rocket modules, its payload capacity is already increased to 24 tons. According to this indicator, it is ahead of the American Falcon 9, capable of carrying up to 22.8 tons without returning the first stage.

• The advantage of Angara is also its environmental friendliness. These rockets run on kerosene, and oxygen is used as an oxidizer. This distinguishes them from the aging heavy launch vehicles "Proton". Their disadvantage is the use of toxic fuel components, which is why, in the event of a serious accident, there is always a risk of chemical damage to the area. Such toxic components are not used in Angara.

What are the prospects for Angara

• The versatility of the Angara family makes it possible to expand its range in the future. A promising development is the creation of an Angara-A3 medium launch vehicle with three UTM-1s. It could have a lifting capacity of up to 15 tons and compete with the currently used Soyuz-2.

• The heavier Angara-A5M and Angara-A5B are being developed separately. The latter should be capable of carrying up to 38 tons, and flight tests are planned for 2030. This variant will be the most powerful after the New Glenn launch vehicle from Blue Origin, carrying up to 45 tons.

• In addition to the development of new types of rockets, the Angara rocket launch pad at the Vostochny cosmodrome is being developed. From it, the vehicles will be able to put into orbit about 1 ton more payloads. In order to simplify logistics, the production of Angara missiles was moved from Moscow to Omsk, from where it is approximately the same distance to Plesetsk and Vostochny.

Why is this important?

• The development and commissioning of Angara family rockets allows Russia to have guaranteed and independent access to space. These missiles are completely domestic developments, while they do not need to be launched from Baikonur (as is the case with Proton missiles), located in Kazakhstan.

When writing the material, Izvestia talked and took into account the opinions of:

• Scientific Director of the Institute of Space Policy Ivan Moiseev;
• Izvestia columnist Andrey Kuzmak.