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| Russia's Angara rocket 'makes debut' | Russia's Angara rocket 'makes debut' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Reports indicate Russia has launched its all new Angara rocket on a maiden flight from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. | Reports indicate Russia has launched its all new Angara rocket on a maiden flight from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. |
| There was no live TV coverage, but local wire agencies suggest the vehicle left the pad at about 12:00 GMT. | There was no live TV coverage, but local wire agencies suggest the vehicle left the pad at about 12:00 GMT. |
| The test flight was scheduled to carry a dummy payload and was not intended to reach an orbital altitude. | The test flight was scheduled to carry a dummy payload and was not intended to reach an orbital altitude. |
| Angara is designed to give Russia full control over its space activities, reducing its reliance on technologies and facilities of former Soviet states. | Angara is designed to give Russia full control over its space activities, reducing its reliance on technologies and facilities of former Soviet states. |
| These include the rocket components currently sourced from the Ukraine, and use of the famous Baikonur spaceport sited in Kazakhstan. | These include the rocket components currently sourced from the Ukraine, and use of the famous Baikonur spaceport sited in Kazakhstan. |
| The maiden flight had been repeatedly delayed. In June, national TV had given the previous attempt extensive live coverage only then to see a technical glitch force yet another postponement. | |
| Like many of the world's launchers, Angara is modular in concept. | Like many of the world's launchers, Angara is modular in concept. |
| It has a main core that burns kerosene and liquid oxygen. This "universal rocket module" can then be supplemented with additional boosters for extra power, and different designs of upper-stage to place satellites at their correct altitudes. | It has a main core that burns kerosene and liquid oxygen. This "universal rocket module" can then be supplemented with additional boosters for extra power, and different designs of upper-stage to place satellites at their correct altitudes. |
| Wednesday's test version used the simplest configuration - the Angara-1. When this is in service, this will be expected to put up to four tonnes of payload into a low-Earth orbit - the kind of orbit used by Earth-imaging satellites. | Wednesday's test version used the simplest configuration - the Angara-1. When this is in service, this will be expected to put up to four tonnes of payload into a low-Earth orbit - the kind of orbit used by Earth-imaging satellites. |
| Other variants are planned, including a heavy-lift version designated Angara-5. | Other variants are planned, including a heavy-lift version designated Angara-5. |
| This should be capable of putting up to 7.5 tonnes into the geostationary transfer orbits used by telecommunications spacecraft as they make their way up to 36,000km above the equator. | This should be capable of putting up to 7.5 tonnes into the geostationary transfer orbits used by telecommunications spacecraft as they make their way up to 36,000km above the equator. |
| Russia wants to launch the Angara family both from Plesetsk and the Vostochny Cosmodrome, which is currently being constructed in the Amur Oblast, in the Russian far east. | Russia wants to launch the Angara family both from Plesetsk and the Vostochny Cosmodrome, which is currently being constructed in the Amur Oblast, in the Russian far east. |
| The new rockets would allow the country to phase out a suite of older vehicles, including the heavy-lift Proton launcher. This has had a torrid reliability record of late. | The new rockets would allow the country to phase out a suite of older vehicles, including the heavy-lift Proton launcher. This has had a torrid reliability record of late. |
| The immediate plans are to use the Angara family for unmanned launches only, but manufacturer Khrunichev is developing a human-rated Angara-5 for launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. | The immediate plans are to use the Angara family for unmanned launches only, but manufacturer Khrunichev is developing a human-rated Angara-5 for launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. |
| Russia currently operates Soyuz rockets for manned flights from Baikonur. | Russia currently operates Soyuz rockets for manned flights from Baikonur. |