Russia Successfully Conducts Suborbital Test Flight of New Soyuz-5 Rocket Powered by RD-171MV Engine

Fri, 01 May 2026 02:47:00 +0200

On April 30, 2026, Russia achieved a significant milestone in its space program with the successful suborbital test launch of the first Soyuz-5 rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome's PU-1 pad in the Baiterek complex. The two-stage vehicle, also known as Sunkar in Kazakh, lifted off at 18:00 UTC and followed a trajectory mimicking an inclination of 65 degrees. The first stage, powered by the powerful RD-171MV liquid oxygen and kerosene engine, separated after 180 seconds and landed in the Sverdlovsk region. The second stage continued the flight, with payload fairing separation occurring shortly after, before it and a dummy payload impacted in the Pacific Ocean west of Japan after traveling approximately 9,000 kilometers. The RD-171MV, with four combustion chambers and producing 806 tons of vacuum thrust, is the most powerful liquid-fueled rocket engine in the world and marks the return of this technology derived from the RD-171 used in the Energia and Zenit rockets. Developed by RKK Energia