From October 16, the center for the exploitation of ground space infrastructure together with Kazakh workers will start reconstructing the Zenit rocket’s launch pad at Baikonur for test flights of the Soyuz-5 rocket
@the_news_21
New Delhi: In a major development indicating deeper science-technological ties between Russia and Kazakhstan, the two countries have decided to start reconstructing of the rocket launch pad. The new launch pad is set to host both Ukrainian carrier rocket Zenit, and Russian rocket Soyuz-5, aimed for a flight in mid-October.
The development surfaced after, Roskosmos, Moscow’s state corporation responsible for space flights, cosmonautics programs, and aerospace research tweeted a post which read ‘During negotiations via video link between CEO of Roskosmos Dmitriy Rogozin and Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Musin, the parties set October 16, as the date for completing preparations for a contract between the Bayterek joint venture and the center for the exploitation of ground space infrastructure.’
According to reports from that date (October 16), the center for the exploitation of ground space infrastructure together with Kazakh workers will start reconstructing the Zenit rocket’s launch pad at Baikonur for test flights of the Soyuz-5 rocket.
The development of the new Russian middle-class missile Soyuz-5 to replace the Ukrainian-made Zenit missile began in 2016. It is planned to use the RD-171MV engine at the first stage of Soyuz-5, an upgraded engine from the first stage of the Zenit rocket, and the RD-0124MS engine from the third stage of the Soyuz-2.1b rocket, instead of the RD-120 engine for Zenit, which is produced in Ukraine.
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In July 2018, Roskosmos signed a state contract with Rocket and Space Corporation Energiya (the lead designer of the Soyuz-5 rocket) for $783 million to build and test the Soyuz-5 rocket. As part of test flights, four launches of Soyuz-5 are to be performed from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2023-25. The rocket will be produced at the Progress Rocket and Space Centre. In the first launch, the Soyuz-5 rocket is to fly with the booster DM and a spacecraft mock-up.
