MOSCOW. Nov 30 (Interfax-AVN) - A series of firing tests of the first stage of the Angara space rocket has been completed at the space rocket industry research and test center outside Moscow.
"The tests have passed successfully, and the test sequence has been completed. The test bench systems are being put into the initial position, and the work on building the Angara space rocket will continue," the Khrunichev state space research and production center said in a statement.
The tests were aimed at trying the engine for its compliance with the technical requirements and its performance in bench test conditions and adjusting the rocket's launch technology, it said.
Preparations for firing tests of the Angara's second stage have been started, it said.
The Angara rocket family being developed by the Khrunichev center includes light, medium, and heavy versions capable of delivering spacecraft weighing from 2 tonnes to 24 tonnes into orbit. Depending on its class, the rocket will be equipped with one to five universal rocket modules. The rockets will be launched from the Plesetsk space center in the Arkhangelsk region. The first launch is scheduled for 2012.