MOSCOW. Sept 6 (Interfax) - The first launches of the Angara super heavy-lift launch vehicle capable of putting 37 tonnes of payload into orbit are slated for 2026, Roscosmos state corporation head Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with the Zvezda television channel.
The Angara's module construction enables installing various engines on the carrier rocket, including a heavy-duty hydrogen one, he said.
"The Angara is a unique rocket built on the basis of the module principle. It means that rockets of the light, heavy and super heavy-lift class are built from the same universal modules. A third-stage is equipped with a hydrogen engine so that a rocket becomes super heavy-lift one," Rogozin said.
The first launches of the Angara carrier rockets equipped with hydrogen engines are slated for 2026, he said. Such rockets will have an increased payload capacity.
"For comparison, the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket, the one we all know well and the one that flies most frequently, puts from seven to eight tonnes into low earth orbit. The Angara now carries 24 tonnes and 27 tonnes from the Vostochny Cosmodrome thanks to its more southerly location. And the rockets equipped with hydrogen engines will carry 37 tonnes," Rogozin said.
Rogozin also said in the interview about the effort made to counter corruption at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier paid closer attention to this issue.