Angara A5

Angara A5 (Russian: Ангара-А5), is a Russian expendable heavy lift launch vehicle which consists of one URM-1 core and four URM-1 boosters, a 3.6-metre (12 ft) URM-2 second stage, and an upper stage, either the Briz-M, Blok DM-03 or the KVTK. Weighing 773 tonnes (1,704,000 lb) at lift-off, Angara A5 has a payload capacity of 24.5 tonnes (54,000 lb) to a 200 km (120 mi) x 60° orbit. Angara A5 is able to deliver 5.4 tonnes (12,000 lb) to GTO with Briz-M, or 7.5 tonnes (17,000 lb) to the same orbit with KVTK. Adding a kick stage increases the height of the rocket. In the Angara A5, the four URM-1s used as boosters operate at full thrust for approximately 214 seconds, then separate. The URM-1 forming the vehicle's core is operated at full thrust for lift off, then throttled down to 30% to conserve propellant. The core is throttled back up after the boosters have separated and continues burning for another 110 seconds. The first Angara A5 test flight was launched on 23 December 2014. The second test flight was launched on 14 December 2020 from Plesetsk. Some official models show the Angara carrying an Orel crew capsule spacecraft with an abort tower.