Soyuz-5 (rocket)

Soyuz-5 (Russian: Союз-5), is a Russian medium-lift launch vehicle developed by RKTs Progress. Designed to replace the Zenit, it will also serve as the base of the Yenisei, a super heavy-lift launch vehicle. Soyuz-5 first launched in April 2026, and flies from Site 45, the former Zenit launch site, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome under a partnership with the government of Kazakhstan. The rocket uses a Kerolox propellant mixture. The first stage is powered by the four-chambered RD-171MV, the most powerful liquid fuel engine in the world, based on the Soviet Union's RD-170 originally constructed for the Energia super heavy-lifter. The RD-0124MS powers the second stage, and rocket has the option to use the Blok DM-03 third stage, also used on the Angara A5. Development of Soyuz‑5 was driven by the end of launches of the Ukrainian-built Zenit following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2014.