Russia test launched its Angara-A5 rocket from the Far Eastern Vostochny Cosmodrome on Thursday after technical glitches prompted officials to abort missions at the very last minute for two days in a row.
The launch of the Angara is intended to showcase Russia's post-Soviet space ambitions and the growing role played by Vostochny.
On Wednesday the test launch of the space rocket was cancelled due to a malfunction of the engine launch control system.
The first attempt on Tuesday also failed because the automatic safety system registered a flaw in the oxidizer tank pressurization system, said National space agency Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov.
Thursday’s launch was the fourth for the Angara-A5, a heavy-lift version of the new Angara family of rockets that has been developed to replace the Soviet-designed Proton rockets.
The previous three launches were carried out from the Plesetsk launchpad in northwestern Russia.
After the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia leased the Baikonur Cosmodrome from Kazakhstan and continued to use it for most of its space launches. The agreement with Kazakhstan allows Russia to keep leasing Baikonur for $115 million a year through 2050.
