The second test launch of the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle is scheduled for 2027, according to Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov. The rocket is expected to enter serial production following its third flight.
The initial test flight occurred in the spring of 2026 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. During this mission, both stages functioned as planned, and a mass-dimensional payload simulator reached its target suborbital trajectory before landing in the Pacific Ocean.
Soyuz-5 is a two-stage, medium-class rocket developed under the Baiterek project in collaboration with Kazakhstan, where it is known as Sunkar. The vehicle measures 63.7 to 65.9 meters in length, has a diameter of 4.1 meters, and a launch mass of approximately 532 tons.
The rocket utilizes naphthyl and liquid oxygen as fuel. It is designed to deliver up to 17 tons of payload to low Earth orbit. The first stage features the RD-171MV engine, which is currently considered the most powerful liquid-propellant rocket engine in the world, while the second stage uses the RD-0124MS engine.
