Article Posted on : - Jul 10, 2014

Angara space rocket. Photo: Russian Ministry of Defence

MOSCOW (BNS): Russia has successfully launched its newly developed Angara space rocket from the Plesetsk military cosmodrome, a RIA Novosti report said.

The rocket blasted-off at 12 GMT on Wednesday on a 21-minute suborbital flight to its target 5,700km away at the Kura test-range in Kamchatka.

Angara, powered by engines using 'green' fuel, is the first new carrier rocket to be developed by Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The rocket's maiden launch, initially scheduled for June 25, was delayed until June 27, and then until June 28. The June 28 launch attempt was aborted automatically 19 seconds before the launch, the report said.

Work on the Angara family of rockets began in 1995 with a plan was to build light, semi-heavy and heavy versions to lift a variety of payloads between two and 40 metric tons into low earth orbit.

Angara is designed to complement the country's Soyuz rocket, currently the only vehicle in the world capable of launching astronauts to the International Space Station.