In February 2021, in the shops of the Progress Rocket and Space Center (Samara, part of the Roskosmos State Corporation), the welding of the first stage oxidizer forecastle was completed for the experimental installation of the promising Soyuz-5 launch vehicle.
Structurally, the forecastle consists of a lower bottom, four cylindrical shells with a diameter of 4 100 mm and a technological shell. This assembly is necessary to confirm the strength characteristics of the lower part of the “O” tank. The tests will confirm the characteristics laid down in the design documentation.
At present, the specialists of the testing area of the aggregate-welding-assembly shop are preparing the forecastle for the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle for strength and tightness tests.
***
The Soyuz-5 launch vehicle can be operated at different cosmodromes. So far, launches are planned from the complex at Baikonur within the framework of the Russian-Kazakh project “Baiterek”. But Soyuz-5 will be able to launch from any cosmodrome – from Vostochny and Sea Launch – provided that an appropriate ground infrastructure is created: a technical position and a launch complex.