Roscosmos Unveils Soyuz-5: A New Competitor to Falcon 9

After more than a decade of stagnation in the deployment of next-generation launch vehicles, Roscosmos is returning to the forefront of spaceflight with the new Soyuz-5 rocket. Soyuz-5 Designed for Rapid Satellite Deployment On April 30, the long-awaited first launch of the medium-lift Soyuz-5 launch vehicle took place from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The rocket may play a key role in efforts to catch up in the development of orbital satellite constellations. The payload followed a suborbital trajectory and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, Roscosmos reported, noting that all stages performed nominally.