Russia successfully test-launched a new heavy-lift rocket from its Far Eastern space complex on Thursday, following two aborted attempts earlier in the week. The Angara-A5 rocket was launched from the Vostochny spaceport after the first attempt on Tuesday was canceled due to a failure in the pressurization system of the oxidizer tank. The second attempt on Wednesday was also aborted by the automatic safety system, which detected a flaw in the engine start control mechanism, likely due to a programming error.
Thursday's launch marked the fourth for the Angara-A5, part of the new Angara family of rockets developed to replace the Soviet-designed Proton rockets. The previous three launches took place at the Plesetsk launchpad in northwestern Russia.
