--- title: "Soyuz-5 Prepares for Second Flight: Roscosmos Announces Launch Timeline and Road to Serial Production" description: "Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov announced that the second launch of the Soyuz-5 rocket is scheduled for 2027 following a successful test flight in spring 2026 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome." date: 2026-11-12T14:49:59.747Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/soyuz-5-second-launch-2027-roscosmos tags: [soyuz-5, roskosmos, baikonur, rocket-launch, rd-171mv] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Soyuz-5 Prepares for Second Flight: Roscosmos Announces Launch Timeline and Road to Serial Production ![Launch of the Soyuz-5 carrier rocket at Baikonur Cosmodrome at dusk with bright flames](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/12/soyuz-5-vtoroy-zapusk-2027-roskosmos/soyuz-5-vtoroy-zapusk-2027-roskosmos-1.webp) ## Key Points - The second launch of the Soyuz-5 rocket is scheduled for 2027, according to Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov. - The first test launch took place in spring 2026 from Baikonur; both stages performed normally, and the dummy payload landed in the Pacific Ocean. - Soyuz-5 is a two-stage medium-class rocket (Baiterek project with Kazakhstan), with a launch mass of ~532 tons and a payload capacity of up to 17 tons to LEO. - The first stage uses the RD-171MV engine, claimed to be the most powerful liquid rocket engine in the world. - Serial production is expected to begin after the third launch, according to the original source. Head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov, announced that the second launch of the new Russian medium-lift carrier rocket Soyuz-5 is scheduled for 2027. The statement comes following the first test flight of the vehicle, which took place in the spring of 2026 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, moving the project into the stage of refining the serial configuration and preparing for full-scale missions. ### First Test Launch According to Roscosmos, the first test launch of the Soyuz-5 proceeded as planned: both stages of the rocket performed according to calculations. A payload mass-dimension model was on board, which was inserted into the calculated suborbital trajectory and subsequently impacted in a pre-designated area of the Pacific Ocean. Thus, the rocket's key systems confirmed their operational capability under real flight conditions. ### Technical Specifications Soyuz-5 is a two-stage medium-class rocket developed under the Baiterek project in cooperation with Kazakhstan. The launch mass of the vehicle is approximately 532 tons, its length ranges from 63.7 to 65.9 meters depending on the fairing, and the stage diameter is 4.1 meters. The rocket is designed to lift up to 17 tons of payload into low Earth orbit. The first stage is equipped with the RD-171MV liquid engine, the second with the RD-0124MS, using naphthyl and liquid oxygen as fuel. ### Most Powerful Propulsion System One of the key features of the Soyuz-5 is the first-stage propulsion system, based on the RD-171MV engine, which, according to the developers, is the most powerful liquid rocket engine in the world. It is this unit that determines the vehicle's thrust characteristics during the initial phase of the trajectory and allows the rocket to compete with modern medium-class carriers. ### Prospects and Serial Production The second launch, scheduled for 2027, will be the next stage of flight testing. According to the original source headline, the transition to serial production of the Soyuz-5 is expected after the third launch, indicating a phased development scheme: from test flights with a dummy load to full-fledged missions. Successful completion of this chain will allow Roscosmos to offer the market a domestic carrier capable of replacing the aging modifications of the Soyuz family. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Российская ракета с самым мощным жидкостным ракетным двигателем в мире «Союз-5» пойдёт в серию после третьего запуска](https://www.ixbt.com/news/2026/11/12/rossiiskaia-raketa-s-samym-moshhnym-zidkostnym-raketnym-dvigatelem-v-mire-soiuz-5-gotovitsia-ko-vtoromu-poletu.html) - The source cites Roscosmos head D. Bakanov regarding the 2027 second launch, describing the spring 2026 first launch and rocket specifications. Future launch information is an agency statement; no independent verification available. ## FAQ ### When will the second Soyuz-5 launch take place? According to Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov, the second launch is scheduled for 2027. ### How did the first test launch go? The first launch took place in spring 2026 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome; both stages performed nominally, and the mass-dimension model payload was inserted into a suborbital trajectory before falling in a pre-designated Pacific Ocean area. ### What are the main characteristics of the Soyuz-5? It is a two-stage medium-class rocket with a launch mass of about 532 tons, 63.7–65.9 m in length, and a stage diameter of 4.1 m; it lifts up to 17 tons to low Earth orbit using RD-171MV and RD-0124MS engines.