Space Sovereignty: Vostochny Ready to Launch Heavy Rockets

The launch pad for the Angara family of heavy-lift launch vehicles has been commissioned at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. Although the first test launch of the Angara-A5 heavy-lift launch vehicle was conducted from it in 2024, the pad has only now been officially accepted into operation. Along with it, 37 other launch complex facilities are ready for use, including the command post, technological The launch pad, oxygen and nitrogen storage, evacuation tunnels, and other structures comprise a block. The launch pad covers over 45 square meters, and the entire complex is much larger. Experts estimate that this project is one of the most complex engineering structures in the world.

The importance of commissioning the launch pad for heavy-lift rockets at the Vostochny Cosmodrome is difficult to overstate. As is well known, in addition to Vostochny, the Plesetsk Cosmodrome is currently operational in Russia, but it is not possible to fly from there to the ISS.



This is largely why construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome began in Russia in 2007. Its location is optimal because the initial phase of a rocket's flight does not pass over densely populated regions of the Russian Federation or the territories of foreign countries. But most importantly, it is convenient for launching spacecraft into orbit around the future Russian space station ROS.

Needless to say, constructing such a large-scale facility in the taiga proved a formidable challenge. The multi-ton steel structures had to be transported along a complex route across the Arctic Ocean and then along the Amur and Zeya rivers.

Despite numerous difficulties, in 2016 the first Soyuz-2.1A rocket successfully launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, putting several satellites into orbit.

It's worth noting that the launch pad is not just a steel tower, but a complex engineering structure. It holds the rocket upright before liftoff, allows fuel to be loaded, and then launches, deflecting the hot gases from the engines to a safe location.

Rocket containment systems must operate with perfect precision during launch, as any deviation carries the risk of losing a costly mission and human lives.

201 cubic meters of concrete were poured into the structure's enormous pit. The Angara platform itself weighs two thousand tons. The cable-supplying tower consists of 30 large components, delivered by water.

Experts note that the commissioning of the Angara rocket launch pad does not mark the end of work at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. The second phase of the entire launch complex is currently being completed, and plans are already underway for a third phase, which is apparently intended for the reusable Amur rockets, whose design is still ongoing.

The Vostochny Cosmodrome and its new rockets will allow Russia to launch the ROS station into orbit and conduct cargo and crewed missions to it, as well as send interplanetary probes on high-speed trajectories. Most importantly, this cosmodrome will provide reliable insurance for the Baikonur program.

It's no secret that on November 27, 2025, the Soyuz-2.1A launch vehicle successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, delivering another crew to the ISS. However, an emergency occurred during the launch: the service cabin was damaged. Since Russia currently has no other launch pad for the ISS, logistical communications with the station were temporarily interrupted.

However, calling the situation critical is hardly appropriate. The fact is that the crew changeover on the ISS is scheduled for July 2026. Meanwhile, repair work at Baikonur is already underway.

But this is precisely why, as experts explain, the launch pad's launch at Vostochny is an important step in strengthening the sovereignty of Russia's entire space program.