Angara (rocket family) facts for kids
The Angara is a group of powerful rockets being built in Russia. This rocket family includes different sizes, from those that can lift small items into space to those that can carry very heavy loads. A company called Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is designing these rockets. The first Angara rocket was expected to be ready around 2012.
Why Russia Built Angara Rockets
The Russian government decided to pay for the Angara project. They wanted to make sure Russia could launch its own rockets into space without needing help from other countries.
Many of Russia's older rockets could only be launched from a place called Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is not in Russia. Also, some of these older rockets used parts or technology from other countries.
The Angara rockets are special because they are 100% Russian. They can also be launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, which is inside Russia. Another important reason for building Angara was to create rockets that do not use toxic (poisonous) fuels, unlike some older rockets.
How Angara Rockets Work
Every Angara rocket starts with a main part called the Universal Rocket Module (URM).
- The smaller Angara 1.1 rocket uses just one URM.
- The much bigger Angara 5 rocket uses five URMs, which helps it lift heavier things.
The second part of the Angara 1.1 rocket is called Briz-KM. For the Angara 5, this second part is named Block I.
These rockets are mainly used to launch unmanned (without people) items like satellites into space. However, the Khrunichev company has also suggested building a special version, called Angara 5P, that could carry humans into space.
A cool thing about the Angara family is that all its different versions can be launched from the same launch pad.
The first Angara flight was planned for 2012 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. In the future, other companies will be able to pay to use Angara rockets to send their own satellites into space. For example, a flight using an Angara 1.1 rocket is expected to cost about 20 million dollars.
Images for kids
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From the left: Angara A5V, Proton M, Angara A5, Angara A3 and Angara A1 on MAKS 2021
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A5P
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See also
In Spanish: Angará (cohete) para niños
