Technical Issues Hinder Russian Space Program

Calculations in the laboratory don't always match those in the field. This holds true for space rocket launches as well. Russia has postponed, for the second time in two days, the launch of the state-of-the-art Angara-A5 rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East. This setback represents a step backward for the Russian space program, which has been plagued by a series of difficulties. "Launch canceled," announced the live TV commentator from the Roscosmos headquarters at the last moment. "According to preliminary results, a new technical malfunction has been revealed in the engine starter control system," stated Roscosmos Director Yuri Borisov to the press a few seconds later. The first incident occurred on Tuesday when the Russian space agency decided to postpone the Angara-A5 rocket launch by 24 hours, a spacecraft developed over several decades as part of a program designed to replace the aging Proton launchers, whose technology dates back to the 1960s. The new delay comes as Moscow seeks to modernize its space fleet to reassert itself as a leading power in the field. This incident adds to a longer series of troubles; the Russian space program has been in difficulty for several years due to funding problems, corruption scandals, and technological failures, such as the destruction of the Luna-25 lunar probe in 2023. Just over two weeks ago, the launch of a Soyuz vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS) was postponed by several days before a successful launch eventually took place. The Russian space sector, once a source of national pride, is limited due to its lack of innovation, as most of its systems rely on Soviet-era technologies, generally reliable but aging. Russia's cooperation with the West in space has been severely affected by the war in Ukraine.