Russia’s Soyuz 5 will soon come alive. But will anyone want to fly on it?

Russia's Soyuz 5 Rocket to Make Debut Before End of Year, but Will Anyone Want To Fly On It?

The wait is almost over for Russia's newest launch vehicle, the Soyuz 5 rocket. After nearly a decade of development, the medium-lift rocket is expected to make its maiden voyage from the Baikonur Cosmodrome before the end of this year. But with the Western market for satellite launches dried up after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it remains to be seen whether anyone will want to fly on this new rocket.

The Soyuz 5 rocket was designed to fill a gap in the market left by the aging Proton booster, which has been increasingly unreliable. The rocket is powered by a single RD-171MV engine, which has three times the thrust of a single Raptor 3 engine used in Western launch vehicles. However, Russia's space industry is facing significant challenges, including international sanctions and a lack of funding for its ambitious lunar program.

Despite these challenges, the Soyuz 5 rocket was seen as a way to boost Russian competitiveness in the global satellite market. The rocket is expected to slot in between the Soyuz 2 and Angara A5 rockets in terms of performance, with an payload capacity of 18 tons to low-Earth orbit. However, the demand for such a launch vehicle is uncertain, with the number of geostationary satellites launched annually having dropped significantly.

The Russian space corporation, Roscosmos, has released images of the Soyuz 5 rocket undergoing final processing at the Progress Rocket and Space Center in Samara, Russia. The rocket will use hot-staging to increase performance, a technology that is more common in Western launch vehicles. Despite this, it remains to be seen whether the Soyuz 5 rocket will be able to gain traction in the market.

One concern is that international competition in the medium-lift market has stiffened, with China and India offering increasing numbers of launch options. For companies or countries concerned about price, Russia's reusable Falcon 9 booster offered by SpaceX is likely to remain a more attractive option.

As the Soyuz 5 rocket prepares for its maiden flight, it remains to be seen whether anyone will want to fly on this new launch vehicle. With the Western market for satellite launches dried up and international competition increasing, it may take some time before Russia's newest rocket can make its mark in the industry.

I think the Soyuz 5 rocket is a bit of a long shot . With all these sanctions and funding issues, it's hard to see how Russia can compete with China and India in terms of launch options . And let's be real, SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 booster is just too tempting . I mean, who wouldn't want to fly on a rocket that's basically a giant vacuum cleaner for space debris? It's gonna take some serious convincing for companies to jump into the Soyuz 5 rocket market, especially when there are so many other options out there . Maybe it'll be a niche player, but I'm not holding my breath

I'm not sure if I'd wanna fly on a rocket that's basically been left for dead by Western countries . It seems like the market for satellite launches has dried up, and now they're relying on China and India to fill the gap? Plus, with international sanctions and funding issues, it's hard to see Russia making any significant gains in the space industry. The Soyuz 5 rocket might be a nice-to-have, but it's gonna need some serious magic to make it happen .

omg can't believe they're still trying to make a splash with that soylz 5 lol like who's gonna fly on this thing tho? western markets are dry as ever and china & india are giving russia a run for their money plus have you seen the prices for falcon 9 boosters?! that thing is like a luxury ride compared to soylz 5. gotta feel for roscomos tho, they're trying to stay competitive in a really tough industry

omg i feel so bad for russias space program they deserve a break from all these sanctions & funding issues but at the same time, their new soyuz 5 rocket sounds like an amazing innovation especially with that rd-171mv engine giving it three times the thrust of western launch vehicles what if it really can gain traction in the market & provide some much-needed competition to the western giants? wouldn't that be awesome for space enthusiasts around the world

I'm low-key surprised they're even doing a launch of this thing . Like, I get it, Russia needs to stay competitive, but with all these other countries offering better options and whatnot... it's hard to see how anyone would want to fly on the Soyuz 5 before SpaceX's Falcon 9 is just so much more reliable and efficient. Plus, China and India are killing the game over there too . I mean, Russia's been working on this thing for like a decade, and it still feels like they're playing catch-up. The hot-staging tech might give them an edge or whatever, but honestly, I think we'll just see a bunch of private companies jumping ship from Russia to other countries with more favorable conditions

I'm telling you, something fishy is going on here . Russia's launching a new rocket, but nobody wants to fly on it? That's weird. I mean, what if they're trying to test out some kinda spy tech? They're using hot-staging, which is actually more common in Western launch vehicles. Maybe they're trying to keep up with the Joneses? And don't even get me started on the lack of funding for their lunar program... sounds like a cover-up to me . I'm not saying it's bad for Russia or anything, but there's gotta be more to this story than meets the eye .

I think it's interesting that the Soyuz 5 rocket is being developed as a response to the aging Proton booster . With the global satellite market becoming increasingly competitive, I'm not sure if anyone will want to fly on this new rocket . The demand for medium-lift launch vehicles has actually decreased in recent years due to China and India offering more affordable options .

I'm also a bit skeptical about Russia's reusable Falcon 9 booster being more attractive than the Soyuz 5 rocket, considering SpaceX is already dominating the market . Roscosmos needs to convince Western companies that their new launch vehicle is worth the investment . The fact that international sanctions and funding issues are still affecting Russia's space industry doesn't help matters .

It'll be interesting to see how the Soyuz 5 rocket performs on its maiden flight , but I think it'll take some time for Russia to regain its footing in the global satellite market .

The Soyuz 5 rocket is like a phoenix from the ashes of Russia's space program. After years of struggling to regain momentum, Roscosmos is finally getting another chance to show off its capabilities. But with the global satellite market saturated and Western companies offering more attractive options, it's going to be tough for the Soyuz 5 to stand out.

I think what really matters here is not just the technology itself but how Russia can tap into emerging markets in Asia and Africa where there's still a huge demand for reliable launch services. The Soyuz 5 might be a niche product, but with the right partnerships and marketing, it could carve out its own space in the industry.

It's also worth noting that Russia has been working on this project for a long time, and just because it's facing some challenges doesn't mean it's doomed to fail. Sometimes it takes a few setbacks to come out stronger on the other side. Fingers crossed for Roscosmos!

oh man i think russia is like trying to launch a rocket with one hand tied behind their back they had this awesome new rocket soyuz 5 and now it's like everyone's just gonna look at them funny china and india are like "hey we got you" and the west is all "nah we're good" but i still think there's hope for russia to make this thing work they need to find a way to make it more attractive than those other launch options and maybe just maybe someone will take a chance on them