Russia’s new Angara rocket launches successfully

Guardian : On Wednesday Russia successfully launched its new Angara rocket into low-Earth orbit. This was the second attempt to launch the new vehicle, after an attempt scheduled for 25 June was postponed because of a technical problem. The Angara rocket family was developed to reduce Russia’s dependence on other nations, particularly those of the former Soviet Union, for technology and launch facilities. Besides being launched from a base in Russia, the Angara has a modular design so that it can be reconfigured depending on its payload. Thus it could replace the Soyuz, which services the International Space Station, and other rockets that carry military and commercial satellites into orbit.