The flight development tests of Russia’s promising super-heavy carrier rocket will be held in two stages from 2028 to 2035, Energia Rocket and Space Corporation (the rocket’s developer) said in its annual report on Tuesday.

Russian specialists are planning to create the super-heavy carrier rocket using units of the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle, stage by stage, with the start of flight development tests in 2028, the document says.

Under the document, the first stage will be implemented in 2028-2032. It envisages launching manned spacecraft, the lunar take-off and landing module and other payloads into the trajectory of flights around the Moon and in near-Moon orbits to test the elements of a manned space vehicle, creating a spaceport in the lunar orbit and making a landing on the Moon’s surface.

The second stage will be implemented in 2032-2035. This stage envisages launching the lunar take-off and landing module and other unmanned payloads for the purpose of building and operating a lunar base. This stage also envisages Russia’s participation in international programs for the exploration of Mars.

Energia’s report also says that flight development tests of Russia’s Soyuz-5 new medium-class carrier rocket will be held in 2022-2025 as part of the work on creating a space rocket compound with a super-heavy carrier rocket.

Energia Rocket and Space Corporation is the developer of this rocket. These tests are aimed at launching manned spacecraft into low near-Earth orbits, and also launching automated space vehicles into various orbits.