RD-107А/108А commercial rocket engines made by Samara-based UEC-Kuznetsov manufacturing facility, United Engine Corporation, allowed Soyuz-2.1b rocket with a spacecraft to be successfully launched in the interests of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.

The rocket was launched on April 7 at 14:20 from the launcher at the Plesetsk state testing cosmodrome located in Arkhangelsk Oblast. UEC-Kuznetsov’s engines installed on Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle stages I and II worked satisfactorily. The spacecraft was placed into the target orbit at the estimated time.

Stages I and II of all R-7 type launch vehicles (including Soyuz type launch vehicles) have been furnished with RD-107А/108А propulsion modifications since 1958. These engines are currently produced on a large scale at UEC-Kuznetsov PJSC under the design supervision by Glushko SPA Energomash OJSC – engine designer. Statistical product reliability exceeds 99.9%.