Russian Rocket Program Sputters in New Race to Space
- Soyuz launches first crew into orbit since aborted ISS mission
- Roscosmos faces growing challenge from private space companies
This article is for subscribers only.
Russia’s space program took a step toward repairing its reputation for reliability after a failed launch added to concern over unprecedented foreign competition for getting into orbit.
On Monday, the Roscosmos agency sent the first crew into space on a Soyuz rocket since a booster failure on a similar model forced Russian Alexey Ovchinin and American Nick Hague to abandon their mission minutes after liftoff in October. They made the first emergency landing in the craft since 1975.