Soyuz-2.1a

14A14

Mission Profile

Soyuz-2.1a is a modernized variant of Russia's legendary R-7 rocket family, introducing digital flight control systems and upgraded NK-33-derived RD-108A and RD-107A engines over the earlier Soyuz-U design. Standing 46.3 meters tall with a liftoff mass of 312,000 kg and generating 4,150 kN of thrust across its three stages, it delivers up to 7,020 kg to low Earth orbit. First launched in November 2004, it quickly became one of Russia's most widely used orbital vehicles, supporting crewed Soyuz missions, Progress cargo flights, and commercial satellite deployments from Baikonur, Plesetsk, and the Guiana Space Centre. The Soyuz-2.1a represents the evolution of a rocket lineage stretching back to Sputnik, modernized for 21st-century launch demands.