Russia Developing Launch Vehicles Similar to Falcon Heavy - Deputy PM

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The launch of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy heavy-lift vehicle is a major success for the US space industry but Russia is also developing its own launch vehicles with reusable elements, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said on Friday.

"Of course, we are working on it [projects on launch vehicles with reusable boosters]… And as for our [US] colleagues, we can only be happy for them, it is a great success", Borisov told reporters when asked about progress in the Russian project aimed at building the same kind of spacecraft.

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On Thursday, US space company SpaceX launched Falcon Heavy with a Saudi Arabsat-6A satellite on board and successfully landed the rocket's side boosters and central core back on Earth. It has become the first commercial launch and the second ever flight for Falcon Heavy, including the test launch that took place in February 2018.

In its turn, Russian Rocket and Space Corporation Energia announced plans to develop a super-heavy-lift launch vehicle using existing components back in 2016. The project is called Yenisei, and its first flight is scheduled for 2028, with Moon landings starting in 2030.