Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat-M

Company: Roscosmos

Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat-M is a rocket from the Soyuz 2 family, one of its most current versions. The 2.1a version features upgraded engines on the booster and first stage with better injection systems, as well as a switch from an analog to a digital flight control system. The rocket can take off from a stable launch platform instead of an inclined one, and it may change its course while in flight thanks to the new digital flight control and telemetry systems. The launch of bigger commercial satellites with longer and wider payload fairings, like the ST-type fairing, is also made possible by a digital control system. The old analog technology is unable to handle the amount of aerodynamic instability introduced by these fairings.