Space Import Substitution: Elbrus appears on Soyuz 5 ground segment, preparing to switch to rocket

The control system of Russia’s Soyuz 5 launch vehicle uses the Elbrus series domestic eight-core processor developed by MCST. This was announced by Roscosmos Director Dmitry Bakanov at the Microelectronics 2026 Forum. According to him, the new computing solution has been integrated into the ground control complex of the missile complex.

Image source: MCST

Elbrus processors are used in the ground portion of board-to-ground control systems. Their implementation required a complete redesign of the software, since the new computing architecture differed from the previously used platforms (ARM, SPARС and PowerPC). Through modernization, it is possible to reduce the energy consumption of the system and increase the speed of data exchange between the various elements of the complex.

Russia also plans to install Elbrus-based solutions on two other Soyuz 5 rockets, with test launches scheduled for 2027. The first test launch of the rocket took place on April 30, 2026 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome as part of the Baiterek program jointly implemented by Russia and Kazakhstan. During the flight, the first and second stages completed their tasks normally, and the overall mass model was launched into the calculated suborbital orbit.

Vedomosti mentioned Olga Kvashenkina, head of contract development electronics holding company SNDGlobal, ReportWhat “In this case, the real significance of Elbrus is related to the existence of its own architecture and the software environment developed around it. At the same time, for onboard software, it is necessary to additionally check the working of drivers, bootloaders, memory and peripherals and real-time functionality – whether it meets the specified times”.

So we are talking about attempts at import substitution in the rocket science realm. This summer, news broke that the sanctioned Elbrus processors that TSMC has suspended production from 2022 were launched by manufacturers in friendly countries. This means that Russian processors will eventually appear in large numbers for large-scale implementation, including on space platforms.