Plesetsk Cosmodrome
Plesetsk Cosmodrome Russian ministry of defence | |
---|---|
Controlled by | Russian Space Forces |
Open to the public | No |
Site history | |
Built | 1957 |
In use | 1957-present |
Plesetsk Cosmodrome (Russian: Космодром «Плесецк»,
Overview
Plesetsk (62°55′32.32″N 40°34′40.36″E / 62.9256444°N 40.5778778°E) is used especially for military satellites placed into high inclination and polar orbits since the range for falling debris is clear to the north which is largely uninhabited Arctic and polar terrain. It is situated in a region of taiga, or flat terrain with boreal pine forests.
The
History
Plesetsk Cosmodrome was originally developed by the
In January 1963, a joint decision of the
And from 1964, on the basis of rocket connection started the establishment of research proving ground missiles and space weapons. Such conversion were the favourable geographical location and a significant number of systems already deployed by the end of 1964 were on duty, four launchers R-7A, seven PU P-16U, and three PU R-9A. Since then, the landfill has developed in two directions: rocket and space.
17 March 1966 was the space birthday of Plesetsk. That day was the first missile launching of the rocket booster Vostok with space vehicle Kosmos 112. Since that time, the rocket base "Angara" has become Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Construction started in 1957 and it was declared operational for R-7 rockets in December 1959. The urban-type settlement of Plesetsk in Arkhangelsk Oblast had a railway station, essential for the transport of missile components. A new town for the support of the facility was named Mirny, Russian for "peaceful". By 1997, more than 1,500 launches to space had been made from the site, more than from any other launch facility, although the usage has declined significantly since the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Because Plesetsk was used primarily for military launches, especially Zenit photo
The use of the cosmodrome will likely increase in the future since there are concerns with security in operating the
The new all-Russian
In May 2007, a new ICBM, called the
In September 2011, Space Forces spokesman Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin said Russia will spend over 5 billion rubles (US$170 million) on the development and expansion of the cosmodrome in 2011. This includes the reconstruction of a local motorway and modernising the energy supply system. New facilities will be built, including a dormitory and hospital.[3]
Launch Sites
Site 16
Site 16, also known as SK-2, is a
Site 16 was originally built for use by R-7A Semyorka missiles, however no launches were conducted from the complex whilst it was operational. After its retirement from service in 1966, it was cannibalised for parts which were needed to repair Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome following the explosion of a Soyuz-U rocket.
Work to rebuild the complex began in 1979, and was completed in 1981.[4] The first launch from Site 16 was conducted by a Molniya-M with an Oko satellite on 19 February 1981.
Site 16 has been used for Soyuz-U and Molniya-M launches, and is still in service as of 2012.
Site 32
Site 32 at the Cosmodrome is a
In 1970, the building of a highly automated launch complex for Tsyklon-3 booster began at Site 32, which was designed by
Site 35
Site 35 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome is a launch complex used by Russia's Angara rocket. The complex has a single launch pad, Site 35/1, which was first used for the maiden flight of the Angara in July 2014.
Site 35 was originally intended to support the Zenit rocket, which the Soviet Union saw as a replacement for the R-7 series. The construction of a Zenit launch complex at Plesetsk was authorised in 1976; however, development did not begin until the completion of Site 45 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which was also constructed for Zenit. Construction at Site 35 began in the mid-1980s, but the programme was abandoned following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.[7]
Following the cancellation of Zenit launches from Plesetsk, Russia had originally planned to use parts constructed for Site 35 to repair one of the Zenit pads at Baikonur that had been heavily damaged when a rocket lost thrust and fell back into the flame trench seconds after launch. Instead, the parts were eventually used on Sea Launch's Odyssey launch platform.[8]
When Russia began development of the Angara rocket, launch pads at both Plesetsk and Baikonur were planned. Several existing sites at Plesetsk were considered, including
The Angara made its maiden flight—in the one-off Angara-1.2pp configuration—from Site 35/1 on 9 July 2014, flying a successful suborbital test mission.[7] The first orbital launch from the site was the inaugural launch of the Angara A5 on 23 December 2014, which carried a mass simulator.[9] A second orbital test flight of the Angara A5 took place almost six years later, on 14 December 2020.[10]
Site 41
Site 41, also known as Lesobaza and SK-1, was a
Site 41 was originally built for use by R-7A Semyorka missiles. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, an armed missile was placed on Site 41. It would have had a response time of 8–12 hours should an order have been given to launch it.[4] No launches were conducted from Site 41 whilst it was operational.
In 1963, the complex was converted for use by
Since this launch, the pad has been disassembled.Site 43
Site 43, also known as SK-3 and SK-4, is a
The site was originally built for use by R-7A Semyorka missiles. The first launch to use the complex was an R-7A test on 21 December 1965, from Site 43/3. The first launch from 43/4 followed on 25 July 1967.
After its retirement from service as a missile base, it was converted for use as a space launch complex. The first orbital launch was of a Voskhod rocket with Kosmos 313 on 3 December 1969.
Both pads were damaged by explosions in the 1980s. At 16:01 UTC on 18 March 1980, 48 people were killed when a Vostok-2M exploded during fueling operations at Pad 4. The disaster injured dozens more, while damaging the pad so severely that it was not used again until 1984. On 18 June 1987, a Soyuz-U rocket exploded at liftoff on Pad 3.[12] Both were rebuilt, and are in service as of 2009.
List of launchpads
- Pad 32/1 (inactive since 2001): Tsyklon-3 – 62°54′25″N 40°47′13″E / 62.907°N 40.787°E
- Pad 32/2 (inactive since 2009): Tsyklon-3 – 62°54′22″N 40°47′24″E / 62.906°N 40.790°E
- Pad 35/1 (2014- ): Angara (previous development for Zenit) – 62°55′37″N 40°34′30″E / 62.927°N 40.575°E
- Pad 41/1 (1965–1989): R-7, Vostok-2, Vostok-2M, Voskhod, Soyuz-U – 62°56′28″N 40°31′44″E / 62.941°N 40.529°E
- Pad 43/3: R-7, Vostok-2M, Voskhod, Molniya-M, Soyuz-U – 62°55′37″N 40°27′00″E / 62.927°N 40.450°E
- Kosmos-3, Kosmos-3M – 62°52′59″N 40°52′08″E / 62.883°N 40.869°E
- Pad 132/2: Kosmos-3, Kosmos-3M – 62°52′59″N 40°52′19″E / 62.883°N 40.872°E
- Kosmos-2I – 62°53′13″N 40°50′49″E / 62.887°N 40.847°E
- Pad 133/3: Kosmos-3M, Rokot – 62°53′13″N 40°51′00″E / 62.887°N 40.850°E
- Pad 167: mobile ICBM: Topol/Topol-M/RS-24 – 63°00′30″N 41°32′53″E / 63.008379°N 41.547953°E
- Pad 168: mobile ICBM: Topol – 63°00′31″N 41°33′17″E / 63.008509°N 41.554723°E
List of active launch silos
- Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site Yubileynaya: ICBM: Topol-M/RS-24 – 62°53′22″N 41°45′35″E / 62.889450°N 41.759721°E
- Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site Yuzhnaya: ICBM: Topol-M/RS-24 – 62°52′14″N 41°46′51″E / 62.870510°N 41.780921°E
Accidents
- On 26 June 1973, 9 people were killed by an explosion of Kosmos-3M rocket, ready for launch.
- On 18 March 1980, 48 people were killed by an explosion of a Vostok-2M rocket with a Tselina satellite, during a fuelling operation.
- On 15 October 2002, a Foton-M1project failed to launch and exploded, killing one.
See also
References
- ^ a b Stephen Clark (9 July 2014). "First Angara rocket launched on suborbital test flight". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ "Russia Test-Launches New Intercontinental Ballistic Missile". Fox. 7 December 2011. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
- ^ "Russia to sink $170 mln into Plesetsk space center". RIA Novosti. 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "Plesetsk". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-2411-5.
- ^ Zak, Anatoly. "Cosmodrome Plesetsk". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
- ^ a b Graham, William (9 July 2014). "Angara rocket launches on maiden flight". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ^ a b Zak, Anatoly. "Angara launch facility in Plesetsk". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ^ Clark, Stephen (19 November 2014). "Russia's new heavy-lifter rolled to launch pad". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ^ "Second test launch of Angara-A5 heavy rocket carried out in Plesetsk". TASS. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- ^ Mark, Wade. "Soyuz". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Plesetsk". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2017.