COSMODROME "KAPUSTIN YAR"
USSR Cosmodrome. Located near the village of Kapustin Yar in the Astrakhan region, in the lower reaches of the Volga at a point with coordinates 48.4 0 north latitude and 56.5 0 east longitude. Operating since 1947. Designed for launches of combat ballistic missiles, geophysical and meteorological missiles, as well as light space objects. Space objects placed into orbit of an artificial Earth satellite have an orbital inclination to the equatorial plane ranging from 480 to 510. It has not been in operation since 1988.
Cosmodrome map «
Kapustin Yar»
Launch complexes:
SK RN Cosmos
The history of the Baikonur rocket test site and cosmodrome began in May 1946, when the decision was made to create a rocket test site. However, at that time Kapustin Yar appeared only on the list of possible locations. The choice of the location of the future training ground was entrusted to Major General Vasily Ivanovich Voznyuk. Voznyuk began by going to Germany and finding his guardsmen there, choosing stronger, more reliable people for the future training ground.
Reconnaissance group of specialists for a short time did a lot of work to select the location of the future landfill. All seven promising areas were examined, materials on meteorology, hydrology, communications, construction capabilities, and so on were collected and analyzed. The area of the village of Kapustin Yar in the Astrakhan region was chosen, and it was this area that the group recommended for the construction of a future missile test site. The decision to build a training ground in Kapustin Yar was made by the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of Ministers of the USSR on June 23, 1947. By the same decision, Major General Vasily Ivanovich Voznyuk was entrusted with the construction of the training ground, and he was appointed head of the future training ground.
Cosmodrome « Kapustin Yar»
The first officers arrived at the training ground on August 20, 1947. We pitched tents, set up a kitchen and a hospital. Military builders arrived along with Voznyuk's guards. The conditions were difficult, and what could the “conditions” be like in the bare steppe. On the third day, construction began on a concrete stand for fire testing of engines. In September 1947, a special-purpose brigade of Major General Alexander Fedorovich Tveretsky arrived from Thuringia (Germany). Then two special trains with equipment formed in Germany. In a month and a half of work, by the beginning of October 1947, in addition to the concrete test stand, a launch pad with a bunker, a temporary technical position, an assembly building, and a bridge were built. They built a highway and a railway line connecting the training ground with the main highway to Stalingrad. They built a lot, but only for the rocket. The first housing for officers was built only in 1948, and before that, builders and testers lived in tents, temporary shelters, peasant huts. Great help was provided by special trains, which were equipped not only with laboratory equipment, but also with fairly comfortable carriages for specialists and management. By October 1, 1947, Voznyuk reported to Moscow that the site was completely ready for missile launches, and already on October 14, 1947, the first batch of A-1 (V-2) missiles arrived at the site. Even earlier, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev and other specialists arrived at the test site.
Preparing for launch from the test site " Kapustin Yar»
the first Soviet rocket R-1
On October 18, 1947, the countdown for the functioning of the Kapustin Yar cosmodrome began. It was on this day at 10:47 a.m. Moscow time that the first ballistic missile was launched in the USSR. The rocket rose to a height of 86 kilometers and reached the surface of the Earth 274 kilometers from the launch. The first series of launches was carried out from October 18 to November 13, 1947. During this period, 11 A-1 missiles were launched. There were successes and failures, but this concerned missiles, not ground equipment.
For 10 years (from 1947 to 1957), Kapustin Yar was the only testing site for Soviet ballistic missiles. Tests of the R-1 (September-October 1948, September-October 1949), R-2 (September-October 1949), R-5 (March 1953) and others were carried out at the test site. Even during the first series of launches in October-November 1947, Kapustin Yar began to be used as a launch site for geophysical rockets. The A-1 rocket, launched on November 2, 1947, was equipped with scientific instruments. Since then, this tradition was maintained until specialized geophysical rockets V-1 and V-2 were created. However, Kapustin Yar remained the launch site for geophysical rockets. Later, meteorological rockets were added to geophysical rockets. In June 1951, the first series of rocket launches with dogs on board took place.
Launch of an 8K63U rocket from a silo launcher
R-12U complex from the test site «
Kapustin Yar»
In the early 50s, in addition to the active missile launch program, the formation and development of the test site's testing base was underway, and launch and technical complexes were being built. On February 20, 1956, a nuclear missile weapon was tested at the Kapustin Yar test site. The launched R-5 rocket delivered a nuclear warhead to the Astrakhan steppe, where a nuclear explosion occurred. The Kapustin Yar test site hosted launches of the Burya intercontinental ballistic missile in 1957-1959. On March 16, 1962, Kapustin Yar turned from a missile test site into a cosmodrome. On that day, the Cosmos-1 satellite was launched. Small research satellites were launched from the Kapustin Yar cosmodrome, launched using low-power launch vehicles.
Demonstration launches of the Pechora-2M air defense system at the test site « Kapustin Yar»
Since October 14, 1969, Kapustin Yar has operated as an international cosmodrome. On that day, the Intercosmos-1 satellite, created by specialists from socialist countries, was launched. The Indian satellites “Aryabhata” and “Bhaskara” and the French satellite “Snow-3” took off from Kapustiny Yar. Kapustin Yar played a major role in training qualified personnel for testing rocket and space technology and management personnel for new cosmodromes. The Kapustin Yar cosmodrome took on the role of a cosmodrome for “small” rockets and “small” Earth satellites for research purposes. This specialization remained until 1988, when the need for launches of such satellites sharply decreased and space launches from Kapustin Yar were discontinued. However, launch and technical positions for Cosmos-type launch vehicles are constantly maintained in working order and, if necessary, can be used at any time.
According to open data, since the 1950s, at least 11 nuclear explosions(at an altitude of 300 m to 5.5 km), the total yield of which is approximately 65 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima. In addition to nuclear tests, 24 thousand guided missiles were exploded in Kapustin Yar, 177 samples were tested military equipment, 619 RSD-10 missiles were destroyed.
Monument to the R-1 rocket at the test site « Kapustin Yar»
In 1994, a test site for the Air Defense Forces became part of the 4th State Center of the Russian Defense Ministry. In October 1998, the 4th State Central training ground was transformed into the 4th State Central Interspecies training ground. In 1998, the Sary-Shagan training ground (located in southeastern Kazakhstan and leased by Russia) was withdrawn from the air defense forces and reassigned to the 4th State Central Interspecific training ground. In 1999, Russian troops were relocated to the Kapustin Yar training ground from the Kazakh training ground "Emba".
COSMODROME "BAIKONUR"
The Baikonur Cosmodrome is the world's first and largest cosmodrome of great international importance. Located on the territory of Kazakhstan, near the village of Tyuratam. Covers an area of 6717 km². Various types of launch vehicles can be launched from the cosmodrome. One of the three cosmodromes on the planet, along with the Cape Canaveral (USA) and Jiuquan (China) cosmodromes, designed to launch vehicles with astronauts on board. The ISS orbit was selected taking into account the latitude of Baikonur - the main launches were planned (and are being carried out) from it.
Map of the Baikonur cosmodrome
Launch complexes:
SK RN Rokot. Pl. No. 175
SK LV type Proton. Pl. No. 200. PU No. 39
SK 17P32-6 RN type R-7. Pl. No. 31. PU No. 6
SK LV type Proton. Pl. No. 81. PU No. 23
SK 11P877 RN Zenit. Pl. No. 45. PU No. 1
SK RN Cyclone. Pl. No. 90. PU No. 20
SK LV type Proton. Pl. No. 81. PU No. 24
SK 17P32-5 RN type R-7. Pl. No. 1. PU No. 5
SK missiles RS-20. Pl. No. 109
The R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile, developed to deliver a hydrogen bomb and later used as a prototype for the creation of launch vehicles for manned space flights, required the creation of a new test site for its testing (previously, tests of Soviet missiles were carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site in the Astrakhan region).
Cosmodrome "Baikonur"
When choosing a site for the construction of a landfill, we were guided by the following criteria:
. a vast, sparsely populated area, the lands of which were little used in agricultural production (there was a need to alienate considerable areas of land in the areas where rocket stages fell; the flight path should not pass over large populated areas);
. the presence of a railway line for the delivery of various cargo to the test site, including rocket blocks;
. reliable sources of fresh water to provide the landfill with drinking and process water in large volumes;
. the distance between the launch of the rocket and the place where its head part fell (Kura test site in Kamchatka) is at least 7000 km .
"Baikonur" - view from the dynamic test stand
Several options for the possible location of the test site were considered: the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Dagestan (the western coast of the Caspian Sea), the Astrakhan region (near the city of Kharabali) and the Kzyl-Orda region. There was one more important factor: the first modifications of the R-7 rocket were equipped with a radio control system. For its operation, it was necessary to have three ground points for sending radio commands: two symmetrical on both sides of the launch site at a distance of 150-250 km, the third - located 300-500 km from the launch along the flight path. This factor, ultimately, became decisive: the Kzyl-Orda region was chosen, since in the Mari version the radio control points would have been in impenetrable forests and swamps, in the Dagestan version - in inaccessible mountainous areas, in the Astrakhan one - one of the points would have to be placed on waters of the Caspian Sea.
So, a desert in Kazakhstan, east of the Aral Sea, near one of the largest rivers, was chosen for the test site Central Asia Syrdarya, in the middle between two regional centers of the Kzyl-Orda region of Kazakhstan - Kazalinsk and Dzhusaly, near the Tyuratam crossing of the Moscow-Tashkent railway. Also, the advantages of the place as a launch site were more than three hundred sunny days per year and relative proximity to the equator.
Large-scale 3d model of the structures of the universal
stand-launch complex at the Baikonur cosmodrome
On February 12, 1955, the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR, by joint resolution No. 292-181ss, approved the creation of the Scientific Research Test Site No. 5 of the USSR Ministry of Defense (NIIP No. 5 of the USSR Ministry of Defense), intended for testing rocketry. A significant area of desert was allocated for the location of the test site (a reconnaissance group of topographers and geologists worked here in 1954). The area where the test site was formed in the first half of 1955 had the code name “Taiga”.
Baikonur cosmodrome tracking station
Builder Major General G. M. Shubnikov was appointed construction manager. The first detachment of military builders arrived at the Tyura-Tam station on January 12, 1955.
Construction work at the site began in the second half of the winter of 1955. At first, military builders lived in tents; in the spring, the first dugouts appeared on the banks of the Syr Darya, and on May 5, the first permanent (wooden) building of a residential town was laid. On the same day, May 5, 1957, a special commission accepted the first launch complex of the test site, and on May 6, the first R-7 rocket was already installed at this complex.
The official birthday of the cosmodrome is considered to be June 2, 1955, when the directive of the General Staff approved the staffing structure of the Fifth Research Test Site. By the start of testing and launches, there were 527 engineers and 237 technicians at the test site, the total number of military personnel was 3,600 people.
To disorient a potential enemy, camouflage structures (“false cosmodrome”) were built in the Karaganda region near the village of Baikonur. After the launch of the Vostok spacecraft (with Yu. A. Gagarin on board), this name in the open press was assigned to the real cosmodrome - NIIP No. 5.
May 15, 1957 - start of operation; launch of the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile. The launch was unsuccessful - the rocket flew only 400 km.
August 21, 1957 - successful test of the R-7 rocket.
On October 4, 1957, the world's first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik-1, was launched into orbit from Baikonur. Its mass was 83.6 kilograms.
November 3, 1957 - launch of Sputnik 2 with the dog Laika on board.
In the fall of 1959, Luna 2 delivered a spacecraft to the Moon for the first time.
August 19, 1960 - Sputnik 5 was launched with dogs Belka and Strelka on board. After 17 orbits around the Earth, the device landed in a given area. The dogs returned alive.
On October 24, 1960, a major disaster occurred at the cosmodrome during testing of the R-16 ballistic missile, as a result of which 78 people died from fire and poisoning by fuel components, among whom was the commander-in-chief of the Strategic Missile Forces, Mitrofan Nedelin.
On April 12, 1961, Vostok-1 was launched from the cosmodrome, a spacecraft that for the first time in the world delivered a person to low-Earth orbit (Yu. A. Gagarin). Having completed one revolution around the Earth in 1 hour 48 minutes, the device landed in the Saratov region.
On October 24, 1963, a fire occurred at the cosmodrome in one of the combat silos of the R-9 rocket, which cost the lives of seven military testers.
May 15, 1987 - the first launch of the Energia super-heavy class launch vehicle.
November 15, 1988 - the first (and last) launch of the reusable rocket and space transport system "Energy" - "Buran". At the end of the flight, the Buran orbital vehicle made an automatic landing at the Yubileiny airfield, located in the northern part of the cosmodrome.
In total, over 50 years at Baikonur, more than 1,500 spacecraft for various purposes and more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles were launched, 38 main types of missiles, more than 80 types of spacecraft and their modifications were tested.
1991-1993 was the crisis period of the cosmodrome after the collapse of the USSR. The number of space launches has dropped sharply whole line officers and industry workers, in the current environment of chaos and uncertainty, preferred to leave the cosmodrome with their families for their homeland (Russia, Ukraine, etc.) in search of better life. The status of the cosmodrome was also unclear, since it “found itself” on the territory of sovereign Kazakhstan, and in fact, the operation of Baikonur was carried out by Russia. The last straw was the transfer of the city's public services from the military department to the local Kazakh authorities, who had neither the funds nor the personnel to operate the vast city economy. All this led to big everyday problems in the severe frosty and snowy winter 1993/1994: in residential and office buildings of the city and the cosmodrome, the power supply was constantly cut off, and the heat and water supply worked with huge interruptions; in many apartments in the city the air temperature dropped to zero degrees.
The city's population dropped by almost half. According to the Department of Internal Affairs, in February 1995, 72 thousand people lived at the Baikonur complex, of which 55,855 people lived in the city, the rest in the villages of Tyura-Tam and Akai. 15 thousand Russians, 21 thousand Kazakhs, 2 thousand Ukrainians and 2 thousand other nationalities were registered.
In 1994, the cosmodrome with the city of Leninsk (now Baikonur) was leased to Russia. The annual rental cost is $115 million; military and other equipment is supplied to Kazakhstan as payment. Another $50 million is being transferred to maintain the infrastructure. This is the only cosmodrome at Russia’s disposal that allows the implementation of manned programs - other national cosmodromes in Russia are not suitable for such launches.
In 1997, a phased transfer of cosmodrome facilities from the Russian Ministry of Defense to Roscosmos began. By 2002, most of the spaceport's facilities were transferred to civilian enterprises.
On July 6, 1999, after the accident of the Russian military communications satellite "Raduga", the Kazakh authorities banned launches of space rockets from the cosmodrome. However, this contradicted the bilateral agreement on the lease of the cosmodrome by Russia, so on July 15, after compensation for the damage, the launches resumed.
At the meeting between V. Putin and N. Nazarbayev on January 9-10, 2004 in Astana (Kazakhstan), an agreement was signed on the development of cooperation in effective use complex "Baikonur", the lease period was extended until 2050 at the same rent of 115 million dollars per year.
At the end of 2004, plans were announced to create the Baiterek rocket and space complex (Kazakh: Baiterek - poplar) at Baikonur. With its help, they plan to make commercial launches of spacecraft using the projected Angara launch vehicle. The operation of the rocket and space complex will take place on the principles of equal participation of Russia and Kazakhstan. Funding for the project lies with the Kazakh side, and Russia is responsible for the development.
In September 2004, the current Representative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Basekeev Adilbek Alimzhanovich, was appointed.
In 2005, the space forces stationed at Baikonur began the final stage of transferring the facilities they operated to Roscosmos. By the end of 2007, most military space units had left the spaceport; Only about 500 Russian military personnel remained at the cosmodrome.
On September 6, 2007, the Proton-M launch vehicle, after an unsuccessful launch, fell 40 km from the city of Zhezkazgan, and several tons of highly toxic fuel (heptyl) fell onto the soil.
Proton-K launches into orbit
module "Zvezda" for the ISS
from the Baikonur cosmodrome
Kazakhstan plans to create an international center for the space industry on the basis of the Baikonur complex with the transformation of its territory into a special economic zone (SEZ).
In 2008, at Baikonur, the process of disbanding military units that were part of the fifth state test cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the transfer of their facilities to enterprises of the Russian rocket and space industry ended. At the end of the year, the Baikonur airport “Extreme” was transferred to the jurisdiction of TsENKI.
A new step in reforming the Baikonur cosmodrome was the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation D. A. Medvedev, signed on December 16, 2008, “On the reorganization of the federal state unitary enterprise “Center for the Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure Facilities” in the form of the merger of KB Motor, KBOM, KBTM, KBTHM , NPF "Kosmotrans", OKB "Vympel", FCC "Baikonur". The reorganization was carried out in order to preserve, develop and optimize the use of intellectual, production and financial resources of the Russian rocket and space industry for the implementation of the federal program for the creation of space and ground systems. Thus, TsENKI became the fourth largest enterprise in the Russian space industry at Baikonur in terms of personnel and importance (along with RSC Energia, TsSKB-Progress and the M.V. Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center).
Baikonur Cosmodrome Museum
Russia considers it promising to transfer manned launches to a new one Russian cosmodrome"Vostochny" in the Amur region (after 2018). Thus, in 2020-2040, automatic spacecraft will be launched from Baikonur (on Soyuz-2, Zenit, Baiterek launch vehicles).
Kazakhstan is currently working on issues of independent operation of Baikonur after the final transfer of launches to the Amur region and termination of the lease of the Baikonur cosmodrome by the Russian Federation (for the period after 2050). According to one unconfirmed version, after 2050 the spaceport will be reconstructed into an international space flight center together with the European and Israeli space agencies.
In October 2010, the president of Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary JSC (a subsidiary of Kazkosmos) stated that the Kazakh side considers it possible for Kazakhstan to begin independent operation of Baikonur as early as 2014.
COSMODROME "PLESETSK"
The Plesetsk cosmodrome (1st State Test Cosmodrome) is located 180 kilometers south of Arkhangelsk near the Plesetskaya railway station of the Northern Railway. Situated on a plateau-like and slightly hilly plain, it covers an area of 1,762 square kilometers, stretching from north to south for 46 kilometers and from east to west for 82 kilometers with a center having geographic coordinates of 63 degrees north latitude and 41 degrees east longitude.
Cosmodrome map «
Plesetsk»
Launch complexes:
SK 132/1 (RN Kosmos)
SK 132/2 (RN Kosmos)
SK 133 (RN Kosmos)
SK 16 (RN type R-7)
SK 32/1 (RN Cyclone)
SK 32/2 (RN Cyclone)
SK 43/3 (RN type R-7)
SK 43/4 (RN type R-7)
SK 133/3 RN Rokot
The history of the cosmodrome begins with the Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated January 11, 1957, when it was decided to create a military facility with the code name "Angara" - the first formation of intercontinental ballistic missiles "R-7". In the same year, construction of the first launch complexes began.
Cosmodrome "Plesetsk"
When choosing the location of the object, the following were primarily taken into account:
. reach of the territory of a potential enemy;
. the ability to conduct and control test launches into the test site area on the Kamchatka Peninsula;
. the need for special secrecy and secrecy;
. proximity to a railway junction;
. the presence of sparsely populated areas where blocks of the first stages of launch vehicles fall.
In December 1959, construction of the first launcher (site 41) was completed and in January 1960 the first R-7A missile was put on combat duty.
Launcher at the Plesetsk cosmodrome
The decision to use intercontinental ballistic missile launch complexes for satellite launches was made in 1963. By this time, in a short period of time, 15 launchers for four types of missiles: “R-7A”, “R-9A”, “R-16” and “R-16A” were built, put into operation and put on combat duty. The need to use Plesetsk as a cosmodrome was dictated by the need to increase the number of launches of space objects, including military ones.
By June 1964, organizational measures were completed to transform the Angara facility into a Research Test Site, which included the 2nd Directorate for Testing Spacecraft and Launch Vehicles.
The first space launch took place on March 17, 1966, when the Cosmos -112 satellite was launched. From that moment on, intensive operation of the cosmodrome began. In the 70-80s, up to 40% of all world space launches were carried out from it. According to the authors, in total, as of December 15, 1998, 1501 launches of space launch vehicles were carried out from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. Of this number, 49 launches were emergency launches. The number of launches by year and by type of launch vehicle is given in the appendix at the end of the article.
With the increase in the number and types of artificial Earth satellites launched in our country, the process of creating new technical and launch complexes continued. These complexes were intended for the preparation and launch of spacecraft using launch vehicles light class. In 1967, launches of the Cosmos-2 and Cosmos-3 launch vehicles began, and in 1977, the Cyclone-3.
Launch of the Cyclone-3 rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome
At the end of the 80s, the “space” departments of the test site were merged into the Main Center for Testing and Application of Space Facilities, on the basis of which, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 11, 1994, the 1st State Test Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation was created.
The core of the cosmodrome consists of nine launchers:
. launch complexes of the R-7 family of launch vehicles (sites 41, 16, 43/3 and 43/4),
. launch complexes of the Cosmos series launch vehicle (sites 132/1, 132/2, 133),
. LV launch complexes of the “Cyclone” series (sites 32/1, 32/2).
In 1991, site 41 was mothballed and used as a training ground. In 1998, its dismantling began.
Currently, the construction of the launch complex of the Zenit series launch vehicle (site 35) is underway. In the future, it is planned to develop it into a universal ground complex for launching, in addition to Zenit, new light and heavy class launch vehicles, including the promising Angara, Neva, and Yenisei launch vehicles.
Launch from the Plesetsk cosmodrome
satellite "Cosmos -2420"
The preparation of launch vehicles and spacecraft is carried out in seven installation and testing buildings. The cosmodrome also includes Europe's largest oxygen-nitrogen plant, the Plesetsk airfield, two stations for refueling spacecraft propulsion systems, and more than 600 kilometers of transport routes.
In the future, the use of the Plesetsk cosmodrome for the implementation of manned programs is not excluded. According to a number of sources, in the coming years, the Plesetsk cosmodrome will be transferred from the Russian Ministry of Defense to the jurisdiction of Roscosmos, and the operation of its facilities (like the Baikonur cosmodrome) will be entrusted to the Center for Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure Facilities (FSUE TsENKI).
COSMODROME "FREE"
On March 4, 1997 at 05:00 UHF, the launch of the Start 1.2 launch vehicle - with the Zeya spacecraft on board - began the history of the new Russian cosmodrome with the proud name "Svobodny".
Map of the Svobodny cosmodrome
Launch complexes:
SK 5 (RN Start)
For the first time, the question of the need to create and select the location of a new Russian cosmodrome was raised by the Military Space Forces to the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense at the end of 1992.
The main reason was that as a result of the collapse of the USSR, the Baikonur cosmodrome found itself outside the territory of Russia. The implementation of domestic space programs turned out to be dependent on another state.
While this is, in principle, permissible in relation to civil space systems, it is excluded in relation to military space systems. The strategic significance of the tasks they solve requires firm guarantees of their solution.
VKS specialists assessed the possibility of transferring spacecraft launches carried out from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to Russian territory in the interests of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Since the transfer of spacecraft launches using light and medium-class launch vehicles to the Plesetsk cosmodrome is fundamentally possible, such work has been planned and is currently being carried out.
But the issue of launching heavy-duty launch vehicles is of particular urgency. Launch complexes for the Proton launch vehicle are available only at Baikonur. The search for a possible solution to this problem without using the territory of a foreign state led to the need to carry out reconnaissance work in 1993 to select a possible location for the launch complex of heavy-class launch vehicles on Russian territory.
Launcher at the Svobodny cosmodrome
Based on the report of the commander of the Aerospace Forces, Colonel-General V.L. Ivanov, on February 1, 1993, a directive of the General Staff was issued to conduct reconnaissance of possible locations for the new cosmodrome. In accordance with it, a reconnaissance commission was formed under the chairmanship of the Chief of Staff of the Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General S.N. . Ermak, which included representatives of the General Staff, Strategic Missile Forces, and Air Force. The Navy, the Far Eastern Military District, the Central Design Institute of the Ministry of Defense, as well as the Russian Space Agency and leading organizations for the main infrastructure facilities of cosmodromes - the Transport Engineering Design Bureau, the Salyut Design Bureau, the General Engineering Design Bureau and the Motor Design Bureau.
The commission did a lot of analytical work, within the framework of which all possible options for solving the problems of launching heavy-class space launch vehicles from Russian territory were assessed, possible locations for the launch complex (SC) for heavy launch vehicles were selected; requirements for the insurance system and infrastructure facilities have been developed.
Under the leadership of the commission, the Central Research Institute of the Aerospace Forces carried out targeted research work, which resulted in the development of a methodological apparatus for selecting and evaluating options for locating a cosmodrome.
The complexity and scale of the work done can be judged by the basic requirements and restrictions for the location of the cosmodrome. These include in particular:
. ensuring the widest possible range of required orbital inclinations, including the minimum corresponding to the geographic latitude of the launch site, as well as 63-65°, 71-72°, 81° and 97°;
. efficiency of launching payloads into geostationary orbits;
. the absence of active flight sites for launch vehicles over the territories of foreign states and, above all, over the territories of the United States and Canada, which have a missile attack warning system, as well as over densely populated regions of the country, cities and industrial centers;
. there is no need to locate areas of impact of separated parts of launch vehicles on the territories of foreign states or in their territorial waters, in neutral waters with active shipping and fishing, near large populated areas of the country, important national economic facilities and on the territory of unique state reserves;
. proximity to developed railways and other means of communication (sea, river, road and air);
. availability of production and raw materials;
. the possibility of locating (creating) the necessary infrastructure facilities and its subsequent development.
Based on the analysis of the territory of Russia, the commission came to the conclusion that only the southern regions of the Far Eastern region and Sakhalin Island are potentially suitable for the implementation of the assigned tasks. Despite such a large territory of Russia, there are no places closer to the central part of the country suitable for locating a cosmodrome.
Thus, the region of the south of the European part of Russia, in the eastern part of which the Kapustin Yar test site is located, has been widely developed, which makes it difficult to locate such a large facility as a cosmodrome, and does not meet the requirements for supporting launches: low-inclination launch routes pass over the territory of a foreign state (the Republic of Kazakhstan) , and at high altitudes - over large cities and industrial centers.
The regions of southern Siberia and Transbaikalia are mostly inaccessible mountainous terrain, and from there it is impossible to launch into orbits with low inclinations, which are necessary, first of all, for geostationary satellites, since in this case the active flight phases of the launch vehicles would pass over the territories of Mongolia and China.
Not all areas were also suitable for the location of the cosmodrome. Far Eastern region. Unfortunately, the southern part of the Far Eastern region - the area near the cities of Vladivostok and Ussuriysk - turned out to be unsuitable from a geographical point of view. The geographic latitude of this area (in the range of 43-44°N) is one of the southernmost for the Russian Federation. For comparison, you can see that this is even 2-3° south of the Baikonur cosmodrome area. But possible launch azimuths for this area are limited to only 46-59°. When launching at higher inclinations, the routes, and accordingly the areas of impact of the separated parts of the launch vehicles, will pass over the territory of China, and at lower inclinations, including the reference for launches into geostationary orbit, over the territory of Japan.
The area located north of the given area - the Sikhote-Alin mountain range - is practically inaccessible and undeveloped. The minimum necessary conditions for locating a cosmodrome are available only in the range from the left bank of the Amur River and the city of Sovetskaya Gavan, where the Baikal-Amur Mainline ends and all inclinations of rocket launches are provided -carriers, and the areas where their separated parts fall are in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk, which does not require the alienation of territories on land.
The closest to the central regions of Russia in the western part of this region on the Trans-Siberian Railway is the region of the city of Svobodny, Amur Region, from where launches to all necessary inclinations are also provided.
The main requirements and restrictions for the location of the cosmodrome are satisfied by the territory of the island. Sakhalin, especially its southern tip in the area of Ozersky and Novikov, located at latitude 45°. But this area is extremely remote from the rest of Russia, has no railway connections, and lacks a production and construction base and resources.
Thus, the task of choosing the location of the cosmodrome was reduced to two main areas: Sovetskaya Gavan and Svobodny.
At the final stage of the commission’s work, a final assessment was carried out, with a visit to the areas of the selected places, as a result of which the area of the city of Svobodny, Amur Region, was chosen as the location of the new Russian cosmodrome based on the efficiency/cost criterion.
Cosmodrome "Svobodny"
The findings of the reconnaissance commission were reflected in an act approved by the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Ministry of Defense.
One of the factors that determined the choice of the Svobodny area was the presence of significant infrastructure remaining after the reduction of the missile division. At modern prices, its total cost is more than 1.3 trillion rubles.
In accordance with the conclusions of the reconnaissance commission, by the directive of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation dated November 30, 1993, the facilities and part of the military units and subunits of this missile division were transferred to the Military Space Forces, and on their basis the Main Center for Testing and Application of Space Facilities was formed.
At the same time, the issue of the need to expand work on the creation of a cosmodrome was submitted to the Russian Government. Its consideration lasted two years. An additional operational-strategic and feasibility study for the new cosmodrome was compiled. The issue of its creation was considered twice in the State Duma.
A wide discussion on this issue took place in the media mass media and among the population of the Amur region. This is the first time the Military Space Forces have encountered such a situation. The changes that have occurred in the legal and social spheres of life have necessitated greater openness in military activities and public discussion of the issue, including the study of the impact of the cosmodrome on the environment. I had to learn new forms of work on the go. Ultimately it was a success.
Issued on March 1, 1996, the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the creation of the 2nd State Test Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - the Svobodny Cosmodrome - consolidated the decision, legitimized the cosmodrome in legal terms, and drew a line to the three-year period in discussing the issue. This made it possible to include work on the cosmodrome in the State Defense Order and the Armament Program.
The following tasks were assigned to the Military Space Forces by the Decree of the President of Russia:
. ensure preparation for the launch in 1996-1997 of light launch vehicles “Rokot” and “Start”;
. develop a preliminary design for a cosmodrome with a launch complex for heavy-duty launch vehicles "Angara";
. develop and submit proposals for further work at the Svobodny cosmodrome in the second quarter of 1997.
Preparing the Start-1 launch vehicle
in the installation and testing building
The Rokot launch vehicle complex, previously based at the Baikonur cosmodrome, was recommended for placement at the new cosmodrome at the stage of reconnaissance work, since all the basic necessary infrastructure was available for it. It was created on the basis of ICBMs similar to those with which the missile division based in the Svobodny region was equipped. In order to ensure the deployment of this complex at the cosmodrome, 5 silo launchers and all the equipment necessary for preparing and conducting launches were preserved from destruction.
However, the late decision-making on the cosmodrome, the difficult economic situation in the country and the associated insufficient funding for the Armed Forces determined the slow pace of work on the Rokot complex.
It was possible to implement the project more quickly with the deployment of a complex of launch vehicles of the “Start” family at the cosmodrome. This was facilitated by the lack of need capital construction and fruitful cooperation with the Scientific and Technical Center "Complex" of the State Enterprise "Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering". However, a lot of work was done to implement this project. At the cosmodrome, technical and launch positions for launch vehicles and spacecraft were created, a measuring complex of the cosmodrome was deployed as part of the launch and remote measuring points, a communication system, impact fields were organized for the separating parts of launch vehicles, combat crews were trained for preparation and launch, and much more. other. Only the specialists whose hands did it can evaluate the entire amount of work done.
The Start launch vehicle complex, like the Rokot complex and all other space launch vehicle complexes, is of interest for both military and civilian launches. The “Start” complex was created by the Scientific and Technical Center “Complex” on an extra-budgetary basis. Plans for its use envisaged the launch of the American satellite company “Earth Watch” at the end of 1996, intended for remote sensing of the Earth. However, this spacecraft was not ready for launch at the required time and, taking into account the fundamental feasibility of opening a new Russian cosmodrome by launching a domestic rather than a foreign spacecraft, a decision was made to prioritize the launch of the Zeya spacecraft, created by order of the Military Space Forces. This spacecraft, although it was created by order of the military department, is of great importance for the entire cosmonautics, since it is intended to develop the latest general principles for monitoring the launches of space launch vehicles and controlling spacecraft in orbit.
On March 4, 1997, the history of the Russian Svobodny cosmodrome began with the launch of the Start 1.2 launch vehicle with the Zeya spacecraft on board. The launch was carried out from a mobile launcher of the “Topol” type.
The reconstruction of the cosmodrome infrastructure, which began in 1999, dragged on for several years due to funding problems.
In 1999, a decree was signed on the construction of a rocket launch complex for the Strela launch vehicle at the cosmodrome. The launch of the complex was postponed several times.
It was planned to launch from the cosmodrome the designed Angara heavy-class launch vehicles, with increased requirements for environmental safety.
At the beginning of 2004, the head of the cosmodrome, Colonel Vladimir Dmitrievich Tyurin (who replaced A.N. Vinidiktov in 2001), stated that there were no plans to launch rockets from the cosmodrome until 2007. According to him, this is due to the fact that the Strela missile system did not pass the state environmental assessment. The problem was heptyl, a highly toxic rocket fuel. True, in March 2005, plans were announced to launch the Israeli satellite Eros-2 from the Free Cosmodrome using the Start-1 launch vehicle in the fourth quarter of 2005.
On the night of April 26, 2006, the Israeli reconnaissance satellite EROS-B1 was launched from the cosmodrome, which is used by the Israeli Ministry of Defense for round-the-clock surveillance of Iran. This is the second Israeli spacecraft launched from the Svobodny cosmodrome. The first, EROS-A1, launched in December 2000. Israel announced its intention to continue space cooperation with Russia - at the end of 2006 - beginning of 2007, the launch of the new EROS-C1 apparatus took place.
According to reports, in June 2005, at a meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, it was decided as part of the reduction armed forces liquidate the Svobodny cosmodrome due to the low intensity of launches and insufficient funding. It was planned to continue operating only the measuring equipment of the cosmodrome in the interests of the vehicles launching from Baikonur. In January 2007, these plans were confirmed by the commander of the Russian Space Forces, Vladimir Popovkin.
In March 2007, the governor of the Amur region, Leonid Korotkov, announced the closure of the cosmodrome.
COSMODROME "VOSTOCHNY"
The Vostochny cosmodrome is a future Russian cosmodrome, which is planned to be built in the Far East in the Amur region, near the village of Uglegorsk. The start of construction was planned for 2010, after the preparation of a feasibility study, design and survey work on the exact location, determining the boundaries of the future cosmodrome . The first unmanned rocket launch is scheduled for 2015, completion of construction is scheduled for 2016, and launches of ships with astronauts for 2018. Full commissioning of the cosmodrome is planned for 2020. According to the preliminary plan, they should be completed by 2010.
The creation of the Vostochny cosmodrome dates back to the dissolution of the Svobodny cosmodrome in 2007. By 2010, the entire base of the Svobodny cosmodrome was destroyed, and a new facility will have to be created from scratch.
The “core” of the cosmodrome, its administrative and social infrastructure will be located in the Closed Administrative-Territorial Entity (ZATO) Uglegorsk, and the location of the launch complexes and other facilities will be determined in the cosmodrome project and its development program, which will be officially approved later. This does not exclude the creation of objects related to Vostochny outside the Amur region.
The primary task of the new complex is to reduce the load on the Baikonur cosmodrome, but not replace it completely, at least until the end of the lease period - 2050. Equally important to this goal, the construction of a new space complex in the Far Eastern Federal District is a solution to a serious demographic problem in the region. In the report of the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Institute of Demography, Migration and Regional Development, Yuri Krupnov, the Vostochny cosmodrome is considered as the cornerstone for the implementation of the State Program for the resettlement of compatriots.
About 400 billion rubles will be spent on the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome.
According to the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, 24.7 billion rubles will be allocated from the Russian budget for the first stage of construction of the cosmodrome (over three years): it is planned to build a launch complex, an airfield runway, a plant for oxygen-nitrogen mixtures, and a hydrogen plant .
On August 28, 2010, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited the village of Uglegorsk, where he confirmed plans to build a cosmodrome, but by this time construction had not yet begun.
In 2011, work will begin on the construction of the supporting infrastructure of the cosmodrome, in 2012 - the ground-based space infrastructure. By 2015, it is planned to complete the creation of engineering and social infrastructure and build the first launch pad.
New launch vehicles “Rus” powered by hydrogen fuel will probably be launched from the cosmodrome.
In August 2010, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said that from 2018, Russia will carry out all manned space flights from the Vostochny cosmodrome.
On January 25, 2011, at a meeting of the Presidium of the Government of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin noted: “The concept and program for the creation of the Vostochny cosmodrome is currently being agreed upon.” I believe that the resolution of this issue has been delayed - according to preliminary plans, this should have been done earlier, a lot of time is spent on all kinds of bureaucratic approvals. Therefore, I ask, Sergei Borisovich (S. B. Ivanov), you keep this under control. And by the end of February, the construction program for the Vostochny cosmodrome should be adopted by the Government, and construction of the cosmodrome should begin strictly on schedule.”
According to Roscosmos, the cosmodrome has a number of advantages:
. the initial section of the launch vehicle’s flight path does not pass over densely populated areas of Russia or over the territories of foreign states;
. the impact areas of the separated parts of launch vehicles are located in sparsely populated areas of Russian territory or in neutral waters;
. The location of the cosmodrome is located close to developed railways, highways and airfields.
It is worth noting the reduction in political risks - Kazakhstan for last years blocked Russian missile launches several times under various pretexts.
But there are also disadvantages of the Far Eastern cosmodrome (compared to Baikonur):
. the need to build its own airfield for the cosmodrome (while Baikonur has two modern airfields), or to lay a railway line from the cosmodrome to the nearest airfield (for transporting spacecraft);
. some increase in transport costs (both financial and time). Now the main space enterprises are located in Moscow, Samara, Zheleznogorsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory), from there spacecraft, launch vehicles and personnel are delivered to Baikonur by rail and air transport at a distance of 2500 and 1500 km, respectively. If the Vostochny cosmodrome is created, the delivery distance will exceed 3000 km;
. spent rocket parts falling into the taiga can cause forest fires, which are already a serious problem for this region;
. lack of housing and infrastructure for employees. The number of required personnel, including families, can reach 100,000 people. No more than 5,000 people live in Uglegorsk itself, which makes it necessary to actually build a new city, comparable in number of residential buildings and size of infrastructure to the regional center (Blagoveshchensk).
Reducing the load on the Baikonur cosmodrome is a dubious thesis, since currently Baikonur is not very busy with launches, in reality their number can be increased by one and a half to two times, for this there is both infrastructure and personnel.
The cost of renting Baikonur is $115 million, that is, about 3 billion rubles. Thus, for the cost of building Vostochny (minimum 400 billion rubles), you can rent Baikonur for more than 130 years (if the rental price does not change and good neighborly relations with Kazakhstan are maintained).
For Russia, the new cosmodrome is:
. independence of space activities across the entire range of tasks to be solved: from scientific and socio-economic to manned programs;
. guaranteed implementation of international and commercial space programs;
. improvement of the socio-economic situation, development of the local industrial base with the attraction of investments and private capital in the area of the creation and cosmodrome;
. in the future - reducing costs for renting the Baikonur cosmodrome.
Used 3D animated computer models from the website
Modern Russian cosmodromes are objects that play a vital role in science, economics, socio-political, cultural communications at the most different levels. There are both operating and under construction launch sites in the Russian Federation. Where are the Russian cosmodromes located? What kind of objects are they currently represented by?
What kind of cosmodromes operate in the Russian Federation?
Baikonur, Plesetsk, Kapustin Yar, Yasny, Svobodny and the Vostochny one under construction are modern Russian cosmodromes. The list of relevant objects, of course, can be adjusted depending on how the infrastructure involved in the implementation of the Russian space program will be distributed. It is possible that, due to the large area of certain cosmodromes, as well as the complexity of the tasks solved at them, new launch pads will be opened, current ones will be closed and moved to another location. But at the moment, the Russian cosmodromes mentioned above can generally be considered as a fairly well-established system of facilities for the corresponding purpose. Let us now consider the specifics of each of them in more detail.
"Baikonur" is the main cosmodrome within the framework of the Russian space programs
Baikonur is a cosmodrome that belongs not to Russia, but to Kazakhstan, but the Russian Federation is practically its only user. Its main operators are RSC Energia, TsSKB Progress, State Research and Production Space Center named after. M. V. Khrunicheva, Yuzhny Space Center. Baikonur was built in 1955. This facility was leased by the Russian government from the Republic of Kazakhstan for 50 years. The cost of using the cosmodrome is about 5 billion rubles per year - 3.5 billion is, in fact, rent, 1.5 billion is funds allocated by the Russian Federation to maintain the functionality of the facility’s infrastructure.
Baikonur, despite its legal affiliation with Kazakhstan, is traditionally regarded as a Russian cosmodrome. It is known for the fact that the Earth, the first manned spacecraft, and various scientific satellites were launched from it. Now Baikonur is the largest of all objects of the corresponding type that are used in the Russian space industry. Its total area is about 6717 square meters. km. Over the past few years, this Russian cosmodrome has been the world leader in the number of launches.
Infrastructure of the Baikonur cosmodrome
The Baikonur infrastructure is represented, in particular, by the following objects:
9 launch complexes of various categories;
15 launchers designed to launch rockets that launch satellites and ships into space;
4 launchers used for ballistic missile testing;
11 buildings designed for installation and testing of equipment for various purposes;
34 complexes adapted for the pre-launch preparation of rockets and vehicles for various purposes launched into space by them;
3 stations where launch vehicles and other spacecraft are refueled with various types of fuel;
Measuring complex;
Information and computing center, which monitors and controls spacecraft flights and processes various types of data;
Oxygen-nitrogen production complex capable of producing about 300 tons of various types of cryogenic products per day;
CHP with a capacity of 60 MW;
A 72 MW power train operating on gas turbines;
There are 600 objects;
Communication nodes in the amount of 92 units;
Aerodromes - “Extreme” and “Yubileiny”;
Local railway infrastructure with a total length of about 470 km;
Automotive infrastructure with a length of about 1281 km;
Power lines are 6610 km, communications lines are 2784 km.
Having examined the main features of the largest cosmodrome involved in the Russian space program, we will study the specifics of other objects of the same type that operate in Russia.
"Kapustin Yar"
Many researchers tend to consider Kapustin Yar more like a military training ground. But in many ways it can also be considered a cosmodrome, primarily due to the fact that test launches of ballistic missiles are carried out from it - with warheads that are launched into open space. Kapustin Yar was built in 1946.
This Russian cosmodrome is located mainly in, but some of its territories are part of the Atyrau, as well as the West Kazakhstan regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Its total area is about 650 square meters. km. This cosmodrome has its own administrative center - the city of Znamensk. Not far from it there is a military airfield.
"Clear"
Experts most often consider the Yasny cosmodrome as a launch base - but for rockets, again, intended for launch into outer space. Actively used since 2006. This relatively new cosmodrome is located in Russia, in the Yasnensky district, which is located in the Orenburg region.
The main operator of the facility is the international corporation Kosmotras. The spaceport infrastructure is used mainly for launching various satellites into low-Earth orbit. At the same time, the Dnepr rocket of Russian-Ukrainian production is most often used to solve the corresponding problems.
"Plesetsk"
The northernmost cosmodrome in Russia is Plesetsk. It is located approximately 180 km from Arkhangelsk - south of the city. The area of the facility is about 176.2 hectares. Plesetsk began operating as a cosmodrome in 1966. It can launch missiles belonging to the R-7 family and others that belong to similar classes.
The northernmost cosmodrome in Russia, as some analysts note, has a record for the total number of rocket launches into space carried out from it.
"Free"
The Svobodny cosmodrome is located in the Amur region. It has been in operation since 1996. This Russian cosmodrome has an area of 410 square meters. km, and has the infrastructure for launching light and medium-class missiles. An interesting fact is that the construction of Svobodny was initiated due to the fact that after the collapse of the USSR, the main Soviet cosmodrome Baikonur found itself outside the Russian Federation, and the leaders of the Russian space program decided that the state needed its own facility for the corresponding purpose. In practice at that time the most eastern cosmodrome Russia, after the start of operation, was used, in particular, for the purpose of test launches of ballistic missiles - such as Topol. Now it is practically not actively used, this is largely due to the fact that a new facility is being built in the Far East - the Vostochny cosmodrome. Let us consider, in turn, the basic information about it.
"Oriental"
This is the newest and easternmost cosmodrome in Russia. It began construction in 2010. It will be located, by the way, not far from Svobodny, which is expected to be disbanded in connection with the installation of the main infrastructure at Vostochny and the subsequent optimization of logistics for the specifics of the new facility.
It is calculated that the easternmost cosmodrome under construction in Russia will occupy an area of about 1035 square meters. km. Its creation is intended to solve the following the most important tasks: Russia’s acquisition of its own cosmodrome, adapted for launching any types of rockets, the formation of additional impulses for the intensive development of the Far Eastern territories of the Russian Federation. This region is given special attention in government socio-economic programs, and the construction of a corresponding facility is considered here as one of the most significant factors in the successful implementation of these initiatives.
Vostochny is a Russian cosmodrome, which has a number of advantages, in particular, over Baikonur. So, for example, the flight paths of missiles that will be launched from here are located outside densely populated and foreign countries - they are laid over neutral waters. In addition, a significant factor is where the cosmodrome in Russia is located - namely, in close proximity to developed transport infrastructure. This makes the operation of Vostochny especially profitable. At the same time, some experts also highlight a number of shortcomings in the design of the corresponding object of the Russian space program. First of all, it is noted that Vostochny is located 6 degrees north of Baikonur - therefore, the total mass of the payload that is launched into space at the Russian cosmodrome will be slightly lower.
When will launches from Vostochny begin?
When will Russia's easternmost cosmodrome be opened and put into operation?
It was initially assumed that the first from the relevant facility would be carried out at the end of 2015. But at the moment it has been postponed to 2016. As for launches of a manned spacecraft from Vostochny, the first should take place in 2016. The personnel of the new Russian cosmodrome will live in the city of Uglegorsk, which is located in the Amur region - in close proximity to the facility under construction. The administrative bodies of Vostochny will be located in the same city. By the way, some of the cosmodrome’s infrastructure facilities may be built outside the Amur region. It is assumed that from Vostochny it will be possible to launch missiles of almost any type - light, medium and heavy - such as, for example, Angara, the successful tests of which were carried out in the Russian Federation in 2014.
Summary
Thus, modern Russian cosmodromes are represented by 5 operating facilities - Svobodny can be counted among these for now, since it still has infrastructure, and one under construction. They are located in various parts of the Russian Federation - in the south of the European part of the country, in the north, in the Far East. The largest cosmodrome involved in the Russian space program is located in Kazakhstan. Soon it will share its functions, which include launching all popular types of rockets, with the Vostochny cosmodrome, which is being built in the Amur region.
Most famous spaceport Russia is Baikonur. It carried out the largest number of launch vehicles. Russia is currently building a new Vostochny cosmodrome.
How many spaceports are there in the world?
Baikonur is the oldest cosmodrome in Russia and the entire planet. Moreover, it is also the largest. It was founded in 1955 on the territory of Kazakhstan. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the spaceport was leased by the Russian government from the Kazakh side. At the moment, the lease agreement is concluded until 2050.
In total, there are 14 cosmodromes in the world from which launch vehicles were launched. The territory itself is a complex of structures designed for launching special vehicles into space. As a rule, they occupy huge areas and are located at a great distance from populated areas. After all, stages that separate during the flight can cause damage to residential buildings or neighboring launch sites.
Scientists have long noticed that the most advantageous location for cosmodromes is right on the equator. Thus, the launch vehicle saves about 10% of fuel compared to a rocket that is launched from mid-latitudes.
In addition to Russia, spaceports from which launch vehicles have already been launched exist in the USA, French Guiana, China, India, Japan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Iran. There is also an international launch platform "Odyssey", located in the Pacific Ocean.
No. 1 - Baikonur
Construction of the largest cosmodrome in Russia began in 1955. Initially, a special commission was created to determine the location where this structure would appear. This territory had to meet several conditions. They chose a vast, but at the same time sparsely populated area; there had to be a railway nearby. Also prerequisites- availability of drinking and process water in large volumes.
Several options were considered. As a result, the choice was made in the Kyzylorda region on the territory of the Kazakh SSR. The construction of the cosmodrome began in the desert, not far from the Aral Sea, the Syr Darya rivers and the Moscow-Tashkent railway line. Another advantage was the sunny weather, which persists in these places for about 300 days a year. In addition, the desert is relatively close to the equator.
The construction of the cosmodrome was led by Georgy Shubnikov, Major General of the Engineering and Technical Service. It is interesting that in order to disorient a possible enemy, in addition to the main cosmodrome, several camouflage structures were built. This is a false cosmodrome in the Karaganda region. It is located near the village of Baikonur. After the successful flight of the first man, Yuri Gagarin, into space, it was the name Baikonur that stuck in people’s minds. As a result, this is now the name given to a real spaceport located in a different location.
History of the object
The first rocket was launched from Baikonur in 1957. True, unsuccessful. On August 21, for the first time, a rocket successfully delivered a conditional cargo from Baikonur to Kamchatka.
At 10:28 p.m. on October 4, 1957, the space age began. The Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite from Baikonur. And at 9.07, the first man went on a space flight from here.
A large-scale infrastructure has been organized at Baikonur. The cosmodrome has 9 launch complexes and 15 launchers. There are two airfields, more than a thousand kilometers of roads, thousands of kilometers of communication and power lines.
No. 2 - Vostochny cosmodrome
In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to begin construction of a new facility. Construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia began in 2012.
It must provide the country with independent access to space. In addition, it must guarantee the fulfillment of all obligations under commercial and international space programs, and will also significantly reduce the cost of maintaining Baikonur. Ultimately, the socio-economic situation in the Amur region, where construction is underway, will improve.
The territory where the Vostochny cosmodrome is being built has a number of advantages. Russia will have the opportunity to send rockets into space, bypassing densely populated areas of the country and the territories of foreign countries. There are highways and Railway, airfields. With the advent of the new cosmodrome, political risks associated with the location of Baikonur in Kazakhstan will be neutralized.
Corruption scandals
The construction of a new spaceport is regularly accompanied by scandals. More than 80 billion rubles were allocated for the first stage alone; in total they plan to spend about 300 billion on construction.
At the same time, corruption scandals constantly occur. They began back in 2012, when workers at Vostochny began to go on strike because they were not being paid their wages. To solve this problem, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin was sent there. In 2014, he became the main construction coordinator. Since then, he has visited the site of the future cosmodrome more than fifty times.
Despite this, by the spring of 2015, the wage arrears amounted to about 150 million rubles. The construction workers went on an indefinite hunger strike; this became one of the main topics of direct communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At the moment, criminal cases have been opened regarding the theft of 7.5 billion rubles.
The fate of Baikonur
After it became known that there would be a cosmodrome on Russian territory, many were worried about the fate of Baikonur. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has officially admitted that the state budget will not be able to support the cosmodrome. For this reason, Astana will not insist on its transfer by Russia.
At the same time, it is obvious that at least for the coming years, the Kazakhstan cosmodrome will remain the main platform for launching heavy rockets. Even after the launch of Vostochny. Although it is planned that over time this will be the main cosmodrome in Russia.
For example, the Angara super-heavy rocket is expected to be launched at the new cosmodrome no earlier than 2026. Another disadvantage of the new space rocket launch site is that it is located about 6 degrees north of Baikonur. But the closer the launch site is to the equator, the lower the costs and the higher the efficiency.
Therefore, for sure, Russia will not leave Baikonur in the coming years. The only thing that will decline is politicization in cooperation between Moscow and Astana, which is often based on the fact that the main Russian cosmodrome is located on foreign territory.
No. 3 - Plesetsk cosmodrome
Another famous Russian cosmodrome is located in Plesetsk. This cosmodrome is engaged in supporting Russian space programs that are related to defense functions, as well as scientific and commercial objectives.
It is located in the Arkhangelsk region, almost 200 kilometers from the regional center. The Plesetsk Northern Railway runs nearby.
The administrative and residential center of the cosmodrome is located in the city of Mirny. Its population is approximately 30,000 people.
The first launch of a launch vehicle from Plesetsk took place in 1966. After that, it served as a test site for intercontinental-range strategic missile systems.
After 1968, international programs were implemented. Other Russian cosmodromes are also carrying out similar work. Plesetsk, for example, hosted a French spacecraft.
Tragedies in Plesetsk
Many Russian cosmodromes, a list of which you will find in this article, have been involved in a sad chronicle of incidents with human casualties. Plesetsk was no exception.
In 1973, 8 people died in the explosion of the Cosmos rocket. This happened while it was being refueled. Another 10 people were hospitalized. One of them died from his burns without regaining consciousness.
In 1980, the largest tragedy occurred, which claimed the lives of 48 people. The explosion occurred again while refueling. This time, the Vostok rocket and its satellite were at the epicenter of the incident.
In 1987, a fire broke out in a nearby military unit. 5 people died.
In 2002, a Soyuz rocket exploded a few seconds after launch. There was one crew member on board.
The last tragedy occurred in 2013. Two were killed and three were hospitalized during a routine cleaning of a rocket fuel container.
Despite this, Plesetsk is the northernmost cosmodrome in Russia, where rocket launches continue.
No. 4 - Kapustin Yar cosmodrome
When listing Russian cosmodromes, the list of which is included in this article, one cannot fail to mention Kapustin Yar. It is located in the north-west of the Astrakhan region. It was originally built as a ballistic missile test site in 1946.
Kapustin Yar is often called the “Russian Roswell”. It is believed that it was here that Soviet scientists explored alien ships. In support of this legend, there are many television programs in which, for example, the layout of the underground complex under the landfill is described in detail.
No. 5 - Svobodny Cosmodrome
Those who are interested in where the cosmodromes are in Russia know about the existence of a launch pad that is not as popular as the previous ones, Svobodny. It is located in the Amur region, near the city of Tsiolkovsky, former Uglegorsk.
A total of five rocket launches were made from here. The last one was in 2006. The cosmodrome has not been operational for 10 years.
In the 2000s, it was planned that the Strela rocket complex would be launched from this cosmodrome. However, it did not pass the state environmental examination. Primarily due to the highly toxic rocket fuel heptyl. By the way, many Kazakh public and environmental organizations are also against it.
Ultimately, it was decided to liquidate it as part of a large-scale reduction of the armed forces due to low profitability and liquidity. There were very few launches from the Svobodny cosmodrome, and as a result, funding was minimal.
No. 6 - floating cosmodrome "Sea Launch"
Russia also has its own floating spaceport - the Sea Launch platform. It is located in the Pacific Ocean. The closest piece of land to it is Christmas Island.
Since 1995, it has been managed by an international consortium. It includes Russia and the USA. The first demonstration satellite was launched in 1999. At the same time, the first commercial launch of a launch vehicle took place.
At the moment, 36 rockets have been sent from the Sea Launch cosmodrome. Moreover, three of them were failures, one launch was considered partially successful.
On March 4, 1997, the first space launch took place from the new Russian Svobodny cosmodrome. It became the twentieth operating cosmodrome in the world at that time. Now, on the site of this launch pad, the Vostochny cosmodrome is being built, the commissioning of which is scheduled for 2018. Thus, Russia will already have 5 cosmodromes - more than China, but less than the United States. Today we will talk about the world's largest space sites.
Baikonur (Russia, Kazakhstan)
The oldest and largest to this day is Baikonur, opened in the steppes of Kazakhstan in 1957. Its area is 6717 sq. km. In the best years - the 60s - it carried out up to 40 launches per year. And there were 11 launch complexes in operation. Over the entire period of the cosmodrome’s existence, more than 1,300 launches were made from it.
According to this parameter, Baikonur is the leader in the world to this day. Every year, an average of two dozen rockets are launched into space here. Legally, the cosmodrome with all its infrastructure and vast territory belongs to Kazakhstan. And Russia rents it for $115 million a year. The lease agreement is due to end in 2050.
However, even earlier, most Russian launches should be transferred to the Vostochny cosmodrome, currently under construction in the Amur region.
Has existed in the state of Florida since 1949. Initially, the base hosted military aircraft testing and later ballistic missile launches. It has been used as a space launch site since 1957. Without stopping military tests, in 1957, part of the launch pads was made available to NASA.
The first American satellites were launched here, and the first American astronauts flew from here - Alan Shepard and Virgil Grissom (suborbital flights along a ballistic trajectory) and John Glenn (orbital flight). After which the manned flight program moved to the newly built Space Center, which was named after Kennedy in 1963 after the death of the president.
From that moment on, the base began to be used to launch unmanned spacecraft that delivered the necessary cargo to astronauts into orbit, and also sent automatic research stations to other planets and beyond the solar system.
Also, satellites, both civilian and military, have been launched and are being launched from Cape Canaverel. Due to the variety of tasks solved at the base, 28 launch sites were built here. Currently, there are 4 operational. Two more are maintained in operational condition in anticipation of the start of production of the modern Boeing X-37 shuttles, which should “retire” the Delta, Atlas and Titan rockets.
It was created in Florida in 1962. Area - 557 sq. km. Number of employees: 14 thousand people. The complex is completely owned by NASA. It is from here that all manned spacecraft have launched, starting with the flight in May 1962 of the fourth astronaut, Scott Carpenter. The Apollo program was implemented here, culminating in the landing on the Moon. All American reusable ships - shuttles - departed from here and returned here.
Now all launch sites are in standby mode for new equipment. The last launch took place in 2011. However, the Center continues to work hard both to control the ISS flight and to develop new space programs.
Located in Guiana, an overseas department of France located in the northeast of South America. Area - about 1200 sq. km. The Kourou spaceport was opened by the French Space Agency in 1968. Due to the small distance from the equator, it is possible to launch spacecraft from here with significant fuel savings, since the rocket is “pushed” by the high linear speed of the Earth’s rotation near the zero parallel.
In 1975, the French invited the European Space Agency (ESA) to use Kourou to implement their programs. As a result, France now allocates 1/3 of the necessary funds for the maintenance and development of the cosmodrome, the rest falls on ESA. Moreover, ESA is the owner of three of the four launchers.
From here the European ISS nodes and satellites go into space. The dominant missile here is the Euro-rocket Ariane, produced in Toulouse. In total, more than 60 launches were made. At the same time, our Soyuz rockets with commercial satellites launched from the cosmodrome five times.
The PRC owns four spaceports. Two of them solve only military problems, testing ballistic missiles, launching spy satellites, and testing technology for intercepting foreign space objects. Two have a dual purpose, ensuring not only the implementation of militaristic programs, but also peaceful development outer space.
The largest and oldest of them is the Jiuquan Cosmodrome. In operation since 1958. Covers an area of 2800 sq. km.
At first, Soviet specialists used it to teach the Chinese “brothers forever” the intricacies of military space “craft.” In 1960, the first short-range missile, a Soviet one, was launched from here. Soon, a Chinese-made rocket, in the creation of which Soviet specialists also participated, successfully launched. After the breakdown of friendly relations between the countries occurred, the activities of the cosmodrome came to a standstill.
It was only in 1970 that the first Chinese satellite was successfully launched from the cosmodrome. Ten years later, the first intercontinental ballistic missile was launched. And at the end of the century, the first descent vehicle went into space spaceship without a pilot. In 2003, the first taikonaut was in orbit.
Currently, 4 out of 7 launch pads operate at the cosmodrome. 2 of them are allocated exclusively for the needs of the Ministry of Defense. Every year, 5-6 rockets launch from the Jiuquan Cosmodrome.
Founded in 1969. Operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Located on the southeastern coast of Tanegashima Island, in the south of Kagoshima Prefecture.
The first primitive satellite was launched into orbit in 1970. Since then, Japan, with its strong technological base in electronics, has made great strides in creating both efficient orbital satellites and geocentric research stations.
At the cosmodrome, two launch pads are reserved for launches of suborbital geophysical vehicles, two serve heavy rockets H-IIA and H-IIB. It is these rockets that deliver scientific equipment and necessary equipment to the ISS. Up to 5 launches are made annually.
This unique floating spaceport, based on an ocean platform, was put into operation in 1999. Due to the fact that the platform is based on the zero parallel, launches from it are most energetically profitable due to the use of the maximum linear speed of the Earth at the equator. The activities of Odyssey are controlled by a consortium that includes Boeing, RSC Energia, the Ukrainian Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, the Ukrainian Yuzhmash Production Association, which produces Zenit missiles, and the Norwegian shipbuilding company Aker Kværner.
"Odyssey" consists of two sea vessels— a platform with a launcher and a ship acting as a mission control center.
The launch pad was formerly a Japanese oil platform that was refurbished and refurbished. Its dimensions: length 133 m, width 67 m, height 60 m, displacement 46 thousand tons.
Zenit rockets, which are used to launch commercial satellites, belong to the middle class. They are capable of launching more than 6 tons of payload into orbit.
During its existence floating spaceport It carried out about 40 launches.
And all the rest
In addition to the listed spaceports, there are 17 more. All of them are considered operational.
Some of them, having survived their “former glory,” have greatly reduced their activity, or even completely frozen. Some serve only the military space sector. There are also those that are developing intensively and, very possibly, will become “cosmic fashion trendsetters” over time.
Here is a list of countries with spaceports and their number, including those listed in this article
Russia - 4;
China - 4;
Japan - 2;
Brazil - 1;
Israel - 1;
India - 1;
Republic of Korea - 1;
On November 30, 1993, a decision was made to build a new Russian cosmodrome in the Amur region, called Svobodny and put into operation 3 years later. In honor of the 20th anniversary of this event website prepared an overview of the most outstanding spaceports from around the world.
The largest cosmodrome
The largest spaceport on the planet is Baikonur, built in 1957 on the territory former USSR. Now it belongs to Kazakhstan and is used by Russia on a lease basis. The area of the complex, including the city of the same name, is 6717 km².
However Baikonur boasts not only its size. From here the first cosmonaut and the first interplanetary station to land on the Moon were launched. According to 2012 data, the cosmodrome is still the leader in the number of launches – annually it accounts for a third of the world’s “volume”.
The smallest cosmodrome
The US-owned spaceport occupies the smallest area Wallops (Wallops). Three separate sections - the base, the launch complex and the center - are compactly located on just 25 km².
The most expensive spaceport
The Russian cosmodrome currently under construction in the Amur region promises to become the most expensive in the history of world cosmonautics. Oriental. The estimated “opening” date is the end of 2015, the reserved area is 1035 km².
According to preliminary estimates, the creation of a “new Baikonur”, designed to ensure space independence for the Russian Federation, will cost Roscosmos 300 billion rubles.
The most convenient spaceport for launches
The most advantageous position - as close as possible to the equator - for launching satellites into geostationary orbit is occupied by the Brazilian spaceport Alcantara (Alcantara). Due to the energy of the Earth’s rotation, its coordinates are 2°17´ S. 44°23´ W – provide spacecraft with an additional speed of 460 meters per second at launch, which can significantly reduce fuel consumption.
The most controversially located spaceport
The most controversial is considered geographical position American spaceport ( John F. Kennedy Space Center) on Merritt Island (Florida). On the one hand, there is an economically advantageous proximity to the equator (28°35´06" N, 80°39´0.36" W) and safety-appropriate distance from populated areas. On the other hand, the climate is unfavorable for flights. Tornadoes and tornadoes periodically pass through the territory of the center. And due to increased thunderstorm activity, lightning “attacks” the spaceport more often than any other place in the United States. As a result, the maintenance of a system of powerful lightning rods annually costs NASA a round sum of about $ 3-4 million.
However, in 1969 it was Kennedy Space Center sent the first man to the moon.
The most hospitable spaceport
Since 2009 the corporation Virgin Galactic started accepting applications for flights for non-professionals. The role of the transport company is assigned to a private spaceport (USA, New Mexico).
The space tour program includes preparation and the actual journey to the conventional boundary between space and the Earth’s atmosphere – the Karman Line. The flight lasts 2.5 hours, of which 60 minutes are spent ascending, 6 minutes spent in zero gravity and contemplating the beauty of space. One can accommodate up to 6 passengers. The cost of unearthly pleasure is $200 thousand. However, if you pay in advance, you will have to wait until at least 2014. To the management Virgin Galactic The date of the first flight, originally scheduled for the end of 2010, has already been postponed.
The most reliable spaceport
The cosmodrome is recognized as the most reliable Kuru (Kourou), located in French Guiana. Of the 192 launches carried out since the opening of the cosmodrome, 186 (about 97%) were successful. In terms of proximity to the equator, it is slightly inferior to Brazil Alcantara– 5°14´21" S. 52°46´15". But the development and modernization of infrastructure Kuru funds as many as 20 European member countries of the European Space Agency.
High level The safety and quality of the equipment attract other clients to the spaceport, including the USA, Japan and Russia.
The most unlucky spaceport
The Australian spaceport leads the sad statistics of unsuccessful launches Woomera (Woomera), opened in 1947 in the area of the village of the same name. During 10 years of active operation - 1964-1971 - 10 out of 24 launch vehicles (about 41%) suffered an accident. In 1976, the unfortunate cosmodrome was closed due to unprofitability.
"Unlucky" Australian spaceport Woomera
Now in the center of the village there is an Exhibition of Military Equipment, where you can see safely landed missiles and planes.
The most “desperate” cosmodrome
Israeli airbase-spaceport Palmachim (Palmachim) is the only place in the world where rockets are launched not to the east. That is, “against” the rotation of the planet. The fact is that the lands to the east of the base are populated and there is a border with neighboring states nearby. So we had to lay a “route” in westward across the Mediterranean Sea. However, 6 out of 8 produced from 1988 to 2010. launches were successful.