1 state test cosmodrome Plesetsk.

Marks of Excellence Commanders Acting commander

Major General Golovko Alexander Valentinovich

Notable commanders

Major General Oleg Vladimirovich Maidanovich (2007-2011)

Plesetsk Cosmodrome
Location
Coordinates

62.959722 , 40.683889  /  (G) (O) (I)
Based

Coordinates: 62°57′35″ n. w. 40°41′02″ E. d. /  62.959722° s. w. 40.683889° E. d.(G) (O)62.959722 , 40.683889

Cosmodrome Plesetsk(1st State Test Cosmodrome) is a Russian cosmodrome. Located 180 kilometers south of Arkhangelsk near railway station Plesetskaya Northern Railway. The total area of ​​the cosmodrome is 176,200 hectares.

The administrative and residential center of the cosmodrome is the city of Mirny. The number of personnel and population of the city of Mirny is approximately 28 thousand people.

The territory of the cosmodrome belongs to the municipal formation of the Mirny urban district, bordering the Vinogradovsky, Plesetsk and Kholmogorsky districts of the Arkhangelsk region.

Description

The Plesetsk cosmodrome is a complex scientific and technical complex that performs various tasks both in the interests of the Russian Armed Forces and for peaceful purposes. It contains:

  • launch complexes with launch vehicles;
  • technical complexes for the preparation of space rockets and spacecraft;
  • multifunctional refueling and neutralization station (FNS) for refueling launch vehicles, upper stages and spacecraft with rocket fuel components;
  • 1473 buildings and structures;
  • 237 energy supply facilities.

The main units placed in the starting structure are:

  • Launch table;
  • Cable filling tower.

From the 1970s until the early 1990s, the Plesetsk cosmodrome held the world leadership in the number of rocket launches into space (from 1957 to 1993, 1,372 launches were carried out from here, while only 917 were launched from Baikonur, which was in second place).

Among the currently operating cosmodromes, Plesetsk is the northernmost cosmodrome in the world (if you do not count sites for suborbital launches as cosmodromes). Situated on a plateau-like and slightly hilly plain, the cosmodrome covers an area of ​​1762 km², stretching from north to south for 46 kilometers and from east to west for 82 kilometers with a center having geographic coordinates 63 , 41 63°00′ N. w. 41°00′ E. d. /  63° N. w. 41° east d.(G) (O).

The cosmodrome has an extensive network of roads - 301.4 km and railways - 326 km, aviation equipment and a first-class military airfield, allowing the operation of aircraft with a maximum landing weight of up to 220 tons, such as Il-76, Tu-154, communications equipment , including space.

The railway network of the Plesetsk cosmodrome is one of the largest departmental railways in Russia. From the Gorodskaya railway station, located in the city of Mirny, passenger trains depart daily on several routes. The length of the farthest of them is about 80 kilometers.

Story

Construction

The cosmodrome traces its history back to January 11, 1957, when the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was adopted on the creation of a military facility with the code name “Angara”. The cosmodrome was created as the first military missile formation in the USSR, armed with R-7 and R-7A intercontinental ballistic missiles. The formation of the formation began on July 15, 1957. On this day, the first commander of the Angara, Colonel Grigoriev M. G., signed order No. 1 on his assumption of office. Now this day is celebrated as an annual holiday of the Plesetsk cosmodrome. The choice of location for the position area was largely determined by the tactical and technical characteristics of the R-7 ICBM. First of all, the following were taken into account:

  • reach of the territories of potential opponents;
  • the ability to conduct and control test launches in the Kamchatka region;
  • the need for special secrecy and secrecy.

Based on these considerations, this sparsely populated area in the north-west of the RSFSR was best suited.

From 1957 to 1964, launching and technical positions were quickly erected in the north and missile systems with intercontinental ballistic missiles were put on combat duty. In February 1959, the Angara facility was renamed the 3rd Artillery Training Range. Until the end of 1964, four launchers for R-7A missiles, three launchers for R-9A missiles and seven launchers for R-16U missiles were built, put into operation and put on combat duty. In the early 1960s, the need to expand the scale of space activities of the USSR.

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 (as well as the Baikonur cosmodrome) will be entrusted to the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "TSENKI".

Heads of the cosmodrome (test site)

Events

Incidents leading to death

Infrastructure

The cosmodrome has stationary technical and launch complexes for all types of domestic light and medium class launch vehicles:

  • 4SK - "Soyuz" (launcher 17P32 No. 1, Military Unit 13973, site 41, decommissioned and dismantled).

The cosmodrome includes six centers:

1. 1st Center designed for testing light-class RKK. Its composition:

  • two launchers for the Kosmos-3M LV (sq. 133);
  • two launchers for the Cyclone-3 launch vehicle (sq. 32);
  • one LV “Rokot” launcher (sq. 131);
  • one technical complex (TC) for preparing spacecraft and launch vehicles.

The center prepares and launches spacecraft for communication systems, geodesy, navigation and scientific apparatus.

2. 2nd Center designed for testing and use of middle-class RSCs. Composition of the Center:

  • three LV launchers “Soyuz” and “Molniya-M”;
  • three technical complexes for the preparation of spacecraft and launch vehicles.

The center prepares and launches communication satellites, natural resource monitoring devices, space materials science and biological research.

3. 3rd Directorate designed to provide measurements for test launches of combat missile systems and spacecraft launches. Consists of six measuring points (IP):

  • IP-1 - the city of Mirny;
  • IP-2 - the city of Mirny;
  • IP-3 - city of Naryan-Mar;
  • IP-4 - the city of Severodvinsk;
  • IP-6 - the city of Mirny;
  • IP-8 - city of Norilsk.

4. 4th Test Center designed for testing intercontinental missile systems ballistic missiles. Its composition:

  • five mine-type launchers;
  • two launch positions of the RS-12M PGRK;
  • four technical positions (TP) for the preparation of ICBMs.

Conducts tests and technical support of mobile and stationary missile systems.

5. Information and analytical center necessary for analyzing the results of ground and flight tests and ballistic support for launches. It consists of five technological lines for processing and analyzing on-board information, uniting more than 60 workstations.

6. Research and testing center presentation and control of information is intended:

  • to present materials on testing of Russian strategic missiles;
  • to monitor the testing of US strategic offensive weapons (START).

The cosmodrome also includes:

  • seven assembly and testing buildings for assembling and testing rocket and space technology;
  • oxygen-nitrogen plant;
  • two refueling and neutralization stations for refueling spacecraft propulsion systems with propellant components and compressed gases and neutralizing toxic substances;
  • measuring complex with information and computing center;
  • Pero airfield;
  • combined heat and power plant;
  • more than 600 km of transport routes;
  • electrical, heat and water supply systems.

Construction of launch and technical complexes for Angara launch vehicles is underway on the basis of the Zenit SC. The launch complex of the Soyuz launch vehicle No. 4 (military unit 14056, site 43) was modernized for the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle.

The cosmodrome provides part of the Russian space programs related to defense, as well as economic, scientific and commercial launches of unmanned spacecraft.

Impact of the cosmodrome's activities on the environment

Over the years of operation of the cosmodrome on the territory of the Arkhangelsk region, it had (and continues to have) a certain influence on natural environment development of launch facilities and service facilities, infrastructure. Some impact is exerted by rocket stages, often containing residual toxic fuel (unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine), which fall into nearby human settlements. On the territory of the Arkhangelsk region there are 11 “fall fields” - 6 fall areas of separated parts of missiles and 5 fall areas of separated parts of intercontinental ballistic missiles: “Dvinskoy”, “Siya”, “Pinega”, “Koida”, “Moseevo”, “Bychye” and others . Due to the decrease in the number of launches, the load on the impact areas decreases. The Bychye area has not been used since 1977, “ New Earth" - since 1979, "Kuprianovo" - since 1981, "Dvinskaya" - since 1998. Only the Koida and Moseevo areas were used for launches of Cyclone space rockets. The remaining areas were used for the fall of the side blocks of the Soyuz, Molniya, and Soyuz-2 launch vehicles. As of 2006, two types of intercontinental ballistic missiles, “Topol” and “Topol-M,” were launched at the cosmodrome, for which 2 impact areas were used: “Siya” and “Pinega”. On the territory of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug there are 9 such “falling fields” (“Naryan-Mar”, etc.), in the Komi Republic - 4: “Pechora”, “Ust-Tsilma”, “Zheleznodorozhny”, “Vashka”.

Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide are good nitrogen fertilizers. At the Baikonur and Plesetsk cosmodromes, rapid growth of grass has been repeatedly observed in areas of local spills of these rocket fuel components. In nature, dinitrogen tetroxide quickly dissolves in water to form nitrous and nitric acids, which are neutralized by reacting with salts of weak acids present in the soil (primarily carbonates). Exhausts rocket engines practically do not contain harmful components, since, due to the need to achieve maximum parameters, almost complete combustion of fuel occurs in them, the products of which are carbon dioxide, water and molecular nitrogen. Reliable data on the large-scale harmful effects of high-boiling rocket fuel components are absent not only in the Arkhangelsk region and Kazakhstan, but also in relation to all other areas of the world bordering the cosmodromes where rockets using such fuel were launched. There are no links to such data due to lack of data. In particular, there are no such statistics for Florida (Cape Canaveral Spaceport), California (Vandenberg Air Force Base) and French Guiana (Kourou Spaceport), although they have been launching rockets with fuel based on hydrazine derivatives and nitrogen tetroxide for a long time. The lack of statistics on the harmful effects of this fuel on people in developed democratic countries indicates some exaggeration of this problem in Russia and Kazakhstan. There are no references to statistics on the harmful effects of the use of long-storable fuels in developed democratic countries due to the lack of such statistics.

Currently, launches of the Cyclone-2/3 and Kosmos-3M launch vehicles have been stopped at the cosmodrome, and mainly launches of various modifications of the Soyuz launch vehicle, powered by kerosene and liquid oxygen, and a small number of launches of the Rokot launch vehicle are carried out. . In this regard, the volumes of possible emissions of dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide have decreased many times compared to the Soviet period.

Sources

Bashlakov A. A. Plesetsk Cosmodrome: 50 years of history... - M.: Printing house "News", 2007. - P. 6-7. - 34 s.

see also

Notes

Links

  • Railway lines of the Plesetsk cosmodrome on the “Site about the railway” by Sergei Bolashenko
  • Plesetsk Cosmodrome - information portal of the cosmodrome
  • This is what the launch of the Meridian 2 communications satellite from the Plesetsk cosmodrome on May 22, 2009 looked like from Vologda, Petrozavodsk and Moscow (photo)
  • (Google)
  • "Northern Cosmodrome" Roscosmos TV studio
  • design organization taking part in the design for the construction and reconstruction of buildings and structures in Mirny
Launch complexes of the cosmodrome Plesetsk
Active
Unused

Pl. No. 32 Sq. No. 35 Pl. No. 41 Sq. No. 131 Sq. No. 157 Sq. No. 158 Sq. No. 161 Sq. No. 163 Sq. No. 167
Cosmodromes for orbital launches of spacecraft

Australia(ASRI): Woomera Brazil(BAF, BKA): Alcantara Barreira do Inferno


STATE TEST COSMODROME OF THE RF Ministry of Defense (SPLESETSK COSMODROME)
STATE TEST COSMODROME OF THE RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY (COSMODROME “PLESETSK”)

21.01.2017


On January 20, the Aerospace Forces (VKS) Training Center, located in Mirny (Arkhangelsk Region) at the State Test Cosmodrome of the Russian Ministry of Defense, celebrates its half-century anniversary.
The training center was formed on January 20, 1967 on the basis of the 53rd research test site (now the Plesetsk cosmodrome). During this time, more than 95 thousand junior commanders and specialists, over 4.5 thousand warrant officers were trained here.
Since 1984, the Training Center has been training missile regiments for the Topol mobile ground-based missile system (GGRK), and since 2006 - for the Topol-M.
Currently, the center is retraining for the latest Yars missile system. In 2016 alone, combat crews of three regiments of the Missile Forces passed it strategic purpose(Strategic Missile Forces). Teachers of the VKS Training Center conducted retraining of another missile regiment of the Strategic Missile Forces at its permanent location in Kaluga region. Besides, in last year At the Aerospace Forces Training Center, about 2 thousand junior military specialists were trained for military units VKS and Strategic Missile Forces.
In 2017, the Training Center plans to train 1,980 junior military specialists in the following specialties: “Electrician of power electric units”, “Mechanic-driver of multi-axle diesel vehicles”, “Operator of power and lighting units (stations)”, as well as retraining of combat crews of two missile regiments of the Strategic Missile Forces for the latest Yars missile systems.
For reference:
The training center is designed to train junior military specialists for the Aerospace Forces and Strategic Missile Forces and retrain personnel of military units and units mastering new missile systems. In addition, military personnel arriving at the Plesetsk cosmodrome to participate in combat training launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles improve their skills at the Training Center.
To organize the educational process, the center has deployed modern training complexes, developed special computer programs that simulate typical and emergency situations in the operation of weapons, military and special equipment V different conditions combat situation.
Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

01.02.2017


Employees of the branches of the North-Western Main Directorate of Spetsstroy of Russia working at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, despite the abnormally snowy and unusually cold winter, even for the Arkhangelsk region, continue to actively carry out work on the reconstruction of the launch and technical complexes for the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle.
Head of the construction complex No. 2 of the branch “SU No. 314” of the North-Western headquarters Sergei Lisyuk: “To date, in the helium compressor building, we have already completed 95% of the installation of special technological systems, and in the receiver and pipe channel structures included in the system gas supply to the launch complex, and completed the installation of process pipelines for the compressed gas supply system. Specialists began conducting pneumatic and hydraulic tests of the system for leaks. On the territory of the launch complex, the laying of three railway branches from the launch pad to the connection with the main highway has been completed - the completed work will make it possible to carry out the final straightening and laying of the railway slabs with the onset of the spring period and soil thawing.”
In total, as part of the reconstruction of USC Soyuz-2, 72 new structures will be built and 26 old ones will be reconstructed.
Spetsstroy of Russia

Memorable date

The PLESETSK cosmodrome was created as the first domestic missile base with the code name “Angara” for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) R-7 and R-7A. The USSR government decree on the creation of the Angara military facility was adopted on January 11, 1957. Construction of the facility began in March 1957, 180 kilometers south of Arkhangelsk, in close proximity to the Plesetskaya railway station of the Northern Railway.

Simultaneously with the construction of the Angara facility, the formation and training of units of the missile formation was underway, the commander of which on July 10, 1957 was appointed an officer, front-line soldier, guard Colonel Mikhail GRIGORIEV. On July 15, 1957, after GRIGORIEV signed order No. 1 on his assumption of office, the official formation of the missile formation directorate began. So, this day became the day of the founding of the rocket and space test site, and then the PLESETSK cosmodrome.

Between 1957 and 1963, nine launch complexes were built at the Angara facility, including 15 launchers for four types of missiles: R-7/R-7A, R-16, R-16U and R-9A. The first missile launch from the Angara facility took place on October 22, 1963 - the R-16U ballistic missile was launched from a silo launcher. In the 1960s, the leadership of the USSR decided to use launch complexes in Plesetsk for launching spacecraft.

The Council of Ministers of the USSR, by its resolution of September 16, 1963, approved the location of the test base of the rocket and space test site at the Angara combat facility and united the newly created space test site and combat unit into the 53rd Research Test Site of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

By June 1964, organizational measures were completed to transform the Angara facility into a rocket and space test site consisting of three test departments: combat, testing spacecraft and launch vehicles, and measuring.

In 1964-1967, installation and testing buildings were built for the preparation and ground testing of satellites and space rockets, launch complexes for launching light and ultra-light space rockets made from medium-range ballistic missiles R-12 and R-14.

By December 1965, work was completed on the conversion of launcher No. 1 for launches of the Vostok-2 and Voskhod launch vehicles.

On December 14, 1965, a training launch of R-7A missiles took place, during which the operation of the systems and assemblies of launcher No. 1, converted for spacecraft launches, was tested.

The cosmodrome's space activities began on March 17, 1966 with the launch of the Vostok-2 carrier rocket from artificial satellite Earth "Cosmos-112" on board.

A year after the first space launch, the cosmodrome became the main launch site for automatic spacecraft in the USSR. The cosmodrome prepared and launched launch vehicles “Vostok-2”, “Vostok-2M”, “Voskhod”, “Cosmos-2” and “Cosmos-3M” with seven types of spacecraft.

On April 4, 1972, together with the Molniya-1 satellite from PLESETSKA, the French MAC-1 satellite was launched into orbit, the first foreign satellite launched by a Soviet rocket.

Simultaneously with the expansion of the number and types of satellites launched, the process of removing missile systems from combat duty was underway. In 1974, the former combat First landfill management. It included two test parts. One of them solved the problems of preparing and launching light-class spacecraft using Cosmos-2 and Cosmos-3M launch vehicles. Another test unit was formed to carry out launches of the Cyclone-3 space rockets. The Second Directorate included three test units with the task of preparing and launching medium-class spacecraft using R-7A launch vehicles.

In 1982, the structures responsible for launching spacecraft and the units involved in testing ballistic missiles were officially separated. The First and Second Scientific Testing Directorates, as well as the space departments formed within the control structure of the test site, are transferred to the jurisdiction of the Main Directorate space assets Ministry of Defense of the USSR. To manage the space parts of the test site, the position of deputy head of the test site - chief space parts.

In 1989, the First and Second Directorates of the test site were merged into the Center for Testing and Application of Space Facilities, which in 1993 was transformed into Main center testing and application of space assets.

On November 11, 1994, a Decree of the President of the Russian Federation was signed on the creation of the First State Test Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (1GIK MO RF, PLESETSK Cosmodrome) as part of the Military Space Forces. This decree officially awarded PLESETSK the status of a cosmodrome.

On December 15, 1997, as part of the ongoing reform of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, units of the Scientific Research Test Site of the Russian Ministry of Defense (NIIP MO) and space units of the 1GIC of the Russian Ministry of Defense took place. The 1GIK of the RF Ministry of Defense was formed as part of the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces).

Since the late 90s, the PLESETSK cosmodrome has provided spacecraft launches with light and medium-class rockets. The cosmodrome operated three launchers (PU) of launch vehicles - Soyuz and Molniya launch vehicles, two launchers for the Kosmos-ZM launch vehicle and one for the Cyclone-3 launch vehicle. The third launcher for the Cosmos-3 launch vehicle has been converted for launches of the Rokot conversion launch vehicle.

On March 24, 2001, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the Space Forces were created, and from July 1, 2001, the cosmodrome was withdrawn from the Strategic Missile Forces and included in the Russian Space Forces.

At the same time, in 2001, work began at the cosmodrome to create a modular space missile complex"Angara" for launching light, medium and heavy class missiles.

On July 9, 2014, a light-class launch vehicle (LV) “Angara-1.2 PP” (PP - first launch), consisting of two stages (based on universal rocket modules- URM-1 and URM-2), successfully launched from the universal space rocket complex "Angara" at the PLESETSK cosmodrome. And already on December 23, 2014, the heavy-class Angara-A5 was launched from it.

Currently, launches of the Cyclone-2/3 and Kosmos-3M launch vehicles have been stopped at the cosmodrome. From the PLESETSK cosmodrome, various modifications of the Soyuz launch vehicle are launched, running on kerosene and liquid oxygen, and a small number of launches of the Rokot launch vehicle.

Additional Information:

IN different time the space direction of the test site was led by the deputy heads of the test site for space, and later by the heads of the cosmodrome as part of the Aerospace Forces:

  • major general Zudin Boris Grigorievich (1981-84);
  • major general Ryazantsev Vladimir Yakovlevich (1984-86);
  • major general Morozov Boris Nikolaevich (1986-89);
  • lieutenant general Grin Valery Alexandrovich (1989-90);
  • major general Ovchinnikov Anatoly Fedorovich (1990-94).

__________________________________

In August 1992, a Presidential Decree was signed on the creation Military space forces, as a branch of troops under central command.

On December 10, 1994, on the basis of Decree No. 2077, signed on November 11, 1994 by President Yeltsin, the 1278th Main Center was created 1st State Test Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation(1st Civil Inspectorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation) as part of the Military Space Forces.

In the spring of 1995, Major General Ovchinnikov A.F. was appointed the first head of the 1st GIK of the RF Ministry of Defense - the Plesetsk cosmodrome.

The period from 1993 to 1997 will remain in the history of the Plesetsk cosmodrome as a time of parallel existence and close proximity of two independent and sometimes rival structures - the State Test Site as part of the Strategic Missile Forces and space units as part of the Aerospace Forces.

Against the backdrop of a gradual reduction Armed Forces and the regular strength of the garrison's military units, the rivalry between the command of the Missile Forces and the command of the Aerospace Forces for the status of the training ground and cosmodrome is also intensifying. This is associated with repeated reassignment of the test site-cosmodrome and constant changes in the staffing schedules of units.

1997 was the last year for the Military Space Forces. With the appointment of Army General I.D. Sergeev as the Minister of Defense of the Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces. the liquidation of the VKS was only a matter of time.

In connection with the ongoing reorganization and optimization of the Armed Forces Russian Federation, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of June 16, 1997, The Strategic Missile Forces and the Military Space Forces were reduced as branches of the military. The former Strategic Missile Forces, Aerospace Forces and Rocket and Space Defense Troops were united into the new kind Armed Forces, which retained its previous name - Rocket Forces strategic purpose.

Formations and units of the 53rd GIP (Strategic Missile Forces) and 1st GIK (VKS) were reorganized into a single unit on December 15, 1997 1st State Test Cosmodrome of the Russian Defense Ministry as part of the Strategic Missile Forces.

In January 1998, Lieutenant General Yu.M. Zhuravlev, who had served as the head of the 53rd State Inspectorate of the Moscow Region since 1993, was appointed to the post of head of the cosmodrome.

2001-2011 - stage of development of the cosmodrome
as part of the Space Forces

In 2001, as part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, it was formed new kind troops - Space Force.

Since August 1, 2015, the Space Forces have been recreated as a branch of the military within the Aerospace Defense Forces of the Russian Armed Forces.

GIC COMMAND

Sources:

1. Plesetsk (cosmodrome). Wikipedia

2. Northern Cosmodrome of Russia(Plesetsk - 50 years). Volume 1 - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, 2007.

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