Modern Russian spaceports are objects that play a crucial role in science, economy, socio-political, cultural communications at various levels. In the Russian Federation, there are both operating and under construction launch sites. Where are the Russian spaceports located? What exactly are they currently represented by?
What spaceports operate in Russia?
Baikonur, Plesetsk, Kapustin Yar, Yasny, Svobodny and Vostochny, which is under construction, are Russia's modern cosmodromes. The list of relevant objects, of course, can be adjusted - depending on how the infrastructure used in the framework of the Russian space program will be distributed. It is possible that due to the large area of certain spaceports, as well as the complexity of the tasks solved at them, new launch pads will be opened, current ones will be closed and transferred to another place. 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.more.
Baikonur is the main cosmodrome within the space programs of the Russian Federation
Baikonur is a cosmodrome that belongs not to Russia, but to Kazakhstan, but the Russian Federation is practically its sole user. Its main operators are RSC Energia, TsSKB Progress, GKNPTs im. M. V. Khrunicheva, Yuzhny Space Center. Baikonur was built in 1955. This facility was leased by the Government of the Russian Federation from the Republic of Kazakhstan for 50 years. The cost of using the cosmodrome is about 5 billion rubles a year - 3.5 billion is actually rent, 1.5 billion is funds allocated by the Russian Federation to maintain the infrastructure of the facility.
Baikonur, despite its legal affiliation with Kazakhstan, is traditionally regarded as a Russian cosmodrome. It is known for launching the first Earth satellite, the first manned spacecraft, various scientific satellites, and ballistic missiles. Now Baikonur is the largest of all objects of the corresponding type that are involved in the Russian space industry. Its total area is about 6717 sq. km. In the past few years, this Russian cosmodrome has been the world leader in terms of the number of launches.
Infrastructure of the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur's infrastructure is represented, in particular, by the following facilities:
- 9 launch complexes of various categories;
- 15 launchers designed to launch rockets that launch satellites and ships into space;
- 4 launchers used to carry outballistic missile tests;
- 11 housings designed for installation and testing of equipment for various purposes;
- 34 complexes adapted for pre-launch preparation of rockets and vehicles for various purposes launched by them into space;
- 3 stations where launch vehicles and other spacecraft are refueled with various types of fuel;
- measuring complex;
- information and computing center, which controls 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 during the day;
- CHP 60 MW;
- 72 MW energy train powered by gas turbines;
- transformer substations in the amount of 600 objects;
- communication nodes in the amount of 92 units;
- airfields - "Extreme" and "Jubilee";
- local railway infrastructure with a total length of about 470 km;
- 1281 km of road infrastructure;
- power lines 6610 km, communications - 2784 km.
Having considered the main features of the largest cosmodrome involved in the Russian space program, we will study the specifics of other objects of the corresponding type that operate in Russia.
Kapustin Yar
"Kapustin Yar" many researchers tend to consider more like a military training ground. But for manyOn the grounds, 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 outer space. Kapustin Yar was built in 1946.
This cosmodrome of Russia is located mainly in the Astrakhan region, but some of its territories are part of the Atyrau and West Kazakhstan regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Its total area is about 650 sq. km. This cosmodrome has its own administrative center - the city of Znamensk. Not far from it is a military airfield.
Clear
The Yasny cosmodrome is most often considered by experts as a launch base - but for rockets, again, designed to be launched into outer space. Actively used since 2006. This relatively new spaceport is located in Russia, in the Yasnensky district, which is located in the Orenburg region.
The international corporation Kosmotras is considered to be the main operator of the facility. The infrastructure of the cosmodrome is mainly used for launching various satellites into low Earth orbit. At the same time, the Dnepr missile of Russian-Ukrainian production is most often used to solve the corresponding tasks.
Plesetsk
The northernmost cosmodrome in Russia - "Plesetsk". It is located about 180 km from Arkhangelsk - south of the city. The area of the object is about 176.2 hectares. Plesetsk began to operate as a cosmodrome in 1966. From him they canlaunches of missiles belonging to the R-7 family and others that belong to similar classes.
Russia's northernmost cosmodrome, according to some analysts, has a record in terms of the total number of rocket launches carried out from it into space.
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 to launch 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 Baikonur cosmodrome ended up outside the Russian Federation, and the leaders of the Russian space program decided that the state needed its own facility for an appropriate purpose. In practice, at that time, the easternmost cosmodrome of Russia, after the start of operation, was involved, 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. Consider, in turn, the basic information about him.
Oriental
This is Russia's newest and easternmost cosmodrome. It started construction in 2010. It will be located, by the way, not far from Svobodny, which is supposed to be disbanded in connection with the installation of the main infrastructure already at Vostochny and the subsequent optimization of logistics to the specifics of the new facility.
It is estimated that Russia's easternmost cosmodrome under construction will occupy an area of about 1035 sq. km. Its creation is intended to solve the following major tasks: the acquisition by Russia 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 state socio-economic programs, and the construction of the 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 the densely populated territories of the Russian Federation, as well as foreign states - those are laid over neutral waters. In addition, a significant factor is where the cosmodrome in Russia is located - namely, in close proximity to a developed transport infrastructure. This makes the operation of Vostochny particularly cost-effective. 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, the fact that Vostochny is located 6 degrees north of Baikonur is noted - therefore, the total mass of the payload that is launched into space at the Russian cosmodrome will be slightly lower.
When launches will start fromOriental?
When will Russia's easternmost spaceport be opened and operational?
Initially, it was assumed that the first rocket launch from the corresponding facility would be carried out at the end of 2015. But at the moment it has been postponed to 2016. As for the launches of a manned spacecraft from Vostochny, the first one should take place in 2016. The staff 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 infrastructure facilities of the cosmodrome 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, the Angara, which was successfully tested in the Russian Federation in 2014.
CV
Thus, Russia's modern cosmodromes are represented by 5 operating facilities - so far one can rank "Svobodny" as such, 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 are expressed in the implementation of launches of all popular types of rockets, with the Vostochny cosmodrome, which is being built in the Amur Region.
