Historically, mankind has always looked closely at the sky and was interested in various celestial bodies. There are legends that allegedly the first people traveled into space in ancient times, but this has not been documented in any way. But the whole world experienced surprise and joy when, in 1961, Soviet officer Yuri Gagarin went into space and then returned to Earth.

The first launch of a Soviet spacecraft came from a secret facility called the Baikonur Cosmodrome. In this article, we will consider not only the named launch pad, but also other significant places.

Discoverer

"Research test site" - this was the name of the project approved by the General Staff of the USSR Ministry of Defense in 1955. Subsequently, this place became known as the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

This facility is located in the Kyzylorda region on the territory of Kazakhstan, not far from the village of Toretam. Its area is about 6,717 sq. km. And for many years, the first spaceport in the world has been considered one of the leaders in its industry in terms of the number of launches. So, for example, in 2015, 18 rockets were launched from it into Earth's orbit. The named test site for space launches is leased by Russia from Kazakhstan until 2050. About 6 billion Russian rubles a year are spent on the operation of the facility.

Privacy level

All spaceports of the world are star harbors, which are guarded in the most careful way, and Baikonur is no exception in this regard.

Thus, the construction of a space port was accompanied by the construction of a false cosmodrome near the village of Baikonur. This tactic was also used during World War II, when the military built false airfields with dummies of equipment.

Soldiers and officers of the construction battalion were directly involved in the construction of the spaceport. In short, they accomplished a real labor feat, because they were able to build a launch pad in two years.

Problems of today

Today, the legendary cosmodrome has fallen on quite difficult times. The starting point for the emergence of problems can be considered 2009, when the military left it, and the object passed completely under the jurisdiction of Roskosmos. And all because, along with the military, the cosmodrome also lost a rather serious amount of money that was previously allocated for training and testing.

Of course, launching rockets with satellites also makes money, but these days it is not done as often as it used to be, when rockets took off almost every week. Nevertheless, the cosmodrome still remains a recognized world leader in the field of space launches.

Russian giant

But still, considering the spaceports of the world, it would be unfair not to pay attention to other similar objects, one of which is located on the territory of the Russian Federation. The technical capabilities and the money invested in its construction and development allow it to launch and put into earth orbit many satellites and space stations.

The Plesetsk Cosmodrome is a Russian space harbor located 180 kilometers from Arkhangelsk. The dimensions of the object are 176,200 hectares.

The Plesetsk Cosmodrome in its essence is a rather complex scientific and technical complex, which is designed both for military tasks and for peaceful purposes.

The cosmodrome includes many objects:

1. Complexes for the launch of carrier rockets.
2. Technical complexes (carry out the preparation of rockets and other spacecraft).
3. Station refueling and neutralization multifunctional. With its help, launch vehicles and upper stages are fueled.
4. Almost 1500 buildings and structures.
5. 237 objects that provide energy for the entire spaceport.

Far Eastern site

One of the newest spaceports in Russia is Vostochny, which is located near the city of Tsiolkovsky in the Amur Region (Far East). The harbor is used exclusively for civilian purposes.

The construction of the facility began in 2012 and was actively accompanied by various corruption scandals and strikes of workers due to non-payment of wages.

The first launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome took place relatively recently - on April 28, 2016. The launch made it possible to launch three artificial satellites into orbit. At the same time, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, as well as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and head of the Kremlin administration Sergei Ivanov, were personally present at the site at the time of launching the carriers.

It should be noted that a successful launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome was carried out only on the second attempt. It was originally planned to launch the Soyuz 2.1A launch vehicle on April 27, but literally a minute and a half before the launch automatic system canceled it. The leadership of Roscosmos explained this incident by an emergency failure in the operation of the control system, as a result of which the launch was postponed for a day.

List of the main spaceports of the planet

The currently existing spaceports of the world are ranked by the date of their first orbital launch (or its attempt), as well as by the number of successful and failed launches. The list currently looks like this:

This launch pad first sent a rocket into space on April 9, 1968. It is important to note that the cosmodrome is located literally five hundred kilometers from the equatorial line, which allows the most efficient launch of aircraft on our Earth. In addition, the geographical location of the space port is such that the launch angle is always 102 degrees, and this figure significantly expands the range of launch trajectories for objects used for various tasks.

The efficiency of the launch pad is so high that it has attracted the attention of many corporate clients from many countries of the world: USA, Canada, Japan, Brazil, India, Azerbaijan.

In 2015, it invested over 1.6 billion euros in the modernization of the infrastructure of the spaceport. It also deserves special attention high level object security. The Space Harbor is located in an area that is densely covered with equatorial forests. At the same time, the department itself is poorly populated. In addition, there is no risk of even the weakest earthquakes or hurricanes. To ensure maximum protection against an external attack, the 3rd Regiment of the Foreign Legion (France) is located at the spaceport.

A joint project

The launch platform "Odyssey" is, in fact, a huge self-propelled, semi-submersible catamaran. The facility was built in Norway on the basis of an oil platform. The composition of the described mobile spaceport includes:

• starting table;
• rocket installer;
• refueling and oxidizer systems;
• temperature control system;
• nitrogen supply system;
• cable mast.

Marine space launcher serviced by a staff of 68 people. Living quarters, a medical center and a canteen were built for them.

The platform is based in the port of Long Beach, California (southwest USA). The industrial giant of the space industry arrived at this place of its permanent deployment on its own, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, the Suez Canal and Singapore.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to note that all the spaceports of the world that exist today allow mankind to actively develop and explore space. With the help of platforms for launching vehicles into the Earth's orbit, many various activities civil and military directions.

COSMODROME "KAPUSTIN YAR"

Spaceport of the USSR. 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. It has been operating since 1947. Designed for launching combat ballistic missiles, geophysical and meteorological missiles, as well as space objects of small mass. Space objects launched into the orbit of an artificial satellite of the Earth have an orbital inclination to the plane of the equator ranging from 480 to 510. Since 1988, it has not been operated.

Cosmodrome map « Kapustin Yar»
Starting complexes:
SK RN Cosmos

The history of the missile range and the Baikonur cosmodrome began in May 1946, when a decision was made to create a missile range. However, at that time Kapustin Yar appeared only in the list of one of the possible places of deployment. The choice of the site of the future test site was entrusted to Major General Vasily Ivanovich Voznyuk. Vozniuk began by going to Germany and looking for his guardsmen there, choosing people for the future training ground stronger, more reliable.
Reconnaissance team of specialists for a short time did a great job of choosing the site of the future landfill. All seven promising areas were surveyed, materials on meteorology, hydrology, communications, building opportunities, 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 the future missile range. The decision to build a test site in Kapustin Yar was taken 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 landfill, and he was appointed head of the future landfill.

spaceport « Kapustin Yar»

The first officers arrived at the training ground on August 20, 1947. They pitched tents, organized a kitchen, a hospital. Together with Vozniuk's guards, military builders arrived. The conditions were difficult, and what could be the "conditions" in the bare steppe. On the third day, the construction of a concrete stand for firing tests of engines began. 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. For a month and a half of work by the beginning of October 1947, in addition to a concrete test bench, 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 landfill 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, in makeshift houses, in peasant huts. Great help was provided by special trains, which were equipped not only with laboratory equipment, but also with rather comfortable carriages for specialists and authorities. By October 1, 1947, Vozniuk reported to Moscow that the test site was fully ready for missile launches, and already on October 14, 1947, the first batch of A-1 (V-2) missiles arrived at the test site. Even earlier, Sergey Pavlovich Korolev and other specialists arrived at the training ground.

Preparation for launch from the test site Kapustin Yar»
the first Soviet rocket R-1

From October 18, 1947, the countdown of the functioning of the Kapustin Yar cosmodrome begins. It was on this day at 10:47 Moscow time that the first launch of a ballistic missile in the USSR was made. The rocket rose to a height of 86 kilometers and reached the Earth's surface 274 kilometers from the start. The first series of launches took place from October 18 to November 13, 1947. During this period, 11 A-1 missiles were launched. There were successes, there were failures, but this concerned missiles, not ground equipment.
For 10 years (from 1947 to 1957) Kapustin Yar was the only test site for Soviet ballistic missiles. Tests of R-1 missiles (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. Scientific instruments were installed on the A-1 rocket, which launched on November 2, 1947. Since then, this tradition has been maintained until the 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.

8K63U missile launch from a silo launcher
R-12U complex from the test site « Kapustin Yar»

In the early 50s, in addition to the active program of missile launches, the formation and development of the test base of the range was going on, launch and technical complexes were being built. On February 20, 1956, a test of nuclear missile weapons was carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site. The R-5 missiles launched delivered a nuclear warhead to the Astrakhan steppe, where a nuclear explosion thundered. In 1957-1959, Burya intercontinental ballistic missiles were launched at the Kapustin Yar test site. 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, which were launched using low-power launch vehicles.

Demonstration launches of the Pechora-2M air defense system at the training ground « Kapustin Yar»

Since October 14, 1969, Kapustin Yar has been functioning as an international cosmodrome. On that day, the launch of the Interkosmos-1 satellite, created by specialists from the socialist countries, took place. The Indian satellites "Ariabhata" and "Bhaskara", the French satellite "Sneg-3" went into flight from Kapustin Yar. Kapustin Yar played an important role in the training of qualified cadres of rocket and space technology testers and leading cadres for new cosmodromes. The Kapustin Yar cosmodrome took on the role of a cosmodrome for "small" rockets and "small" research satellites of the Earth. This specialization continued until 1988, when the need for launches of such satellites dropped sharply and space launches from Kapustin Yar were discontinued. However, the launch and technical positions for launch vehicles of the Kosmos type are constantly maintained in working condition and, if necessary, can be used at any time.
According to open data, since the 1950s, at least 11 nuclear explosions have been carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site (at an altitude of 300 m to 5.5 km), the total capacity of which is approximately 65 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima. In addition to nuclear tests, 24,000 guided missiles were blown up at Kapustin Yar, 177 samples of military equipment were tested, and 619 RSD-10 missiles were destroyed.

Monument to the R-1 rocket at the training ground « Kapustin Yar»

In 1994, the test site of the Air Defense Forces became part of the 4th GTsP of the RF Ministry of Defense. In October 1998, the 4th State Central Testing Ground was transformed into the 4th State Central Interspecific Testing 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 Range. In 1999, Russian troops were relocated to the Kapustin Yar training ground from the Emba training ground in Kazakhstan.

COSMODROME "BAIKONUR"

The Baikonur Cosmodrome is the world's first and largest cosmodrome of great international importance. Located on the territory of Kazakhstan, not far from the village of Tyuratam. It occupies an area of ​​6717 km². Launches of various types of carrier rockets are possible from the cosmodrome. One of the three spaceports on the planet, along with the Cape Canaveral (USA) and Jiuquan (China) spaceports, designed to launch vehicles with astronauts on board. The ISS orbit was chosen taking into account the latitude of Baikonur - it was planned to carry out (and carry out) the main launches from it.

Map of the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Starting complexes:
SK RN Rokot. Pl. №175
SK RN type Proton. Pl. No. 200. PU №39
SK 17P32-6 R-7 launch vehicle. Pl. No. 31. PU №6
SK RN type Proton. Pl. No. 81. PU №23
SK 11P877 RN Zenit. Pl. No. 45. PU №1
SK RN Cyclone. Pl. No. 90. PU №20
SK RN type Proton. Pl. No. 81. PU №24
SK 17P32-5 PH type R-7. Pl. No. 1. PU №5
SK missiles RS-20. Pl. №109

The R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile, designed to deliver a hydrogen bomb and later used as a prototype for creating launch vehicles for manned space flights, required the creation of a new test site for its testing (previously, Soviet missiles were tested at the Kapustin Yar test site in the Astrakhan region).

Baikonur Cosmodrome

When choosing a site for the construction of the 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 the rocket stages fell, the flight path should not pass over large settlements);
. availability of a railway line for delivery various cargoes to the landfill, including rocket blocks;
. reliable sources 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 (the Kura test site in Kamchatka) is at least 7000 km .

Baikonur - view from the dynamic test stand

Several options for the possible deployment 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 another 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 submitting radio commands: two symmetrical on both sides of the launch site at a distance of 150-250 km, the third - 300-500 km away from the start 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 Dagestan - in hard-to-reach mountainous terrain, in Astrakhan - one of the points would have to be placed on waters of the Caspian Sea.
So, for the test site, the desert in Kazakhstan was chosen to the east of the Aral Sea, near one of the largest rivers Central Asia Syr Darya, in the middle between the two regional centers of the Kzyl-Orda region of Kazakhstan - Kazalinsky and Dzhusaly, near the Tyuratam junction railway Moscow-Tashkent. Also, the advantages of the place as a testing ground for launches were more than three hundred sunny days a year and relative proximity to the equator.

Scale 3d model of structures of the universal
stand-start 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 Research Testing Ground No. 5 of the USSR Ministry of Defense (NIIP No. 5 of the USSR Ministry of Defense), intended for testing rocket technology. A significant area of ​​the desert was allocated for the location of the test site (a reconnaissance group of topographers and geologists worked here in 1954). The area of ​​formation of the landfill in the first half of 1955 had the code name "Taiga".

Baikonur Cosmodrome Tracking Station

The builder, Major General G. M. Shubnikov, was appointed the construction manager. The first detachment of military builders arrived at the Tyura-Tam station on January 12, 1955.
Construction work at the test 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 capital (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 June 2, 1955, when the directive of the General Staff approved the staff structure of the Fifth Research Test Site. By the beginning of the tests and launches, there were 527 engineers and 237 technicians at the test site, the total number of military personnel was 3,600.
To disorient a potential enemy, camouflage structures ("false spaceport") 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 from Baikonur. Its weight was 83.6 kilograms.
November 3, 1957 - the launch of Sputnik-2 with the dog Laika on board.
In the fall of 1959, Luna-2 delivered the apparatus to the Moon for the first time.
August 19, 1960 - Sputnik-5 was launched with the 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 accident occurred at the cosmodrome during the testing of the R-16 ballistic missile, as a result of which 78 people died from fire and poisoning with 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 delivered a man to near-Earth orbit for the first time in the world (Yu. A. Gagarin). Having made one revolution around the Earth in 1 hour 48 minutes, the device landed in the Saratov region.
On October 24, 1963, a fire broke out at the cosmodrome in one of the combat shafts of the R-9 rocket, which cost the lives of seven military testers.
May 15, 1987 - the first launch of the Energiya superheavy class launch vehicle.
November 15, 1988 - the first (and last) launch of the Energiya - Buran reusable rocket and space transport system. At the end of the flight, the Buran orbital ship made an automatic landing at the Yubileiny airfield, located in the northern part of the cosmodrome.

In total, more than 1,500 spacecraft for various purposes and more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles have been launched at Baikonur for 50 years, 38 main types of missiles, more than 80 types of spacecraft and their modifications have been tested.
1991-1993 - the crisis period of the cosmodrome after the collapse of the USSR. The number of space launches has sharply decreased, a number of officers and industrial workers, in the current environment of chaos and uncertainty, preferred to leave the cosmodrome with their families for their homeland (to Russia, Ukraine, etc.) in search of a better life. The status of the cosmodrome was also unclear, since it "turned out" on the territory of sovereign Kazakhstan, and in fact the operation of Baikonur was carried out by Russia. The final 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 urban economy. All this has led to great everyday problems in the severe frosty and snowy winter of 1993/1994: in the 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 has almost halved. 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. 15,000 Russians, 21,000 Kazakhs, 2,000 Ukrainians and 2,000 other nationalities were registered.
In 1994, the cosmodrome with the city of Leninsk (now Baikonur) was leased to Russia. The annual cost of the lease is $115 million; military and other equipment is supplied to Kazakhstan as payment. Another 50 million dollars are being transferred to maintain the infrastructure. This is the only spaceport at the disposal of Russia, which allows carrying out manned programs - other national spaceports in Russia are not suitable for such launches.
In 1997, a phased transfer of spaceport facilities from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to the jurisdiction of Roscosmos began. By 2002, most of the cosmodrome 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 was contrary to the bilateral agreement on the lease of the cosmodrome by Russia, so on July 15, after compensation for damage, the launches resumed.
At a meeting between V. Putin and N. Nazarbayev on January 9-10, 2004 in Astana (Kazakhstan), an agreement was signed on the development of cooperation on the effective use of the Baikonur complex, the lease period was extended until 2050 at the same rent of $ 115 million in year.
At the end of 2004, plans were announced to create at Baikonur the Baiterek rocket and space complex (kaz. Baiterek - poplar). With its help, they plan to make commercial launches of spacecraft using the designed Angara launch vehicle. The operation of the rocket and space complex will take place on the principles of equal participation of Russia and Kazakhstan. The financing of 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, Adilbek Alimzhanovich Basekeev, was appointed.
In 2005, the space forces stationed at Baikonur began the final stage of the transfer of the objects they operate to Roscosmos. By the end of 2007, most of the military space units had left the cosmodrome; only about 500 Russian servicemen 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, while several tons of highly toxic fuel (heptyl) fell on the soil.

"Proton-K" puts into orbit
Zvezda module 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 the military units that were part of the fifth state test cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and transferring their facilities to enterprises of the Russian rocket and space industry was completed. 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" in the form of joining KB Motor", KBOM, KBTM, KBTKhM , NPF "Kosmotrans", OKB "Vympel", FCC "Baikonur"". The reorganization was carried out in order to preserve, develop and optimize the use of the intellectual, industrial 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 in terms of the number of personnel and importance at Baikonur (along with RSC Energia, TsSKB-Progress and the M.V. Khrunichev GKNPTs).

Baikonur Cosmodrome Museum

Russia considers it promising to transfer manned launches to the new Russian Vostochny cosmodrome 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 the issues of independent operation of Baikonur after the final transfer of launches to the Amur Region and the termination of the lease of the Baikonur Cosmodrome Russian Federation(for the period after 2050). According to one of the unconfirmed versions, after 2050 the cosmodrome will be reconstructed into an international space flight center together with the European and Israeli space agencies.
In October 2010, the President of Kazakhstan Garysh Sapary JSC (a subsidiary of Kazkosmos) stated that the Kazakh side considers it possible to start independent operation of Baikonur by Kazakhstan already in 2014.

COSMODROME "PLESETSK"

The Plesetsk Cosmodrome (1st State Test Cosmodrome) is located 180 kilometers south of Arkhangelsk, not far from the Plesetskaya Northern Railway railway station. Situated on a plateau-like and slightly hilly plain, it covers an area of ​​1,762 square kilometers, extending from north to south for 46 kilometers and from east to west for 82 kilometers, with a center having geographical coordinates of 63 degrees north latitude and 41 degrees east longitude.

Cosmodrome map « Plesetsk»
Starting complexes:
SK 132/1 (RN Cosmos)
SK 132/2 (RN Cosmos)
SK 133 (RN Cosmos)
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 Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR of January 11, 1957, when it was decided to create a military facility with the code name "Angara" - the first connection of intercontinental ballistic missiles "R-7". In the same year, the construction of the first launch complexes began.

Cosmodrome "Plesetsk"

When choosing the location of the object, first of all, the following were taken into account:
. reach of the territory of a potential enemy;
. the possibility of conducting and monitoring test launches in the area of ​​the test site on the Kamchatka Peninsula;
. the need for special secrecy and secrecy;
. the proximity of the railway junction;
. the presence of sparsely populated fall zones of blocks of the first stages of launch vehicles.
In December 1959, the 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 ICBM launch complexes for satellite launches was made in 1963. By this time, in a short time, 15 launchers for four types of missiles were built, put into operation and put on combat duty: “R-7A”, “R-9A”, “R-16” and “R-16A”. 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 object into a Research Testing Ground, 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, intensive operation of the cosmodrome began. In the 70-80s, up to 40% of all world space launches were made from it. In total, according to the authors, 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. The number of launches by years and by types of launch vehicles 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 light-class launch vehicles. In 1967, launches of the Cosmos-2 and Cosmos-3 launch vehicles began, and in 1977, Cyclone-3.

Launch of the Cyclone-3 rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome

In the late 80s, the "space" departments of the test site were merged into the Main Center for Testing and Application of Space Tools, 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 cosmodrome is based on 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 vehicles (sites 132/1, 132/2, 133),
. launch complexes of the Cyclone series launch vehicles (sites 32/1, 32/2).
In 1991, site 41 was mothballed and used as a training ground. In 1998, its dismantling began.
At present, the launch complex of the launch vehicle of the Zenit series (site 35) is under construction. In the future, it is planned to develop it to a universal ground complex for launching, in addition to Zenit, new light and heavy class launch vehicles, including the promising Angara, Neva, Yenisei launch vehicles.

Launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome
satellite "Cosmos -2420"

Preparation of launch vehicles and spacecraft is carried out in seven assembly and test buildings. The cosmodrome also includes the largest oxygen-nitrogen plant in Europe, 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 ruled out. 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 the Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure Objects (FGUP TsENKI).

COSMODROME "FREE"

March 4, 1997 at 05:00 UTC with the launch of the Start 1.2 launch vehicle - with the Zeya spacecraft on board, the history of the new Russian cosmodrome with the proud name Svobodny began.

Cosmodrome map "Svobodny"
Starting complexes:
SK 5 (RN Start)

For the first time, the question of the need to create and select the location of a new Russian space center was raised by the Military Space Forces before 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 was outside the territory of Russia. The implementation of domestic space programs turned out to be dependent on another state.
If in relation to civilian space systems this is, in principle, permissible, then in relation to military space systems this is excluded. The strategic significance of the tasks they are solving requires firm guarantees of their solution.
Aerospace Forces specialists assessed the possibility of transferring spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to Russia in the interests of the RF Ministry of Defense.
Since the transfer of spacecraft launches by launch vehicles of light and medium classes to the Plesetsk cosmodrome is fundamentally possible, such work was planned and is currently being carried out.
But the issue of launching heavy launch vehicles is of particular urgency. Launch complexes of 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 necessitated reconnaissance work in 1993 to select a possible location for the launch complex of heavy launch vehicles in Russia.

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 on 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 Yermak, which included representatives of the General Staff, Strategic Missile Forces, Air Force. 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 spaceports - the Transport Engineering Design Bureau, the Salyut Design Bureau, the General Engineering Design Bureau and the Motor Design Bureau.
The Commission did a great deal of analytical work, within the framework of which an assessment was made of all possible options for solving the problems of launching heavy-class space launch vehicles from the territory of Russia, and possible locations for the launch complex (SC) for heavy launch vehicles were selected; requirements for SC 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 the spaceport.
The complexity and scale of the work done can be judged by the basic requirements and restrictions on the location of the cosmodrome. They include, in particular:
. ensuring the widest possible range of required orbital inclinations, including the minimum corresponding to the geographical latitude of the launch site, as well as 63-65°, 71-72°, 81° and 97°;
. the efficiency of launching payloads into geostationary orbits;
. the absence of active launch vehicle flight sites 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 areas of the country, cities and industrial centers;
. there is no need to locate areas where launch vehicle parts are to fall on the territories of foreign states or in their territorial waters, in neutral waters with active navigation and fishing, near large populated areas of the country, important national economic facilities and on the territory of unique state reserves;
. the proximity of developed railway lines, 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 East region and Sakhalin Island are potentially suitable for the implementation of the tasks set. Despite such a large territory of Russia, there are no places closer to the central part of the country suitable for placing 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, is widely developed, which makes it difficult to locate such a large object as a cosmodrome, and does not meet the requirements for launch support: low-inclination launch routes pass over the territory of a foreign state (the Republic of Kazakhstan) , and on high ones - over large cities and industrial centers.
The regions of southern Siberia and Transbaikalia are mainly mountainous terrain that is difficult to access, 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 segments of the flight of launch vehicles would pass over the territories of Mongolia and China.
Not all areas of the Far East region also turned out to be suitable for locating the spaceport. Unfortunately, the southern part of the Far East region, the area near the cities of Vladivostok and Ussuriysk, turned out to be unsuitable from a geographical point of view. The geographical latitude of this region (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 south of the Baikonur Cosmodrome area by 2-3 °. But possible launch azimuths for a given region are limited to only 46-59°. During launches to higher inclinations, the paths, and, accordingly, the areas of impact of the separated parts of launch vehicles, will pass over the territory of China, and to lower inclinations, including the reference one for launches into geostationary orbit, over the territory of Japan.
The area located to the north of the given area - the Sikhote-Alin mountain range - is practically inaccessible and not developed. The minimum necessary conditions for locating the cosmodrome are 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 rocket launch inclinations are provided -carriers, and the areas of fall of their separating parts fall on the waters of 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 at all necessary inclinations are also provided.
The territory of about. Sakhalin, especially its southern tip in the area of ​​the Ozersky and Novikov checkpoints, located at a latitude of 45°. But this region is extremely remote from the rest of Russia, has no railway connection, and there are no industrial and construction bases and resources.
Thus, the task of choosing the location of the cosmodrome was reduced to two main areas: the city of Sovetskaya Gavan and the city of Svobodny.
At the final stage of the work of the commission, a final assessment was carried out, with a visit to the areas of the selected sites, as a result of which the area of ​​the city of Svobodny, Amur Region, was chosen as the location of the new Russian cosmodrome in terms of efficiency / cost.

Cosmodrome "Free"

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 left after the reduction of the missile division. In modern prices, its total value is more than 1.3 trillion rubles.
In accordance with the findings of the reconnaissance commission, by the directive of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation dated November 30, 1993, the objects and part of the military units and subunits of this missile division were transferred to the Military Space Forces, and the Main Center for Testing and Using Space Weapons was formed on their basis.
At the same time, the question of the need to launch work on the creation of the cosmodrome was submitted to the Government of Russia. His consideration lasted two years. An additional operational-strategic and feasibility study for the new cosmodrome was drawn up. Twice the issue of its creation was considered in the State Duma.
A wide discussion on this issue unfolded in the media and among the population of the Amur Region. This is the first time that the Military Space Forces have encountered such a situation. The changes that have taken place in the legal and social spheres of life have necessitated greater openness of military activities, 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 succeeded.
Issued on March 1, 1996, the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the establishment of the 2nd State Test Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - the Svobodny Cosmodrome - consolidated the decision, legalized the cosmodrome in legal terms, and summed up the three-year period in the discussion of the issue. This made it possible to include work on the cosmodrome in the State Defense Order and the Armaments Program.
The following tasks were set before the Military Space Forces by the Decree of the President of Russia:
. to provide preparations for the launch in 1996-1997 of the Rokot and Start light class launch vehicles;
. to develop a preliminary design for a cosmodrome with a launch complex for heavy launch vehicles "Angara";
. develop and submit in the second quarter of 1997 proposals for further work at the Svobodny spaceport.

Preparation of the launch vehicle "Start -1"
in the assembly and test 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 it had all the basic necessary infrastructure. It was created on the basis of ICBMs, similar to those that were equipped with a missile division based in the area of ​​the town of Svobodny. In order to ensure the deployment of this complex at the cosmodrome, 5 silo launchers and all the equipment necessary for the preparation and conduct of launches were saved from destruction.
However, the late decision on the cosmodrome, the difficult economic situation in the country and the insufficient funding of the Armed Forces associated with it, led to 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 carrier rockets of the Start family at the cosmodrome. This was facilitated by the absence of the need for capital construction and fruitful cooperation with the STC "Complex" State Enterprise Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering. Nevertheless, a lot of work has been done to implement this project. At the cosmodrome, technical and launch positions for launch vehicles and spacecraft were created, deployed measuring complex cosmodrome as part of the launch and remote measuring points, a communication system, fall fields for the separating parts of launch vehicles were organized, combat crews of preparation and launch were trained, and much more. Only specialists, whose hands it was done, 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 STC "Complex" on an off-budget basis. Plans for its use provided for the launch of the American spacecraft of the company "Earth Watch" at the end of 1996, designed for remote sensing of the Earth. However, this spacecraft was not ready for launch in due time and, taking into account the fundamental expediency of opening a new Russian cosmodrome by launching a domestic, and not foreign, spacecraft, it was decided to launch the Zeya spacecraft, created by order of the Military Space Forces, as a priority. This spacecraft, although created by order of the military department, is of great importance for the entire cosmonautics, as it is designed to work out the latest general principles control of launches of space launch vehicles and control of spacecraft in orbits.
On March 4, 1997, the launch of the Start 1.2 launch vehicle with the Zeya spacecraft on board began the history of the Russian Svobodny cosmodrome. The launch was carried out from a Topol-type mobile launcher.

The reconstruction of the infrastructure of the cosmodrome, 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 and launch complex for the Strela launch vehicle at the cosmodrome. The launch of the complex was postponed several times.
From the cosmodrome it was planned to launch the designed Angara heavy-class launch vehicles, with increased requirements for environmental safety.
In early 2004, the head of the cosmodrome, Colonel Vladimir Dmitrievich Tyurin (who replaced A.N. Vinidiktov in 2001), stated that until 2007 there were no plans to launch rockets from the cosmodrome. According to him, this is due to the fact that the Strela missile system did not pass the state environmental review. 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 Svobodny 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", was launched in December 2000. Israel announced its intention to continue space cooperation with Russia - in late 2006 - early 2007, the launch of a new device "EROS-C1" 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 of the armed forces, to eliminate the Svobodny cosmodrome due to the low intensity of launches and insufficient funding. It was planned to continue the operation of only the measuring instruments of the cosmodrome in the interests of the vehicles starting from Baikonur. In January 2007, these plans were confirmed by Vladimir Popovkin, Commander of the Russian Space Forces.
In March 2007, the Governor of the Amur Region, Leonid Korotkov, announced the closure of the cosmodrome.

COSMODROME "VOSTOCHNY"

Cosmodrome "Vostochny" - the future Russian spaceport, which is planned to be built in the Far East in the Amur Region, near the village of Uglegorsk, the start of construction was scheduled for 2010, after preparing a feasibility study, design and survey work on the exact location, determining the boundaries of the future spaceport . The first unmanned launch of rockets is scheduled for 2015, the completion of construction is for 2016, and for 2018 - launches of ships with astronauts. The full commissioning of the spaceport is planned for 2020. According to the preliminary plan, before 2010 should be completed.
The creation of the Vostochny cosmodrome traces its history from the moment the Svobodny cosmodrome was disbanded in 2007. By 2010, the entire base of the Svobodny cosmodrome has been destroyed, and a new facility will have to be created from scratch.

The “core” of the spaceport, its administrative and social infrastructure will be located in the Closed Administrative Territorial Unit (ZATO) Uglegorsk, and the location of launch complexes and other facilities will be determined in the design of the spaceport and its development program, which will be officially approved later. This does not exclude the creation of objects associated with Vostochny outside the Amur Region.
The primary task of the new complex is to reduce the load on the Baikonur Cosmodrome, but not completely replace it, at least until the end of the lease period - 2050. Along with this goal, in terms of importance, 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 the construction of the cosmodrome (within three years): it is planned to build a launch complex, an airfield runway, an oxygen-nitrogen mixture plant, a hydrogen plant .
On August 28, 2010, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited the village of Uglegorsk, where he confirmed plans for the construction of the spaceport, but by that time construction had not yet begun.
In 2011, work will begin on the construction of the supporting infrastructure of the cosmodrome, in 2012 - ground-based space infrastructure. Until 2015, it is planned to complete the creation of engineering and social infrastructure, build the first launch pad.
From the cosmodrome, new carrier rockets "Rus" on hydrogen fuel will probably be launched.
In August 2010, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ivanov announced 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: “Now the concept and program for the creation of the Vostochny cosmodrome are being coordinated. I believe that the solution 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 coordination. Therefore, I ask you, Sergei Borisovich (S. B. Ivanov), to keep this under control. And by the end of February, the program for the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome should be adopted by the Government, and the construction of the cosmodrome should begin strictly on schedule.
According to Roskosmos, the cosmodrome has a number of advantages:
. the initial section of the flight path of the launch vehicle does not pass over densely populated regions of Russia and over the territories of foreign states;
. the impact areas of the separating parts of launch vehicles are located in sparsely populated areas of the territory of Russia or in neutral waters;
. the location of the cosmodrome is close to the developed railway and highways and airfields.
It is worth noting the decrease in political risks - in recent years, Kazakhstan has blocked several launches of Russian missiles 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 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. In the case of the creation of the Vostochny cosmodrome, the delivery distance will exceed 3000 km;
. spent parts of missiles, 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 necessary personnel, together with families, can reach 100,000 people. In Uglegorsk itself, no more than 5,000 people live, which makes it necessary to actually build new town, in terms of the number of residential buildings and the size of infrastructure comparable to the regional center (Blagoveshchensk).
Reducing the load on the Baikonur cosmodrome is a dubious thesis, since Baikonur is currently not heavily loaded with launches, in reality their number can be increased 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 (at least 400 billion rubles), you can rent Baikonur for more than 130 years (if the cost of rent 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 ​​creation and the cosmodrome;
. in the long run - reducing the cost of renting the Baikonur cosmodrome.

Used 3D animated computer models from the site

The creation of such a structure will allow our country to make a breakthrough in the field of space technology and regain its leading position in the global space industry. The groundwork developed by the Keldysh Center in cooperation with the enterprises of the State Corporation "Rosatom" makes it possible to proceed with the full-scale implementation of the project.

At present, Roskosmos has decided to transfer the lead role in the platform with megawatt-class nuclear power plants to FSUE KB Arsenal. The use of nuclear energy in space is not only legitimate, but also included in the list of promising tasks for the development of space technology by the leading space powers of the world. Universal space platforms with nuclear power plants (UCP-NPP) are being developed to solve promising problems in the field of defense and security, socio-economic development and science. But without the creation of a complex of ground technical facilities that ensure the assembly, testing, preparation for launch and launch of space launch vehicles - spaceports - the exploration of outer space is impossible.

Cosmodrome (from the Greek κόσμος - space and δρόμος - running, place to run) is a complex of structures, equipment and land plots intended for receiving, storing, assembling, testing, preparing for launch and launching launch vehicles with spacecraft. When choosing the sites for the construction of the first spaceports (Baikonur in our country and the spaceport at Cape Canaveral in the USA), many factors were taken into account, the main of which were:

The presence of "exclusion zones" in order to ensure the safety of people (for the fall of spent stages of launch vehicles and in emergency situations);

The energy factor associated with the power of the engines of the carriers used (the closer to the equator the cosmodrome is located, the greater the load can be put into near-Earth orbit by the same carriers);

Availability of transport routes (for moving cargo and supplying spaceport employees).

In addition, the climatic conditions of the cosmodrome location area were taken into account, which determined the period of its operation (during calendar year), terrain, hydrological factor, seismic activity of the region, and so on.

The presence of the minimum necessary infrastructure during the construction of the first spaceports was not taken into account. Initially, it was assumed that launches of space rockets would be carried out exclusively from the earth's surface. However, the improvement of rocket technology and the expansion of the list of tasks solved by astronautics led to the emergence of air and sea-based launch complexes.

In the absence of a clear classification according to their location, the authors propose to divide all the spaceports of the world into two groups:

1. Stationary spaceports - complexes of launch facilities and their associated infrastructure located on land and satisfying the conditions of the "classic" definition of a spaceport.

2. Irregularly used spaceports - complexes of air, sea (surface and underwater) and, in the future, space-based, which do not have a clear geographical reference to the terrain, the use of which is carried out periodically, as well as ground-based, which initially did not imply their use for space launches.

During the years of the space age, 34 complexes were used as spaceports in various parts the globe (Fig. 1).

Fig.1 Complexes used as spaceports

1. Plesetsk Cosmodrome, 2 Baikonur Cosmodrome, 3. Cape Canaveral Cosmodrome, 4. Vandenberg Air Force Base, 5. Kuru Cosmodrome, 6. Kapustin Yar Test Site, 7. Sichan Cosmodrome , 8. Jiuquan Cosmodrome, 9. Tanegashima Cosmodrome, 10. Taiyuan Cosmodrome, 11. Sriharikota Cosmodrome, 12. Uchinoura Cosmodrome, 13. Cosmodrome on about. Wallops, 14. Israeli Air Force Base Palmachim, 15. Semnan Cosmodrome, 16. Woomera Test Site, 17. Svobodny Cosmodrome, 18. Kwajlein Atoll Test Site, 19. Hammaguir Cosmodrome, 20. Cosmodrome " Kodiak, 21. Naro Cosmodrome, 22. Alcantara Cosmodrome, 23. Donghae Cosmodrome, 24. Sohe Cosmodrome, 25. Al Anbar Cosmodrome, 26. Pegasus Complex, 27. Platform Odysseus, 28. San Marco platform, 29. Pilot complex, 30. Yasny launch base, 31. Vostochny cosmodrome, 32. Wenchang cosmodrome, 33. Shakhrud cosmodrome, 34 Complex on SSBNs.

The total number of launch vehicles launched from October 4, 1957 to October 15, 2014 amounted to 5397 units. Of this number, 5048 launches are classified as successful or partially successful, and 349 as emergency.

The number of launches of carrier rockets from a particular cosmodrome is given in Table 1 (data as of October 15, 2014).

Table 1 Launches of carrier rockets from specific spaceports

Stationary spaceports

The stationary complexes include 25 facilities located in Russia, the USA, French Guiana, China, Japan, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Australia, Algeria, Brazil, Kazakhstan, North Korea and South Korea. 21 spaceports are considered to be active. In fact, regular launches are made only from 19.

spaceport "Baikonur"(Kazakh Baikonyr, “rich valley”; earlier - the 5th research test spaceport of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR (RF)) - the world's first spaceport. It launched the first artificial satellite of the Earth and the first biological satellite, the first "lunar", the first manned spacecraft, the first scientific satellites, combat missiles.

The cosmodrome is located on the territory of Kazakhstan, in the Kyzylorda region between the city of Kazalinsk and the village of Dzhusaly, near the Tyuratam railway station with the center having geographical coordinates 45°57"58"N. and 63°18"28"E It occupies an area of ​​6717 km².

The construction of the cosmodrome began in 1955, and already on May 15, 1957, the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from its territory. Since October 4, 1957 it has been used as a spaceport.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Baikonur Cosmodrome came under the jurisdiction of Kazakhstan. In accordance with the bilateral Russian-Kazakhstan agreement, Russia leased the cosmodrome until 2050. The cost of the lease is about 3.5 billion rubles/year. About another 1.5 billion rubles a year Russia spends on maintaining the facilities of the cosmodrome. In addition, the budget of the city of Baikonur receives 1.16 billion rubles annually from the federal budget of Russia. In total, the spaceport and the city cost the Russian budget 6.16 billion rubles/year.

AT different years at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, launch complexes were built to launch launch vehicles of the R-7 family (Vostok, Voskhod, Molniya, Soyuz), Cyclone-2, Proton, N-1, "Energy", "Zenit-2", "Dnepr" and others.

Over the past decade, the Baikonur Cosmodrome has been ranked first in the world in terms of the number of space launches, more than twice as “ahead” of its closest pursuers (the Cape Canaveral Cosmodrome and the Kourou Cosmodrome).

Polygon "Kapustin Yar"(4th State Central Interspecific Range of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation) - a missile range in the northwestern part of the Astrakhan region with a center having geographical coordinates 48 ° 33 "56" N. latitude. and 46°17"42"E

Founded in 1946 as a missile test site for testing the first domestic R-1 ballistic missiles and other types of rocket technology. It has been functioning as a cosmodrome since 1961. In the first years of operation, 4-8 space rockets were launched from it. Subsequently, the intensity of launch activity decreased. In recent years, space launches have been carried out only sporadically.

spaceport "Plesetsk"(1st State Test Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation; formerly the 53rd State Research Test Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR) is a Russian cosmodrome located 180 km south of Arkhangelsk near the railway station Plesetskaya Northern Railway. The center of the cosmodrome has geographical coordinates 62°57"35"N. and 40 ° 41 "E. The total area of ​​​​the cosmodrome is 176.2 hectares.

The construction of the cosmodrome began in 1957. Initially, it was created as a missile base for launching R-7 intercontinental ballistic missiles (Angara object). Since March 17, 1966 it has been operated as a cosmodrome.

At the cosmodrome there were platforms for launching rockets of the R-7, Cosmos, Cyclone-3 family. At present, the construction of a complex for launching missiles of the Angara family is underway.

The Plesetsk Cosmodrome to this day holds the absolute record for the number of launches of space rockets performed from it, although it is not among the leaders in terms of the intensity of launch activity.

Cosmodrome Svobodny(2nd State Test Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation) - Russian cosmodrome. It is located near the town of Svobodny in the Amur Region. The center of the cosmodrome has geographical coordinates 51°42" N and 128° E. The area of ​​the cosmodrome is 410 km2.

The Svobodny cosmodrome owes its appearance to the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the Baikonur cosmodrome ended up on the territory of a foreign state, and the Military Space Forces raised the question of choosing a new site for launching light, medium and, in run, heavy classes.

After long discussions, it was decided to create a new Russian cosmodrome on the basis of the 27th Red Banner Far Eastern Division of the Strategic Missile Forces. The decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the formation of the cosmodrome appeared on March 1, 1995.

The first launch of the Start-1 launch vehicle (a conversion version of the RS-12M Topol (15Zh58) intercontinental ballistic missile) with the Zeya spacecraft was carried out from a Topol-type mobile launcher on March 4, 1997. In subsequent years four more launches were made. The last one took place on April 25, 2006. All launches were successful.

After the decision to build the Vostochny cosmodrome was made, the Svobodny cosmodrome actually ceased to exist and has not been operated for many years.

Spaceport at Cape Canaveral. Under this generalized name, there are actually two spaceports: the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (formerly the East Test Range) operated by the US Air Force and the Kennedy Space Center operating under the auspices of NASA. Kennedy Space Center). Both are located in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The operation of the cosmodrome began on December 6, 1957, when the first attempt was made to launch an American satellite. In subsequent years, the vast majority of research vehicles, interplanetary probes, were launched from Cape Canaveral. From the Space Center Kennedy, all American manned spacecraft created under the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs were launched. It is assumed that the currently created manned spacecraft will launch from Cape Canaveral.

In addition to launch pads and other technical means of ground infrastructure, at the Space Center. Kennedy is home to the world's largest museum of space technology.

Vandenberg Air Force Base (eng. Vandenberg Air Force Base; also known as the Western Test Site, eng. West Test Range) is an American Air Force base, part of the territory of which is used as a spaceport (geographic coordinates of the center of the cosmodrome are 34 ° 43 "47" with .lat and 120°34"37" W).

The construction of the launch facilities began in 1957, and the first launch of the launch vehicle took place on February 28, 1959. It is mainly used to launch cargo from the US Department of Defense and the US National Reconnaissance Agency. Although in recent years, launches have been carried out from the launch complexes of the Vandenberg Base in the interests of commercial customers.

In the 1980s At the Vandenberg Base, launch complexes were being built to launch reusable spacecraft of the Space Shuttle system. However, after the Challenger shuttle disaster in 1986, work was stopped after many programs of the US Department of Defense were curtailed.

Spaceport on Wallops Island(Test Center on Wallops Island, Eng. Wallops Island Test Center) - American spaceport on about. Wallops off the coast of Virginia. It consists of three separate sections with a total area of ​​25 km²: the main base, the center on the mainland and about. Wallops, where the launch complex is located.

It was founded in 1945, the first successful launch was carried out on February 16, 1961, when the Explorer-9 research satellite was launched into low-Earth orbit using the Scout X-1 launch vehicle (Scout X-1) ( Explorer-9).

Since 2006, part of the test site has been leased by Orbital Science Corporation under the name Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.

spaceport "Kodiak"(Kodiak Launch Complex, Kodiak Launch Complex) is an American commercial spaceport located on the island of the same name off the coast of Alaska. The center of the cosmodrome has geographical coordinates 57°26"08"N. and 152°20"16" W. Designed to launch light rockets along a suborbital trajectory and launch small spacecraft into a polar orbit.

The decision to build the spaceport was made in July 1991. The first experimental launch of a rocket from the spaceport took place on November 5, 1998. The first orbital launch took place on September 30, 2001, when the Athena-1 launch vehicle launched 4 small satellites.

Cosmodrome on the island of Kwajlein(The Ronald Reagan Test Site, Reagan Test Site, formerly the Kwajlein Missile Range) is a missile range located on the Kwajlein Atoll, Marshall Islands, USA. It has existed since 1959, but was used as a cosmodrome from 2006 to 2009, when five launches of the Falcon-1 launch vehicle, created by the private company Space-X, were carried out from here.

spaceport "Tseyuquan"(Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center) is the oldest Chinese spaceport, located on the edge of the Badan-Jilin Desert in the lower reaches of the Heihe River in Gansu Province with the center having geographical coordinates 40 ° 57 "28" N.L. and 100°17"30"E

It has been operating as a missile test site since 1958, and as a spaceport since 1970. Until 1984, it remained the only Chinese spaceport. The Jiuquan Cosmodrome is used to launch manned spacecraft under the Shenzhou program.

Cosmodrome "Sichan"(Satellite Launch Center Xichang, another name "Base 27") is a Chinese spaceport located 64 km from Xichang, Sichuan Province, with a center having geographical coordinates of 28 ° 14 "45" N.L. and 102°01"35"E The headquarters of the cosmodrome is located in Xichang. Operates since 1984.

spaceport "Taiyuan"(Taian Satellite Launch Center, formerly Wuzhei) is a Chinese spaceport in the northwestern part of Shanxi Province, near the city of Taiyuan, at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level, with a center having geographical coordinates of 38 ° 50 "58" N.L. and 111°36"32"E It has been operating since 1988. The area of ​​its territory is 375 km2.

At the cosmodrome there is a launcher, a tower Maintenance and two liquid fuel storage facilities.

Cosmodrome Wenchang(Wenchang Satellite Launch Center) is the fourth Chinese spaceport, the construction of which was completed in 2014. So far, no space launch has been carried out from it. Located in the Wenchang area on the northeast coast of Hainan Island. The choice of this place as a site for the construction of a new cosmodrome is primarily due to two factors:

Proximity to the equator, which is beneficial in terms of the carrying capacity of launch vehicles;

Location on the seashore with an abundance of convenient bays, necessary for the delivery of launch vehicles from the plant in Tianjin to the launch site by the cheapest and the only mode of transport suitable for such large cargoes - by sea.

The space center covers an area of ​​20 km2. In the coming years, it will expand to 30 km2. The area of ​​launch complexes is located in the immediate vicinity of the town of Longlou, for which the residents were resettled to safe areas.

Another part of the space center will be a grandiose 407-hectare space theme park to attract tourists who can watch space rocket launches from there.

It is authentically known about two launch complexes of the Wenchang cosmodrome: one in the area of ​​the village of Western Diyuan, the second - in the area of ​​the village of Wuhu. According to the Chinese authorities, the cost of building a new spaceport was less than $3 billion.

spaceport Hammagir(French Hammaguir; originally - Colon-Bechar Rocket Test Center) - a French spaceport located on the territory of Algeria near the border with Morocco, 130 km southwest of the city of Bechar with a center that had geographical coordinates 30 ° 53 "N and 3 °02" W.L. It was intended for launching combat ballistic missiles, testing elements of space technology and launching artificial earth satellites. The objects launched into the orbit of an artificial satellite of the Earth had an inclination of the orbit to the plane of the equator in the range from 34 to 40 degrees.

Had four launch complexes. Missile launches were carried out along two routes: in the south-west direction to the city of Tindouf (1000 km long) and in the south-east direction to Lake Chad (2000 km).

The first launch of an artificial Earth satellite from the cosmodrome took place on November 26, 1965. In total, four space rockets were launched from the cosmodrome during the operation of the cosmodrome.

In accordance with the Evian agreements between France and Algeria, on May 21, 1967, the official closing ceremony of the spaceport took place. The cosmodrome equipment was dismantled and removed by June 30, 1967.

spaceport "Kuru"(French Kourou), officially known as the Guiana Space Center (French Center spatial guyanais) is a spaceport in French Guiana. It is located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, on a strip 60 km long and 20 km wide between the towns of Kourou and Sinnamari. The geographical coordinates of the center of the cosmodrome are 5°14"21"N. and 52°46"06"W

In 1964, the French government chose Kourou from 14 other submitted projects for the location of the spaceport. Construction began in 1965 and lasted five years. The first launch took place on April 9, 1968.

After the creation of the European Space Agency (ESA) in 1975, the French government offered the agency to use the Kourou launch site for European space programs. Since then, the ESA has considered the Kourou spaceport as its own component and pays 2/3 of its budget.

Currently, launch complexes for the entire line of launch vehicles have been built at the cosmodrome, from the light Vega to the heavy Ariane-5 (Ariane-5).

spaceport "Sriharikota"(Satish Dhawan Space Center) is an Indian spaceport operated by the Indian Organization space research. Located on about. Sriharikota in the Bay of Bengal in the south of the state of Andhra Pradnsh with the center having the geographical coordinates of 13°43"12"N. and 80°13"49"E Proximity to the equator is one of the advantages of the Sriharikota cosmodrome over other launch sites in the world.

The construction of the cosmodrome was carried out from 1971 to 1979. The first launch of the space carrier was undertaken on August 10, 1979, but ended with the accident of the ASLV carrier. A year later, the first successful launch of an Indian carrier took place.

Cosmodrome "Palmachim"(another name is "Base 25") - The Israeli Air Force Base, located next to Kibbutz Palmachim, near the cities of Rishon de Zion and Yavne, with the center having the geographical coordinates of 31 ° 53 "52" N. latitude. and 34°41"26"E Built in 1963, used as a spaceport since 1988.

The only cosmodrome in the world, launches from which are carried out exclusively in the direction opposite to the rotation of the Earth. This is done in order to avoid a possible fall of missile fragments on the territory of neighboring Arab countries hostile to Israel. At the same time, spacecraft launched into orbit can have an orbital inclination ranging from 142 to 144 degrees.

Cosmodrome "Uchinoura"(Uchinoura Space Center, until 2003 it was called the Kagoshima Space Center) is a Japanese spaceport located on the Pacific coast near the city of Kimotsuki (formerly Uchinoura), in Kagoshima Prefecture, with a center having geographical coordinates 31 ° 15 "07" NL and 131°04"55"E

The location of the cosmodrome allows launching spacecraft from it into orbits with an inclination ranging from 29 to 75 degrees. The construction of the cosmodrome began in 1961 and was completed in February 1962. In the early years, geophysical and meteorological rockets were launched from it.

The first space launch took place on September 26, 1966 and was unsuccessful. Three other attempts made by Japan in 1966-1969 also ended in accidents. The first successful launch of a satellite took place on February 11, 1970.

spaceport Tanegashima(Tanegashima Space Center) is the largest spaceport in Japan. Located on the southeast coast of Tanegashima in the south of Kagoshima Prefecture, 115 km south of about. Kyushu. The center of the cosmodrome has geographical coordinates 30°24" N and 130°58"12" E. It was created in 1969. The first space launch took place on September 9, 1975. It is operated by the Japan Aerospace Agency.

At present, the spaceport has two launch pads for H-2A and H-2B launch vehicles, which allow launching payloads into orbits with an inclination of up to 99 degrees. According to Japanese experts, the Tanegashima cosmodrome is the most beautiful and picturesque launch site in the world.

Cosmodrome "Semnan"- the first and so far the only spaceport in Iran. It is located in the desert of Deshte-Kevir in the province of Semnan (Northern Iran), near the administrative center - the city of Semnan, with the center having geographical coordinates 35 ° 13 "17" N.L. and 53°53"49"E

The cosmodrome has at least one launcher for launching light launch vehicles. Spacecraft launched from it can have an orbital inclination to the equatorial plane ranging from 35 to 55 degrees.

The years of construction are unknown, but the spaceport has been in operation since 2008. The first successful launch took place on February 2, 2002, the Omid (Hope) satellite was launched into low Earth orbit.

Woomera Proving Ground(Woomera Test Range) is an Australian spaceport located in the central part of the state of South Australia near the town of Woomera with the center having the geographical coordinates of 31°12" S and 136°49" E.

Established in 1946 on the basis of an Anglo-Australian agreement as a test center for controlled aircraft. November 3, 1961 was chosen as the European spaceport. It was intended for testing elements of space technology and launching artificial Earth satellites. Satellites launched from the Woomera cosmodrome could be in near-Earth orbits with an inclination ranging from 82 to 84 degrees.

How the spaceport functioned from November 29, 1967, when the first Australian satellite WRESAT (Weapons Research Establishment SATellite - a research satellite of the Australian Department of Defense) was launched into low-Earth orbit using the American Redstone launch vehicle. In total, 6 launches of space rockets were carried out from the cosmodrome, incl. four emergency.

The final launch took place on October 28, 1971, when the British Prospero satellite was launched into orbit using the British Black Arrow launch vehicle.

Since July 1976, by decision of the Australian government, the cosmodrome has been closed as unprofitable (the equipment has been mothballed). In subsequent years, only sounding rockets were periodically launched from it.

AlAnbar Cosmodrome(Al-Anbar Space Center) - an Iraqi spaceport located 50 km west of Baghdad with a center having geographical coordinates of 33.5 ° N.L. and 43° E

The construction of the Al-Anbar missile range began in 1982, and three years later the first successful launch of a medium-range ballistic missile was recorded from it. Only one launch of a space rocket is known, carried out on December 5, 1989 - a three-stage Abid launch vehicle was launched, which was a variant of the Soviet R-11 ballistic missile modified with the help of Argentine specialists.

The launch was unsuccessful, the carrier exploded at the 45th second of the flight. However, officials from the Iraqi government called it a success, which gave rise to the legend of the launch of the third stage of the rocket into near-Earth orbit and its six orbits around the Earth. During the military operation "Desert Storm" in 1991, the spaceport was significantly damaged and has not been operated since.

Donghae Spaceport(“East Sea”; another name is the Kwandai missile test site) is the DPRK spaceport, located on the east coast of the country in the county of Hwadae-gun of the province of Hamgyongbuk-do with the center having geographical coordinates 40 ° 51 "20" N.L. and 129°39"57"E In English literature, it is better known as the Musudan missile range, after the name of a nearby village.

The choice of the location of the test site was influenced by such factors as a sufficient distance from the demilitarized zone, minimizing the risk of missiles flying over the territory of neighboring countries, the overall distance from large residential areas, and climatic factors. How the missile range has been functioning since 1984.

It was used twice for launches of space rockets - on August 31, 1998 and July 4, 2006. Both launches were emergency, but the North Korean authorities assured the world community that the satellites went into orbit and were on it for a long time. To date, all work on the space program of the DPRK has been transferred to another cosmodrome - Sohe.

Sohe Cosmodrome (Sohe Western Test Site) is the second DPRK spaceport. It is located on the western coast of the country in the province of Pyonganpukto in a hilly area near the northern border with China, 200 km northwest of Pyongyang and 70 km west of the nuclear center in Yongbyon. The spaceport was built on the site of the village of Pondon-ni.

Work on the construction of the cosmodrome began in the early 1990s and was completed only in 2011. The first official mention of the cosmodrome took place in March 2012, when the DPRK media announced that the first launch of an applied satellite for remote sensing of the Earth was being prepared from this cosmodrome "Kwangmyeongseong-3". A month later, the cosmodrome was visited by foreign journalists, who were met by the director of the cosmodrome, Jang Myung Jin.

The first space launch from the Sohe cosmodrome took place on April 13, 2012, but was unsuccessful. The second attempt to launch the Kwangmyeongsong-3 satellite into orbit using the Eunha-3 launch vehicle, made on December 12, 2012, was successful.

Cosmodrome "Naro"(Naro Space Center) - South Korean spaceport. Located on about. Wenarodo near the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula in Goheung County, Jeolla Province. The center of the cosmodrome has geographical coordinates 34°25"55"N. and 127°32"06"E

The construction of the cosmodrome began in 2003 and was completed in 2009. It is intended for the implementation of the South Korean space program, the first stage of which was the creation of the KSLV-1 (Naro-1) launch vehicle. To date, three Naro-1 rockets have been launched from the Naro cosmodrome. The first two launches in August 2009 and June 2010 were unsuccessful. The third start, held on January 30, 2013, was successful.

Cosmodrome Alcantara(Alcantara Launch Center) is a Brazilian spaceport in the state of Maranhao, in the north of the Atlantic coast of the country, with a center having geographical coordinates 2 ° 17 "S and 44 ° 23" W.

The construction of the spaceport began in 1982 and was completed seven years later. The first launch of a space carrier on November 2, 1997 was unsuccessful. The second attempt of Brazil to become a space power also ended in an accident - the VLS-1 (V02) launch vehicle exploded on the launch site on December 11, 1999.

The third launch of the VLS-1 (V03) rocket was scheduled for the end of August 2003. However, three days before the launch, during pre-launch preparations, the rocket exploded at the launcher. The tragedy claimed the lives of 21 people and became one of the largest rocket disasters in the history of world cosmonautics.

After this, new attempts to launch space carriers own production Brazil did not. Currently, at the Alcantara cosmodrome, the construction of a launch complex for the Ukrainian Cyclone-4 launch vehicles, created under the Brazilian-Ukrainian intergovernmental agreement, is being completed. The first launch is scheduled for early 2015.

Irregularly used spaceports

The group of irregularly used spaceports includes air and sea-based spaceports, as well as the Russian Yasny missile base, which was not originally intended to be used as a space launch site.

Air-based rocket and space complex, created in the USA in the late 1950s. In the project's boundaries "Pilot"(Pilot project), became the first non-stationary spaceport from which attempts were made to launch satellites. In July-August 1958, as part of the project, six launches of Pilot launch vehicles were carried out. All of them were emergency.

The complex was created on the basis of a modified F-4D-1 Skyray carrier-based fighter, under the left wing of which a five-stage rocket was suspended on a standard bomb rack. The plane itself in this version played the role of the sixth stage. After the separation of the rocket from the carrier, the engine was started, and it began to rapidly gain altitude. The mass of the satellite, which the Pilot rocket could put into low Earth orbit, was 1.05 kg.

The first attempt to launch a spacecraft from an airborne complex was made on July 25, 1958. On this day, an F-4D-1 fighter (tail number 130475) took off from the airfield at Inyukern Air Force Base north of Los Angeles. Piloted by test pilot William West. The plane took a course to the southwest, towards the Pacific Ocean. At an altitude of almost 11 km above the Santa Barbara Strait, the aircraft began to accelerate with a climb. When the car reached a height of 12.5 km, the rocket was dropped. Following this, the engine of the "Pilot" turned on and the rocket ... exploded.

The next five attempts to launch satellites were also unsuccessful, after which the program was closed, and the Pilot air-based rocket and space complex disappeared into history.

The Luigi Broglio Space Center (Centro Spaziale Luigi Broglio), San Marco Cosmodrome is an Italian maritime spaceport. The world's first "cosmodrome on the water". Based in the Indian Ocean in the Gulf of Formosa, 5 km from the coast of Kenya at a point with geographical coordinates 2 ° 56 "S and 40 ° 12" E. Spacecraft launched into near-Earth orbit had an orbital inclination ranging from 2 to 3 degrees.

The cosmodrome consisted of two floating platforms "San Marco" and "Santa Rita", which were installed in the starting position with the help of retractable steel supports on the sea coastal bottom at a distance of 500 mods from the other. The San Marco platform had a length of 90 m. A launcher and a 36 m long assembly and test hangar were mounted on it for assembling and testing American Scout-type launch vehicles, equipped with an air conditioning system. At start-up, the platform is fixed in a stationary position by twenty steel supports.

The Santa Rita platform was converted from an oil drilling platform. It housed the launch control post and equipment for tracking the flight of launch vehicles. The platforms were connected to each other by 23 submarine cables.

As a cosmodrome, the Luigi Broglio Space Center functioned from 1967 to 1988. In total, nine launches of Scout launch vehicles were carried out from the San Marco platform, as a result of which 10 spacecraft were launched into orbit: four Italian , one British and five American . Since 1988, the cosmodrome has not been operated, although the equipment has not been dismantled or mothballed.

Air-based rocket and space complex "Pegasus"(Pegasus) is an air spaceport project implemented by the American company Orbital Sciences Corporation to launch Pegas light launch vehicles.

At the first stage, a modified version of the B-52B bomber (tail number 52-008) became the basis of the complex. Subsequently, a modification of the passenger wide-body aircraft L-1011 Stargazer (Stargazer; registration number N140SC) was used.

The launch from the air cosmodrome is carried out as follows: the carrier aircraft rises to a height of 10-15 km, where the rocket is dropped. 5 seconds after the separation, the main engine is launched, the rocket goes into vertical flight and puts the cargo into orbit.

As an aerodrome for take-off of a carrier aircraft with a rocket, an aerodrome that meets the necessary requirements at any point on the globe can be used. In the case of the Pegasus complex, the following airfields were used: at Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, USA, at test site on Wallops Island, Virginia, USA, on Kwajlein Atoll, Marshall Islands, USA, and Grand Canary Airport, Canary Islands, USA.

To date, the Pegasus complex has been used 42 times. In the coming years, no new launches are planned due to the lack of demand for the launch of launch vehicles of this class. It is possible that launches will resume after 2016.

Marine launch platform "Odysseus"(Odyssey) is a marine cosmodrome created as part of the international Sea Launch project with the participation of a number of companies from the USA, Russia, Ukraine and Norway.

The sea cosmodrome consists of two vessels: the Odyssey platform, from which launches of the Zenit-3SL launch vehicles are carried out, and the support vessel Sea Commander, which houses launch teams, communications and control equipment. At the time of the launch of the rocket, the ships are at a distance of several kilometers from each other.

The ships are based in the port of Long Beach in California. Vessels follow from it to the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean (154 ° W), from where the rockets are launched.

The first launch from the sea cosmodrome took place on March 27, 1999 and was successful. In the same year, the commercial operation of the cosmodrome began.

In the 1990s in the context of a sharp reduction in the domestic Navy, a project appeared to use liquidated sea-based ballistic missiles to launch small spacecraft. To do this, it was supposed to modify standard missiles and carry out launches from submarines on combat duty. So born sea-based rocket and space complex based on SSBNs.

As part of this project three launches of carrier rockets "Shtil" and "Volna" were carried out. Two launches took place from the K-407 Novomoskovsk and K-84 Yekaterinburg boats, one from the K-496 Borisoglebsk boat. All boats at the time of launch were in the Barents Sea. One of the starts was emergency.

At present, it is still technically possible to continue launches from the SSBN-based complex. However, there are no orders for launch services of this type yet.

Launch base "Clear"- Russian cosmodrome located on the territory of the position area "Dombarovsky" of the Strategic Missile Forces in the Yasnensky district of the Orenburg region with the center having geographical coordinates 51 ° 05 "38" N. latitude. and 59°50"32"E

Operated by the Russian-Ukrainian company Kosmotras. To launch spacecraft into orbit, the Dnepr launch vehicle (a conversion version of the RS-20 Voevoda intercontinental ballistic missile) is used. The first space launch from the Yasny base was made on July 12, 2006, when the American experimental satellite Genesis-1 was launched into low Earth orbit.

Spaceports under construction

The change in the geopolitical situation in the world, the reduction and adjustment of the tasks solved by the world cosmonautics, led not only to the closure of the previously created complexes of launch facilities, but also forced the construction of new spaceports. Currently, such construction is underway in Russia and China.

Cosmodrome "Vostochny" will be located in the Amur Region not far from the Svobodny cosmodrome, which was disbanded in 2007, and a residential camp for personnel will be located on the territory of the city of Uglegorsk. President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin suggested naming it in honor of K.E. Tsiolkovsky by the city of Tsiolkovsky. The total reserved area of ​​the spaceport is 1035 km2.

The creation of a new Russian cosmodrome is intended to solve two strategic tasks:

Guarantee unhindered access to space for Russia, regardless of the political situation in Kazakhstan, on whose territory the Baikonur cosmodrome leased by Russia is located;

Accelerate the socio-economic development of the Far East region.

In addition, local authorities intend to solve regional problems in the Far Eastern Federal District through the creation of the cosmodrome. In particular, to improve the demographic situation in the region, from which there has been a significant exodus of the population in recent decades.

One of the main advantages of the Vostochny cosmodrome in comparison, for example, with the Baikonur cosmodrome, is the fact that the flight paths of launch vehicles do not pass over densely populated regions of Russia and over the territories of foreign states, but are located in neutral waters. In addition, the location of the cosmodrome is close to the developed railway and highways and airfields.

The disadvantage of the Vostochny cosmodrome is its remoteness from the main centers of rocket and space building, located mainly in Central Russia leading to a significant increase in transport costs.

The disadvantages include the fact that the Vostochny cosmodrome is located 6 degrees north of the Baikonur cosmodrome, which will lead to a decrease in the mass of the payload launched into orbit.

The first unmanned launch of a launch vehicle (most likely, a Soyuz-2 launch vehicle) is planned to be carried out at the end of 2015, and the first manned launch will take place in 2018. In the future, it is planned to build other launch facilities, which will allow the operation of launch vehicles of various classes , including promising ones, the development of which is still planned.

There is unofficial information about the construction of a new spaceport in Iran. It is located 40 km from the city of Shahrud in the north of the country, and is referred to in the Western media as the Shahrud cosmodrome. According to the British weekly Jane's Intelligence Review, work on this site was largely completed in 2013. Satellite images clearly show the launch pad, a 125 m long gas vent, a service tower about 23 m high, a building measuring 62 by 47 m, which is identified by specialists as an assembly and test building. However, given the extremely closed nature of the Iranian space program, in this case we can talk about the construction of launch sites for combat missiles, and not for space launchers. It will be possible to speak reliably about Shahrud as a cosmodrome only after at least one launch of a space carrier has been carried out from it.

In addition to the spaceports described above, there are several more places on the globe, which are called spaceports in the media. For example, the spaceport "America" ​​(America Spaceport) in New Mexico, USA. Or similar complexes being created in Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and a number of other countries.
The launch weight of launched missiles is 1,777,537 tons, those that did not fly - 88,914 tons.
Who started what:

Mankind is actively exploring near and far space. The maintenance of the International Space Station, the functioning of the satellite navigation system, orbital and interplanetary research programs - all this requires regular launches of spacecraft. Today, there are several countries in the world that have their own launch sites. The largest of them are: Russia, USA, EU, China, India, Brazil, Japan and Iran. But are all countries in the same "starting" conditions?

It turns out not. And we are not talking about different material and technical capabilities of space powers. It's all about geographical location launch points. I wonder what the most advantageous location for launching rockets, in terms of fuel economy and payload weight, is located at the Earth's equator. A rocket launched at 0 latitude or as close as possible to it most fully uses the energy of our planet's rotation around its axis. We can say that the effect of a "tailwind" is created when the speed of the planet's rotation is added to the speed of the rocket. This effect decreases as you move north or south of the equator. According to experts, a rocket launched from the equator saves up to 10% of fuel compared to rockets launched at mid-latitudes. Compared to higher latitudes, this figure is even higher. And if less fuel is required, then the vacated space can be taken by payload. It turns out that launches from the equator not only save money, but also increase the carrying capacity of the rocket.

Another important fact influencing the choice of location for the construction of the future cosmodrome is a suitable territory on which the separating stages of launch vehicles will fall. The rockets are launched in an easterly direction, and the separating parts land in several stages at a distance of 300 to 2000 kilometers from the spaceports. This is a rather sensitive issue related to environmental pollution and the safety of the population living there. Therefore, the most convenient place is considered to be the point at which, upon launch, the rocket stages will fall into the ocean. Another acceptable option in the absence of an ocean is its own land area, as long as it is not a neighboring state.

One of the most convenient sites for launches according to these parameters is considered to be the Kourou cosmodrome, with coordinates 5°14′21″ north latitude. It is located in the French colony of Guiana, on the east coast of South America, in close proximity to the equator, and to the east of it stretches the boundless Atlantic Ocean, which stores the separating parts of rockets. Basically, the European Space Agency and France launch their rockets from there. Not far from it, also on the coast, is the Brazilian spaceport Alcantara with coordinates 2°21′54″ south latitude. But the American spaceport Cape Canaveral is already located at some distance from the equator, its coordinates are 28 ° 29′20 ″ north latitude. The United States has 5 more spaceports, the most convenient of which is located on the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean with coordinates 8°59′58″ north latitude.

Quite interesting is the location of the Italian spaceport San Marco. This European country has equipped a spaceport for itself on two connected oil platforms off the eastern coast of Africa, in the Gulf of Formosa. These are the territorial waters of Kenya. All these difficulties and remoteness from Italy are more than offset by a favorable location: only 2 ° 56′27 ″ south latitude and the endless ocean in the east. The Sriharikota Indian launch site, located at 13 ° 43′12 ″ north latitude and the ocean coast, also has good positions. China, Iran and Japan are in the middle in terms of geographic advantage.

But whoever has the hardest time getting rockets into orbit is Russia, whose launch pads are in some of the worst positions due to their northern location. The nearest cosmodrome to the equator, from which Russia carries out regular launches, is Baikonur with coordinates 45°57′58″ north latitude. It is located on the territory of Kazakhstan, and the spent stages land on the territory of Kazakhstan and Russia. The new Vostochny cosmodrome in the Amur Region is even further north and is located at 51°53′04″ north latitude, although the steps will partially fall into the sea. But the Russian Plesetsk cosmodrome is the northernmost in the world and is located at 62°57′36″ north latitude.

Of course, when it comes to choosing the location of a new landfill, not only factors of geographical convenience are taken into account, but also the safety of the future facility, the infrastructure of the region, and a number of other parameters. But today, when space launches are becoming massive, players in the commercial space launch market and state corporations are looking for the cheapest and most convenient sites, moving to the ocean and to the equator.

Russia (Rus, Russian state, Russian empire, Soviet Union) - was the first in many great deeds and accomplishments of world civilization. This is especially true of the Cosmos. Even our friends and partners, the Americans, recognize Russia's superiority in the development of space technology and cannot do without the RD-180 rocket engine at the present time. Ahead of the whole planet and our spaceports.

Briefly about spaceports

In general, there are more than two dozen spaceports in the world. All of them are similar to each other like twin brothers, have approximately the same set of elements and differ only in size. The reason for this similarity is extremely simple: carriers with liquid rocket engines are used to launch spacecraft.

Whether space rockets were solid-propellant or, say, gravitational, the structure of the cosmodrome would turn out to be different. However, now only jet engines According to their energy characteristics, liquid-fueled spacecraft are able to ensure the launch of heavy spacecraft into orbit, and it is they that determine the appearance of a modern cosmodrome.

This circumstance dictates a special procedure for assembling and preparing for the launch of missiles, presupposes a certain design and dimensions of launch facilities and appropriate security measures.

Rice. 1 Total number of spaceports in the world

General information about Russian spaceports

Russia, until recently, had the ability to launch from 6 spaceports. On the territory of Russia, the following "space harbors" were built and, at the very least, operated and operated:

1. Plesetsk - more than 1000 successful unmanned launches.
2. Kapustin Yar - up to 1000 successful unmanned launches.
3. Free - less than 10 successful unmanned launches.
4. Submarine launches - less than 10 launches

The Baikonur Cosmodrome was built during the Soviet era, but now it has ended up on the territory of the neighboring state of Kazakhstan and Russia is forced to rent it. More than 1,000 successful manned and unmanned launches have been made at Baikonur.

Russia is participating in the launch from an offshore platform sea ​​launch» (Sea Launch) - less than 100 successful unmanned launches. This is the first private complex for launching orbital spacecraft.

The co-founders of the international company Sea Launch are the American Coeing Commercial Space Company (40%), the Russian Rocket and Space Corporation Energia named after S.P. Queen (25%), British-Norwegian firm Kvaerner Maritime A.S. (20%) and Ukrainian aerospace enterprises: PO Yuzhmashzavod and State Design Bureau Yuzhnoye im. M.K. Yangel (together 15%).

The Vostochny cosmodrome in the Amur Region is about to begin operating. But it will be discussed separately.

"KapYar" is a long-lived cosmodrome. The state missile range Kapustin Yar is located in the steppe area on the edge of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain in the northwestern part of the Astrakhan region near the railway station of the same name.

The coordinates are 49 degrees north latitude and 47 degrees east longitude.
Area (excluding fall fields) - about 650 sq. kilometers.

The number of personnel and population of Kapustin Yar is about 50 thousand people.
The climate is continental, temperate, arid.

Founded in 1946 as a test center for the first domestic ballistic missiles.

When choosing a location, first of all, the following were taken into account:

• good communication with the main industrial centers;
• sparsely populated fields of falling steps and warheads;
• the need for special secrecy.

As a cosmodrome, it has a difficult geopolitical position. He has been conducting space activities since the launch of the first small satellites with the help of the Kosmos launch vehicle in 1961. During 1961 - 1979, he intensively carried out launches of spacecraft for defense, economic and scientific purposes, in 1969 - 1979 he participated in the Intercosmos program. It is currently of secondary importance.

The Mecca of the Military Space Forces is the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome is one of the largest cosmodromes in the world. It is located in the Arkhangelsk region of the country at the coordinates of 63 degrees north latitude and 41 degrees east longitude. Area (excluding fall fields) - 1762 sq. km.

Here it is planned to create and test the majority of promising new-generation rocket and space systems built on modern domestic element base and designed to ensure the maintenance of Russia's orbital grouping.

The history of the Plesetsk cosmodrome begins on January 11, 1957, when a decree of the USSR Government was adopted on the creation of a military facility with the code name "Angara". It was created as a military formation of missile regiments armed with R-7 intercontinental ballistic missiles, the development of which was carried out at OKB-1 under the leadership of S.P. Korolev.

By the end of 1964, 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.

When in the early 60s of the last century the need arose to expand the scale of space activities, the government decided to use the launch complexes in Plesetsk for launching spacecraft.

The first space launch from Plesetsk took place on March 17, 1966. Since then, at the Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome of the Russian Defense Ministry, which received the status of a cosmodrome in accordance with Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 11, 1994 No. 2077, spacecraft have been launched and tested test programs for combat missile systems.

Today, the Plesetsk cosmodrome, which is part of the structure of the Space Forces, has a large test base that successfully provides spacecraft launches with light and medium class rockets. The cosmodrome operates three launchers (PUs) of the Soyuz and Molniya launch vehicles - the heirs of the famous "seven", two launchers for the Kosmos-ZM launch vehicle and one for the Cyclone-3 launch vehicle. The third launcher for the launch of the Kosmos-3 launch vehicle was reequipped for launches of the Rokot conversion launch vehicle.

Since 2001, work has been underway at the cosmodrome to create a modular Angara space rocket system for launching light, medium and heavy rockets.

The progenitor of Vostochny is the Svobodny cosmodrome(2nd State Test Cosmodrome) is located in the taiga area of ​​the Svobodnensky district of the Amur region not far from the railway station of the same name.
The coordinates are 52 degrees north latitude and 128 degrees east longitude. Area (excluding fall fields) - about 410 sq. kilometers. The climate is sharply continental, unstable, cold.

The infrastructure of the cosmodrome includes 5 silo launchers of Rokot carrier rockets and a platform for launching the Start and Start-1 launch vehicles. It is planned to build the launch and technical complexes of the Angara-type launch vehicle. The number of personnel and population of the city of Svobodny-18 is about 5 thousand people.

As a cosmodrome, it was founded in March 1996 on the basis of a division of the Strategic Missile Forces. When choosing a location, the following were taken into account:

• 1) relative proximity to the equator and the coast;
• 2) the presence of a developed infrastructure that provides significant cost savings;
• 3) the ability to quickly start launching light-class launch vehicles with a minimum amount of modifications.

As a cosmodrome, it has a difficult geopolitical position. The first launch of the satellite (KA Zeya) was carried out by the launch vehicle Start-1 on March 4, 1997.

Rocket and space complex "Sea Launch" designed to launch spacecraft for various purposes into near-Earth orbits, including high circular, elliptical, without restrictions on orbit inclination, geostationary orbit and departure trajectories.

These launches are carried out from an ocean platform using a Zenit-3SL space rocket with a DM-SL upper stage. Satellite relays are used to support launches. When launching, the following activities are carried out: transportation, storage, pre-launch preparation of the rocket and payload, launches and flight control.

The main advantages of the Sea Launch complex over ground-based spaceports:

• 1. Possibility of carrying out launches directly from the equator, which makes it possible to maximize the effect of the Earth's rotation, which means that it increases the efficiency of the launch vehicles in terms of the output mass when launching spacecraft into geostationary orbit and, accordingly, reduces the unit cost of their delivery to the target orbit.
• 2. The ability to carry out launches with any azimuth from neutral ocean areas, which ensures independence from political risks, simplifies interstate interaction during spacecraft launches, and also eliminates the need to alienate land, both under the spaceport with an appropriate security zone, and under the fall areas of separated launch vehicle stages and spacecraft fairing flaps.
• 3.Compactness, lack of need for a developed ground-based infrastructure and the associated socially oriented area (roads, energy, hotels, schools, clinics, etc.), which makes it possible to drastically reduce the number of personnel involved in the work, and, therefore, operating cost.

Baikonur Cosmodrome located on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Geographic coordinates of the spaceport: 46° north latitude and 63° east longitude. It occupies an area of ​​about 70 by 100 km with a total area of ​​6717 km2.

In accordance with the Lease Agreement for the Baikonur complex between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Baikonur complex (cosmodrome and the city of Baikonur) is leased by the Russian Federation for 20 years.

In order to ensure a long-term perspective for the effective use of the Baikonur Cosmodrome for the implementation of various space programs, in January 2004, the Presidents of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan signed an Agreement extending the lease period until 2050.

The ground-based space infrastructure for the preparation of the ILV components and the launch of the spacecraft includes:

• 12 launchers (PU) of launch complexes (SC), including 6 launchers are in operation:
• SC RN "Soyuz-U", "Soyuz-FG" pl. 1, SC RN "Soyuz-U", "Soyuz-FG", "Soyuz-2.1a", "Soyuz-2.1b" pl. 31;
• PU-39 launch vehicle "Proton-M" pl. 200, LV "Proton-K", PU-24 LV "Proton-M" pl. 81;
• SK RN type "Zenith" pl. 45;
• mine launcher (silo) of the RS-20B missile pl. 109.
• 11 assembly and testing buildings, which house 39 technical complexes for assembly, testing and pre-launch preparation of launch vehicles, upper stages and spacecraft.
• 2 refueling and neutralization stations, a universal refueling station (UZP) and a technical refueling station (TZP) for refueling spacecraft and upper stages with propellant components and compressed gases.
• A measuring complex with a computer center and an oxygen-nitrogen plant with a total capacity of up to 200 tons of cryogenic products per day.

The supporting infrastructure of the cosmodrome includes a developed power supply network, consisting of more than 600 transformer substations and 6000 km of power lines, two first-class airfields, more than 400 km of railways and 1000 km of roads, 2500 km of communication lines.

The Baikonur Cosmodrome is integral part complex "Baikonur", which includes its socio-cultural and administrative center - the city of Baikonur.

The infrastructure of the city of Baikonur includes more than 300 residential buildings, 6 city hotels, a city hospital with 360 beds, two clinics for 470 and 480 visits per day, respectively. There are a number of educational institutions in the city: a branch of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), 14 secondary schools, a communications college, a medical school, a vocational school, a number of sports, health and cultural facilities, etc.

As of 2011, about 69 thousand people are registered in Baikonur, of which about 40% are Russians, 57% are citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the rest are citizens of other states.

Until 1994, the Baikonur Cosmodrome was completely under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Since 1994, the Federal Space Agency has been actively involved in ensuring the functioning of the infrastructure of the cosmodrome and the operation of its facilities, and since October 1998 in the direct preparation and implementation of spacecraft launches.

Since 1994, in accordance with the Decrees of the President of the Russian Federation of October 24, 1994 No. 2005, of December 17, 1997 No. 1312 and the Decrees of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 29, 1994 No. 996, of May 27, 1998 No. 514 to the Federal 87% of all objects of the cosmodrome were gradually transferred to the space agency from the Ministry of Defense of Russia, about 10% were transferred to the city administration (objects of the city of Baikonur, space-wide water and power supply systems, intra-cosmodrome roads), the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia (a former military hospital and other medical facilities service) - about 3%.

The operation of the accepted objects was entrusted to 6 head enterprises of the rocket and space industry (FGUP TsENKI, RSC Energia, FGUP GKNPTs named after M.V. Khrunichev, JSC VPK NPO Mashinostroeniya, JSC NPO IT, Federal State Unitary Enterprise "GNRPKTS" TsSKB "Progress"). To do this, they formed civilian operational units, the number of which is about 9 thousand people. The personnel of the said subdivisions carry out in full the entire range of operational measures to maintain the accepted objects in a technically sound condition and ensure their readiness for scheduled spacecraft launches.

The use of the Baikonur Cosmodrome by the Russian Federation is objectively conditioned at present by the absence of an alternative to it in meeting the needs of the state in geostationary space communications, television and radio broadcasting, remote sensing of the Earth, as well as in the implementation of manned programs and space programs of international cooperation, which today can carried out only from the facilities of the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Conclusion

The scope of this publication does not allow a more detailed description of each cosmodrome in our country. I assure the inquisitive reader that the story of each cosmodrome is very, very entertaining.

Boris Skupov