Plesetsk Cosmodrome
62.8 N 40.7 E
Overview, Supporting Facilities and Launch Vehicles of the
Soviet Space Program *
1976-1980
1. Prepared by the late Charles S. Sheldon II and Geoffrey E. Perry M.B.E. Dr. Sheldon was the Senior Specialist in Space and Transportation Technology, Mr. Perry is a Senior Teacher at Kettering Boys School, England, and the leader of the Kettering Group of amateur satellite observers.
LAUNCH SITES IN THE SOVIET UNION
The Soviet Union has three collections of space launch pads, just as does the United States. Curiously, even the functions of these three locations have a similarity, which will be detailed in the sections to follow.
PLESETSK
The second of the Soviet launch sites is near the town of Plesetsk on the railway from Moscow to Archangel at about 62.8 N. latitude, 40.1 E. longitude in European Russia. This site has never been specifically acknowledged. It is finding increasingly heavy use, primarily as an operational site, in contrast to the often experimental or specialized nature of the Tyuratam flights.
Plesetsk is in effect the Vandenberg Air Force Base ( Western Test Range) of the Soviet Union. From here are launched many of the navigation satellites, the weather satellites, and the majority of the military satellites for a wide range of purposes. Since mid-1977, most of the Molniya class inclined orbit communications satellites which previously were launched from Tyuratam have also been launched from Plesetsk. With its northern location, Plesetsk is used for missions which require coverage of extensive parts of Earth, since even flights launched due east for maximum payload capacity cover most of the inhabited Earth.
Plesetsk had been discussed in the Western press as a missile launching area. Its later space role presumably was known to Western governments, but the first public disclosure of this space cosmodrome came from the Kettering Grammar School in England. Geoffrey E. Perry published the first clue in April 1966 shortly after the first space launch in March. (13) He published the pinpointed location in November 1966 when flights at different inclinations had established a nodal point of crossing ground traces. (14) As additional kinds of missions were launched from the Plesetsk area, their patterns of orbital inclinations suggested launch pads scattered over a considerable geographic area. Landsat pictures confirmed to the public that Plesetsk was spread over tens of kilometers although not quite as large as the Baykonur Kosmodrome near Tyuratam. (15) A simplified version of Vick's map of the area is given in figure 4.
When weather conditions are just right, an occasional Plesetsk launch has been visible from Sweden and Finland, when the still firing rocket rises above the horizon. The launch of the seventh Meteor-2 satellite on May 14, 1981, was observed from the roof of the Physics Department of the University of Umea, at 2153 GMT. At the time, the Sun was 10 degrees below the horizon at Umea and 8.4 degrees below the horizon at Plesetsk. The rocket entered sunlight at an altitude of 70 km and rose above the horizon of Umea when it reached an altitude of 85 km. The rocket was ob-served as coming up vertically relative to the horizon. As it bent over to the north, staging was observed. (16) Susanne Hultman, a student, took a color photograph which was later published by Aviation Week & Space Technology. (17) The gas plume in the picture is over 100 km in length.
An unexplained launch was observed by people in Sweden on their way to work at 0502 GMT on December 22, 1981. (18) On this occasion a smoke trail persisted for 45 minutes implying a high performance solid propellant with a metallic content consistent with a missile test rather than a satellite launch.
The closest the Soviet Government has come to acknowledging Plesetsk is to permit its use for cooperative Soviet bloc payload launches, one of the first being Interkosmos 8 of 1972. Experts of the countries taking part in the Interkosmos program prepare the scientific apparatus for launching at the cosmodrome. Delegations of national dignitaries are also present at the time of the launch. The delegation at the launch of the Intercosmos-Bulgaria 1300 satellite included the Bulgarian cosmonaut, Georgiy Ivanov. (19)
References:
1. SOVIET SPACE PROGRAMS: 1976-80, SUPPORTING FACILITIES AND LAUNCH VEHICLES, POLITICAL GOALS AND PURPOSES, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN SPACE, ADMINISTRATION, RESOURCE BURDEN, FUTURE OUTLOOK PREPARED AT THE REQUEST OF HON. BOB PACKWOOD, Chairman, COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION, UNITED STATES SENATE, Part 1, Dec. 1982.
13. Perry, G. E. Flight International, London , Apr. 21, 1966 , p. 670.14. Perry, G. E. Flight International, London , Nov. 10, 1966 , p. 817.
15. Aviation Week, New York , Apr. 8, 1974 , p. 18-20.
16. Lindgren, S., private communication to Sven Grahn , June 10, 1981 .
17. Aviation Week & Space Technology, vol. 116, No. 3, Jan. 18, 1982 , p 46
18. Norrlandska Social Demokraten, Dec. 23, 1981 .
19. Moscow Home Service, 1700 GMT, Aug. 7, 1981 .
1971-1975 Study
The second of the Soviet launch sites is near the town of Plesetsk on the railway from Moscow to Archangel at about 62.83 N. latitude, 40.1° E. longitude in European Russia. This site has never been specifically acknowledged through 1975. It is finding increasingly heavy use, primarily as an operational site, in contrast to the often experimental or specialized nature of the Tyuratam flights.
Plesetsk is in effect the Vandenberg Air Force Base ( Western Test Range ) of the Soviet Union . From here are launched many of the navigation satellites, the weather satellites, and the majority of the military satellites for a wide range of purposes. Now also, most of the Molniya class inclined orbit communications satellites which previously were launched from Tyuratain are also launched from Plesetsk. With its northern location, Plesetsk is used for missions which require coverage of extensive parts of Earth, since even flights launched due east for maximum payload capacity cover most of the inhabited Earth.
Plesetsk had been discussed in the Western press as a missile launching area. It’s later space role presumably was known to Western governments, but the first public disclosure of this space cosmodrome came from the Kettering Grammar School in England . Geoffrey E. Perry published the first clue in April 1966 shortly after the first space launch in March. (7) He published the pinpointed location in November 1966 when Flights at different inclinations had established a nodal point of crossing ground traces. (8) As additional kinds of missions were launched from the Plesetsk area, their patterns of orbital inclinations suggested launch pads scattered over a considerable geographic area. Landsat pictures confirmed to the public that Plesetsk was spread over tens of kilometers although not quite as large as the Baykonur Cosmodrome near Tyuratam.(9)
When weather conditions are just right, an occasional Plesetsk launch has been visible from Sweden and Finland , when the still firing rocket rises above the horizon. The closest the Soviet Government has come to acknowledging Plesetsk is to permit its use for cooperative Soviet Bloc payload launches, one of the first being Interkosmos 8 of 1972. (1)
1. SOVIET SPACE PROGRAMS, 1971-75, OVERVIEW, FACILITIES AND HARDWARE MANNED AND UNMANNED FLIGHT PROGRAMS, BIOASTRONAUTICS CIVIL AND MILITARY APPLICATIONS PROJECTIONS OF FUTURE PLANS, STAFF REPORT , THE COMMITTEE ON AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE .SCIENCES, UNITED STATES SENATE, BY THE SCIENCE POLICY RESEARCH DIVISION CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, VOLUME – I, AUGUST 30, 1976, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1976,
7. Perry, G. E., Plight International, London , April 21.1966, p. 670.
8. Perry G. E., Flight International. London , Nov. 10, 1966 , p. 817.
9. Aviation Week, New York . April 8, 1974 , pp. 18-20.
The Plesetsk Cosmodrome, for many years (1969-1993) the busiest launch facility in the world, is located in northwestern Russia, about 400 miles northeast of St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). The 1762-km square cosmodrome is supported by the adjacent town of Mirny. Although capable of launching Korolev's R-7 ICBM beginning in 1960, Plesetsk did not perform its first space launch until 1966. It has been the port of debarkation for over 1,300 launches, or more than a third of all orbital or planetary mission launches from all other launch sites in the world combined. It continues to be the world's busiest launch facility. It is mainly a military launch facility, typically used to deliver most (if not all) polar orbiting sensor payloads, and many Molniya orbit payloads. From its northern latitude(~63 degrees N), space missions have been restricted to orbital inclinations between 63 degrees and 83 degrees. The high inclination of the Molniya communications satellites is a natural result of an eastward launch from Plesetsk. This site is on Russian soil and the launch flight profile does not pass over any other countries during the boost phase. The requirements for coordination with other countries are minimal. There are launch pads for the SL4, SL6, SL8 and SL14 space launch vehicles. Launches of the SL3 and SL11 could be conducted , if necessary. The extreme northern latitude of this facility has provided Russia with valuable experience in the conduct of extreme cold weather launch operations and launch vehicle design.
Plesetsk supports four launch vehicle types: Kosmos-3M, Soyuz/Molnlya, Tskylon-3, and Start. Kosmos-3M can be launched from any of three launch pads (Complexes 132 left and right and 133). Soyuz/Molniya launch vehicles are supported by three active pads (Complexes 16 and 43 left and right), while a fourth pad (Complex 41) is in mothballs. The Tsyklon launch facilities include two active launch pads (Complexes 32 left and right). Start launches, which began in 1993, are conducted by the Strategic Missile Forces rather than the Military Space Forces from the fixed RS-12M launch facilities at site 158.
Construction was underway in 1994 on Complex 35 to permit Zenit launches by 1997. Eventually, the heavy-lift Angara launch vehicle may use this same complex. Rus and Rokot launches are expected from Plesetsk. Despite its important role in the Russian space program, not until 11 November 1994 was Plesetsk granted the title First State Testing Cosmodrome (References 415-422).
Unlike many space launch facilities in the World, both Baikonur and Plesetsk are not directly situated on or near a coast. Consequently, the lower, sub-orbital stages of USSR/CIS boosters normally fall back on former Soviet territory. This situation limits the permissible launch azimuths to avoid impacts near populated or foreign regions, e.g., due east launches (the most advantageous) from Baikonur are forbidden since lower rocket stages would fall on Chinese territory. For those launch corridors which are used, tens othousands of tons of spent boosters, many with toxic residual propellants still on board, now litter the countryside. Steps are underway around both Baikonur and Plesetsk to mitigate the situation, but the problem remains monumental.
