Where will the construction of the eastern cosmodrome. The most famous cosmodrome in Russia: description, history and photos

The construction of a new cosmodrome is one of the largest and most ambitious projects modern Russia, it will provide an opportunity to mobilize the country's intellectual resources and its industrial potential. This was stated today by Vladimir Putin, who visited the Vostochny cosmodrome in the Amur Region.

Besides space tasks, the prime minister set quite mundane goals for officials: to create social infrastructure at a faster pace.

Special report NTV correspondent Sergei Kholoshevsky.

Three years ago, in November 2007, Vladimir Putin, while still president, decided to build a new cosmodrome in the Amur Region. Before that, in the small town of Uglegorsk, there was missile division, then converted into a test cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense.

But the military did not have money for the maintenance of the cosmodrome, it had to be mothballed. And today Vladimir Putin launched a new project called the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

Building a cosmodrome from scratch is, of course, a rather bold project for any state, but in these times it is vital. And neighboring China, for example, is already building its fourth launch pad for its spacecraft.

So far, Russia has only two spaceports - this is Plesetsk and Baikonur, leased from Kazakhstan. But in eight years, as planned, it is the Vostochny cosmodrome that will become the main launch pad for manned flights. It is with this that the residents of Uglegorsk pin their hopes.

After 10 years of uncertainty, these people have a clear perspective. The new cosmodrome means new jobs, comfortable housing and confidence in the future.

Local resident: “Now people are happy that construction is starting. Something will be good, there will be jobs. will appear schools in which our children who grow up here may study in the future.”

Probably, for the first time in the history of the construction of such large facilities in Uglegorsk, it was first decided to build normal houses for specialists, and only then launch sites.

Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation: “This is one of the largest and most ambitious projects in modern Russia. The construction of this facility will provide an opportunity not only to confirm the technological status of Russia, not only will it provide an opportunity to mobilize the intellectual resource and industrial potential, which is no less important. And the implementation of this project will enable hundreds and thousands of specialists, primarily young professionals, to prove themselves, show their talent, and realize their most ambitious plans.”

According to Vladimir Putin, it is fundamentally important for modern Russia to have its own cosmodrome on its territory.

Vladimir Putin: "The main, main cosmodrome Soviet Union was Baikonur. Unfortunately, as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union, this cosmodrome remained in a state friendly to us, but still on the territory of another country - Kazakhstan.

The plans associated with the new spaceport are really grandiose. By 2015, the first spacecraft. By 2018, manned flights will begin. And in 10 years, the share of launches from the Vostochny cosmodrome will be increased to forty percent. Well, in the long term, it is from here that it is planned to carry out manned flights to the Moon and Mars.

The construction of a cosmodrome is an incredibly complex, science-intensive and high-tech process that requires the involvement of many design organizations, the participation of hundreds of manufacturing enterprises and the coordinated work of tens of thousands of specialists.

Cosmodrome (from "space" and other Greek δρόμος "a place to run") - the territory on which a complex of structures is located, designed to launch spacecraft into space. The name is given by analogy with an airfield for aircraft.

Most of us believe that the spaceport is just a launch pad, that is, a huge reinforced concrete mass in an open field, on which a rocket is fixed and from which it takes off.+

In reality, it is a complex complex of engineering structures with necessary infrastructure and the corresponding radio-electronic telemetric "stuffing". +

So, for example, a modern spaceport will at least include:

1. The launch complex, which consists of launch pads with launchers (PU) for light, medium and heavy launch vehicles;
2. Technical complex, which includes assembly and test buildings (MIK) for testing and preparing for the launch of spacecraft;
3. Objects for preflight and prelaunch training of cosmonauts.
4. A complex of measuring instruments, information collection and processing (KSISO), which includes a command-measuring and mobile measuring points.

Modern launch vehicles are subject to increased requirements in terms of environmental friendliness of launches - oxygen-hydrogen fuel is becoming more and more attractive, therefore, the cosmodrome complex will include hydrogen and oxygen-nitrogen plants. +

To ensure the operation of the cosmodrome, it is necessary to build railways and roads, airfields and air terminals, river piers and seaports.+

All this requires a large staff, which requires a medium-sized city with all engineering, social, cultural, commercial facilities.+

Considering the "stuffing" of the spaceport, we can say that the industry of the whole country is working on its construction. And the price of the project turns out to be very high - the Accounts Chamber estimated the cost of the first stage of construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome at 161 billion rubles. +

In the draft federal target program(FTP) "Development of Russian spaceports for the period 2016-2025" it is planned to invest about 750 billion rubles in the development of three Russian spaceports in the next decade. A significant part of these funds (more than 500 billion rubles) is intended for the new Russian Vostochny cosmodrome.

Briefly about the spaceports of our planet

“The spaceport is an expensive pleasure,” our neighbors, the Chinese, also say. They invested in the construction of their 4th Venchen cosmodrome no less than 12 billion dollars, or calculate for yourself that it will come out in rubles.

Not every country is capable of “Russian space scope” and Chinese “reasonable space policy”, because even the operation of the cosmodrome is not affordable for everyone. +

Thus, Great Britain, even together with Australia, could not afford such a luxury and mothballed its Wimera cosmodrome, Italy closed its San Marco cosmodrome, France closed its Hammagir cosmodrome, and the famous French cosmodrome in Kourou is now being used with the involvement of the efforts of the entire European Union. The Iranian Semnan cosmodrome (together with the entire Iranian space program) was closed. Today, the "world space club" includes 10 powers that have their own spaceports. For the rest, space is open only for currency.+

In total, at the beginning of 2016, there were 16 spaceports in the world: the most popular and most used is Baikonur in Kazakhstan; four in China (Wenchen, Xichang, Taiyuan, Jiuquan); three in Russia (Vostochny, Kapustin Yar and Plesetsk); three in the USA (Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, which are practically the same thing and plus the Vanderberg base); North Korea (Teje); South Korea(Naro); India (Sriharikota); France (Kourou in French Guiana); Japan (Tanegashima).+

All of them have a similar structure and differ only in the design details of the launch complexes. The placement of spaceports at specific points on the earth's surface is influenced by several factors.+

One of the most important is flight ballistics. The fact is that with minimal energy costs, a spacecraft (SC) is launched into an orbit whose inclination corresponds to geographical latitude spaceport. The most critical latitude of the cosmodrome is when launching into geostationary orbits lying in the plane of the equator.

They host communication satellites and TV repeaters, that is, primarily commercial spacecraft. The spaceport for launching geostationary satellites should be located at lower latitudes. +

In this regard, the best places are occupied by the new European Kourou cosmodrome, located at a latitude of about 5 degrees. and the Brazilian Alcantara spaceport with a latitude of only 2.2 deg.+

As you can see, the number of equatorial states capable of launching rockets into space is small, and therefore, projects of sea-based spaceports have appeared, mainly international ones - the Pacific Ocean (the Odyssey launch platform and the floating Sea Launch spaceport, which can launch directly from the equator.+

When starting from the equator, the launch vehicle (LV) immediately receives an additional speed of 465 m/s. east due to the rotation of the earth. (For Plesetsk, the value of this additional speed is 211 m/s, for Baikonur - 315). Therefore, by the way, launch trajectories are usually laid in an easterly direction.

The exception is Israel - unfriendly countries are located in the east, and it is forced to launch in the opposite direction, overcoming the rotation of the Earth.

Another factor is the location of the "impact fields" - the areas where the spent stages and other parts of the missiles fall. The least problems arise when they are located in the ocean. That is why the vast majority of the world's spaceports are located on the coast.+

In particular, on the east coast of the United States at Cape Canaveral in 1958. a cosmodrome was built (in 1963 it was named the John F. Kennedy Space Center). Cape Canaveral has a latitude of 28.5 degrees. - this is almost the southernmost point of the continental United States, which gave the American rocket scientists a certain advantage over the Soviet ones.

One of the serious problems associated with spaceports is their adverse effect on environment. This is primarily due to the use of toxic and aggressive substances as fuel components. Nitric acid, nitrogen tetraxide (nitrogen tetroxide) and heptyl (unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine) can cause significant damage to vegetation and human and animal health. +

Along with catastrophes, fuel components enter the environment in the course of the daily activities of the cosmodrome - these are leaks of fuel components during storage, refueling of the rocket. When the "lower" stages of the launch vehicle fall, the remaining excess fuel (and they always bulut because under-refueling can lead to the loss of an expensive satellite) enters the environment. +

For example, the spent second stage of the Proton launch vehicle contains 600-900 kg. heptyl and 1000-1500 kg of nitrogen tetraxide. +

As a rule, the second stages of rockets launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome fall into the so-called impact area No. 326. It has the shape of an ellipse with an area of ​​​​more than 5000 square meters. km. of which more than half fall on the territory of the Altai State Nature Reserve, which since 1998 has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage program, and by law its territory should be free from economic activity. Meanwhile, during the operation of the Protons, about 180 steps fell on the Altai land. +

Most of the second steps fall in Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions. There are other fall areas, for example, in Yakutia.+

The first stages of rockets launched from Baikonur fall on the territory of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.+

In Soviet times, practically the only factor for choosing a launch route was the construction of an optimal missile flight path. As a result, dozens of fall areas are scattered across the country, occupying a total of 4.8 million hectares. on which one cannot live and work.+

Rocket ranges should be distinguished from cosmodromes: Yasny and Svobodny in Russia; Kodiak and Polaps in the USA; Semnan (Iran); Palmachim (Israel).+

A quick look into the history of Russian spaceports

There were three cosmodromes in the USSR - Baikonur in Kazakhstan, Plesetsk in the North, and Kapustin Yar in the lower reaches of the Volga. And two missile ranges: Yasny (13 division of the RSVN) in the Orenburg region and Svobodny (27 division of the RSVN) in the Amur region.

In terms of the proximity of industrial areas, the presence transport infrastructure the Kapustin Yar training ground was the best. +

Kapustin Yar was built as a testing ground for rocket technology and from 1947 to 1957 was the only place for testing ballistic missiles.+

Even during the first series of launches in October-November 1947. Kapustin Yar begins to be used for launching geophysical rockets, to which later meteorological rockets were added. +

In June 1951 the first series of rocket launches with dogs on board took place. On March 16, 1962, when the Cosmos-1 satellite was launched, Kapustin Yar turned from a test site into a cosmodrome.

October 14, 1969 The cosmodrome has already become international - the launch of the Interkosmos-1 satellite took place, then the Indian satellites Ariabhata and Bhaskara, the French Sneg-3 went into flight.

In 1972, under the project of the Design Bureau of Transport Engineering (KBTM), a ground-based stationary launch complex 11P865M was created. The first launch took place on January 26, 1973. To date, 365 launches of the Kosmos family have been made from this complex.

In 1988 the need for launches of such satellites was drastically reduced and space launches from Kapustin Yar were discontinued.+

The revival of the cosmodrome began only in 1998, when the commercial launch of the 11K65M launch vehicle was made, which launched a French satellite into orbit, and on April 28, 1999. ABRIXAS and Megsat-0 satellites were launched. +

Currently, Kapustin Yar has the status of the State Central Interspecific Range of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 4. During the existence of the Kapustin Yar test site, more than a thousand launches have been made from here. +

The second Russian cosmodrome and the first in importance, Plesetsk, began its history in 1957 as a position area for combat duty of the Soviet R-7 and R-7A intercontinental missiles. The main requirement in choosing its location was proximity to the United States. +

It was impossible to launch satellites to all strategically important orbital directions from the Kapustin Yar and Baikonur cosmodromes located deep in the continent.

Therefore, at the beginning of 1962. a decision was made to create a new research site designed for testing and regular operation of space systems and testing new solid-propellant ICBMs.

After a series of trial and error, it was decided to place a test base for the rocket and space test site at the Angara combat facility in the Plesetsk region.

Plesetsk is located at a latitude of 63 degrees. and the minimum inclination of direct insertion orbits is greater than at Baikonur. Nevertheless, from Plesetsk it was possible to carry out all the Baikonur space programs of those years without exception. And the latitude of the location of the cosmodrome does not affect the launch of satellites into polar and near-polar orbits at all. +

In addition, the Angara facility by that time already had a developed infrastructure, and the location of Plesetsk in relative proximity to Moscow provided a reliable connection between the newly created cosmodrome and the scientific and industrial centers of the country.

The impact fields of spent launch vehicle stages (LV) were located in the uninhabited regions of the Far North, Siberia and in the seas of the Arctic Ocean.

According to its climatic characteristics, Plesetsk is more preferable for human spaceflight than Baikonur.+

Thus, the Plesetsk region, where the Angara object is located, in all respects met the requirements for the launch site of space objects. +

The Council of Ministers of the USSR by its Decree of September 16, 1963 No. approved such placement and united the newly created space test site and combat formation into the 53rd Research Test Site of the USSR Ministry of Defense as part of three test directorates: +

• combat (No. 1);
• for testing spacecraft and launch vehicles (No. 2)
• measuring (No. 3).

Before 1991, the spaceport consisted of nine launchers: +

• launch complexes of the R-7 family (sites 41, 16, 43 with launchers No. 3 and 4),
• launch complexes of the launch vehicle of the Cosmos series (sites 132 with launchers No. 1 and 2, 133),
• launch complexes of the LV of the Cyclone series (sites 32 with launchers No. 1 and 2).

November 11, 1994 President Russian Federation Yeltsin signed a Decree on the creation of the 1st State Test Cosmodrome of the Russian Defense Ministry (Plesetsk Cosmodrome) as part of the Military Space Forces. This decree officially gave Plesetsk the status of a cosmodrome.

The first step in reducing our dependence on the lease of Baikonur was the development of new Russian launch vehicles "Angara" on environmentally cleaner oxygen-kerosene fuel. The Angara rocket, having a slightly larger carrying capacity than the Proton, was supposed to replace its launches from Baikonur when launched from Plesetsk. +

But in order to put the same load into orbit from Plesetsk as when launching from Baikonur, you need to use a more powerful rocket. This is a payment for the location of Plesetsk compared to Baikonur. But this is not the main problem either. +

Plesetsk's main problem is access to geostationary orbit. From Plesetsk, for example, it is impossible to launch the Progress unmanned cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. +

There is ground infrastructure, there is also a missile with a ship, but it will not reach the target, the latitude of the starting point does not allow it. Plesetsk launches payloads only to orbits with an inclination range of 72-93° to the equator, while the ISS orbit has an inclination of 51.63°.+

However, in spite of everything, the absolute world leadership in the number of space launches belongs to the Plesetsk cosmodrome. +

Passion for Baikonur

In the early 1950s, the development of the R-7 rocket with a flight range of more than 8000 km required a new missile range instead of the cramped Kapustin Yar. They subsequently became the world-famous Baikonur. And the topic is so vast that it requires a separate short story. +

The future spaceport had to be built from scratch. The advantage of Baikonur was only its relative proximity to the equator. When launching spacecraft into near-Earth orbit in an easterly direction, you can get an increase in the speed of the launch vehicle (due to tangential speed launch points due to the daily rotation of the Earth) at 316 m/s. For comparison: this figure for the equator is 465 m/s.+

Baikonur is known as our first and main cosmodrome, from which the first satellite, the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and all our subsequent cosmonauts were launched. But at the same time, Baikonur or NIIP-5 was the largest missile range of the USSR and a major base of the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) +

In total, at the time of the collapse of the USSR, Baikonur had 15 launchers for launching 9 types of launch vehicles, 4 launchers for testing intercontinental ballistic missiles, two airfields, including the Burana landing complex and a huge ground infrastructure that ensures the operation of the entire test site, including: assembly and test buildings, measuring complex facilities, test benches, an oxygen-nitrogen plant, communications facilities, a combined heat and power plant, all types of communications, etc.+

The spaceport complex included railroad station Tyuratam and the city of Leninsk.+

The total cost of Baikonur in the early 1990s was estimated at $50 billion.

With the collapse of the USSR, the main cosmodrome of the country ended up abroad and on lease. But even the regular payment of rent did not guarantee Russia an unimpeded access to space - we had to coordinate each launch with another country - Kazakhstan.

At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the costs of maintaining the physically and morally aging infrastructure of Baikonur (after all, the first cosmodrome on Earth turned 60 years old), including the costs of repairing and upgrading the Proton complex (Proton-M), developing the required RB, as well as restrictions by the realized number of launches of rocket carriers (LV).+

And in the case of Proton, which uses highly toxic fuels, this agreement was not of a notification, but of a permissive nature. Kazakhstan has the right to veto the launches of Protons.+

After the collapse of the USSR, and especially after the problems with Kazakhstan's approval of the launches of our Protons from Baikonur, the need for a new Russian cosmodrome became obvious.

Why does Russia need its own independent cosmodrome from no one and for no reason?

To be honest, our two cosmodromes - Kapustin Yar and Plesetsk were not initially optimal in terms of launching spacecraft (SC). +

Plus, the transfer of space infrastructure facilities under the jurisdiction of the former republics of the USSR posed a number of problems for Russia: +

• ensuring independence in the implementation of space activities, and primarily in the military field;
• rational distribution of resources and funds between existing objects of space infrastructure to maintain them in operational mode;
• redistribution of property rights to objects of space infrastructure;
• determination of rational ways for the development of spaceports;
• creation in the future of the Russian infrastructure of spaceports, providing the solution of the national space tasks of Russia in the most complete manner.

The transfer of launches of spacecraft (SC) for scientific, national economic and commercial purposes from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to Russian cosmodromes had to be determined and was determined primarily by economic feasibility.

In addition to revenue from commercial launches, spaceports are important as an element of the preservation and development of high technologies. +

It is well known what high tech ensure the development of the economy in the modern world. It is equally well known that it is in this area that Russia has been gradually lagging behind the West in the last quarter of a century.

The space industry of the Russian economy makes it possible to maintain and develop high technologies in adverse economic conditions. In the case of cosmodromes, it is technologies for the construction of complex facilities. +

Then, under favorable circumstances, the experience gained in the "space area" can be extended to broad areas of the economy. As it is already being done: the same enterprises that participate in Russian space programs supply high-tech equipment for a variety of needs.+

In the socio-economic aspect, the cosmodrome creates a huge number of jobs and, like any high-tech enterprise, is able to become the "locomotive" of the region in which it is located. +

But the main thing that spaceports give Russia is hope. Hope that space was, is and will remain ours. That is why immediately after the expiration of the Federal Target Program for the Development of Cosmodromes for the Period 2006-2015, a new program was adopted with the same name and purpose, this time for 2016-2025. +

The program includes hundreds of billions of rubles, which will be used both for the Vostochny cosmodrome and for the development of the Plesetsk cosmodrome, and for the lease of Baikonur (and maintenance of its infrastructure).

Scandalous cosmodrome Vostochny

The successful, albeit on the second attempt, launch of the Soyuz rocket on April 28, 2016, added the third operating cosmodrome, Vostochny, to Russia's statistics. The Soyuz-2.1A launch vehicle with the Volga launcher launched three spacecraft Mikhailo Lomonosov, AIST No. 2D and the SamSat-218 nanosatellite into orbit.+

For the location of the new Vostochny cosmodrome, the former position center of the 27th Red Banner Far Eastern Division of the Strategic Missile Forces, built in 1964-1970 for combat duty of RS-10 ICBMs, was chosen. On March 1, 1996, by decree of the President of Russia, the 2nd State Test Cosmodrome of the Ministry of Defense “Svobodny” was established here.

The latitude of the Svobodny cosmodrome, located near the village of Uglegorsk in the Svobodnensky district of the Amur region, was 51 ° 42 'N - it was much more successful than Plesetsk, but still worse than Baikonur. +

The first launch from Svobodny was made on March 4, 1997, the last (fifth) - on April 25, 2006. Serious work on the creation of the infrastructure of the Svobodny cosmodrome was not carried out, it had no areas for the fall of spent rocket stages, and in June 2005 Security of the Russian Federation, it was decided to liquidate it. +

In accordance with the decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin of November 6, 2007 and the order of the Government of the Russian Federation of January 14, 2009. On the basis of the disbanded cosmodrome, the construction of a fundamentally new facility, the Vostochny Cosmodrome, began.

Vostochny is designed to ensure the preparation and launch of spacecraft for scientific, socio-economic and commercial purposes, transport cargo ships and modules orbital stations(platforms), the implementation of manned space flight programs and advanced space programs for the study and exploration of celestial bodies, as well as the implementation international cooperation in this area. +

The commissioning of Vostochny Cosmodrome facilities was divided into three stages. +

At the first stage (2012-2015), it was planned to create the Soyuz-2 space rocket complex, social, engineering and transport infrastructure facilities, including a residential city (up to 12 thousand people). +

The second stage (2016-2020) provides for the creation of ground-based infrastructure facilities for the Angara-type heavy-class space rocket complex for launching spacecraft into high-energy orbits and new-generation manned spacecraft, as well as expanding the housing complex (up to 20,000 people) and creating an airport complex. +

At the third stage (2021-2030 and beyond), it is planned to create second-stage ground infrastructure facilities for launching a super-heavy launch vehicle, including for lunar expeditions, as well as expanding the housing complex (up to 30,000 people).+

By order of the President of the Russian Federation of September 1, 2009, the Federal Agency for Special Construction (Spetsstroy of Russia) was appointed as the sole contractor for the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome. +

In September 2011, preparatory construction work began, and in mid-2012, full-scale construction of the infrastructure and technological facilities of the cosmodrome began. Given the scale of the project, at the beginning, the construction of the Vostochny went in parallel with the release of project documentation for it.

At the cosmodrome, such design solutions were laid that would allow buildings and structures, engineering infrastructure facilities, roads and railways to serve for a long time, taking into account high operating loads and in difficult climatic conditions. +

The construction of the facility was accompanied by a mass of scandals, criminal cases, dismissals of managers.

Spaceport workers have repeatedly complained about non-payment of wages and went on hunger strikes. Photos from the construction site showed the extremely slow progress of construction, despite Spetsstroy's regular reports on the completion of certain works. As a result, the status of the sole contractor was removed from Spetsstroy. +

But the plans and prospects, problems and scandals of the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome are a separate topic for the story.

Few people in the world have experience in building spaceports. These are always ambitious and truly piece objects. Russia has this experience and therefore continues to be a great space power. Therefore, the Vostochny cosmodrome is being built from scratch, and new facilities are being built in Plesetsk to launch rockets. +

The development of the domestic infrastructure of spaceports will allow:

• regardless of relations with neighboring countries, to ensure a guaranteed solution to the tasks of deploying and maintaining orbital constellations of space complexes and systems for military, scientific and national economic purposes at a combat and optimal level.
• ensure the transfer of military spacecraft (SC) launches to the Russian test site;
• preserve the accumulated domestic research and production potential of the space industry while modernizing existing and creating promising universal ground complexes and reusable space systems;
• increase the energy capabilities of launch vehicles (LV) and expand the range of achievable orbits in height and inclination;
• optimize the range of operated space missile ships(KRK);
• to limit to the maximum the area of ​​expropriated lands for construction and areas where space rockets (RKN) fall;
• to preserve and develop technologies for the construction of spaceports - technologies for the construction of complex objects and unique technological processes for construction and installation works.

It is about the latter that we need to talk in more detail in the following publications.+

Boris Skupov

Russia has finally begun work on the actual construction of its new Vostochny cosmodrome, located in the Amur Region. According to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees the Russian defense industry and space, this project can be compared in scale with the Soviet plan for the country's electrification - GOELRO. However, the exaggeration does not seem so strong. The Vostochny Cosmodrome is not an understudy, but a full-fledged replacement for the famous and great Baikonur Cosmodrome. Initially, they plan to transfer all manned launches here. So the volume of work, as well as budget expenditures, will be astronomical.

Back in April of this year, Dmitry Rogozin said that the construction of residential microdistricts for the new Far Eastern "star city" for the Vostochny cosmodrome would begin in the 4th quarter of 2012, and the cosmodrome itself would be ready by 2015. In any other scenario, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia promised to donate his tooth. According to Dmitry Rogozin, in the 4th quarter of 2012, in parallel with the construction of residential microdistricts, the construction of the cosmodrome infrastructure will begin, which will help launch Soyuz-2 rockets into space, which can be classified as light rockets. In the future, they are going to use Fregat booster kits, as well as heavier rockets.

According to Dmitry Rogozin, the Vostochny cosmodrome will help make Russia more balanced in terms of population density, especially emphasizing that today in the east Russia neighbors such densely populated countries as China, Japan, India, North Korea, and South Korea. The new Vostochny cosmodrome will help Russia solve the entire range of tasks in the space field, that is, to launch short-range and deep space. The southern latitudes of the cosmodrome will make it possible to launch ships with a sufficiently large load into the given orbits at minimal cost. In addition, it was decided to build a unique satellite city, convenient for life and extremely beautiful. In addition, Akademgorodok will be built next to the cosmodrome, which will become an additional incentive for young people to go to live and work in the Far East.

What will the new cosmodrome give Russia

New cosmodrome in Russian Far East can give the country:

Independence of space activities in the entire range of tasks to be solved: from socio-economic and scientific, to manned space flights;
- guaranteed implementation of commercial and international space programs (in contrast to the existing Baikonur cosmodrome, the operation of which is hindered from time to time by Kazakhstan);
- improvement of the socio-economic situation in the Far East, the development of local industrial production, the attraction of private capital and investment in the area where the cosmodrome is being built;
- in the future, reducing the cost of renting the Kazakh "Baikonur".

Advantages of the Vostochny Cosmodrome

According to Roskosmos, the cosmodrome will have the following advantages:
- the initial section of the flight path of launch vehicles will not pass over densely populated areas of the country, as well as over the territory of foreign states;
- areas of fall of detachable parts, launched missiles, are located in neutral waters or sparsely populated regions of Russia;
- the location of the cosmodrome is located close to the developed highways and railways and airfields.

Baikonur Cosmodrome

Separately, one can note a decrease in political risks - in recent years, Kazakhstan has blocked Russian launches several times, using various pretexts for this. At the same time, the primary task is to reduce the load on the Baikonur cosmodrome, but not to completely replace it, at least until the end of the lease term - 2050. Local authorities will try to solve their regional problems by building the cosmodrome. In particular, the Vostochny cosmodrome is considered as Foundation stone for the implementation of the State program for the resettlement of compatriots.

Disadvantages of the Vostochny Cosmodrome in comparison with Baikonur

The need to build our own airfield (there are 2 modern airfields at Baikonur), or to lay a railway line from the cosmodrome to the nearest airfield (necessary for transporting spacecraft);
- growth of transport costs (both time and financial). At present, the main space enterprises of Russia are located in Moscow, Samara and Zheleznogorsk (Krasnoyarsk Territory), it is from there that launch vehicles, spacecraft and personnel are delivered to Baikonur by air or rail at a distance of 2,500 and 1,500 km. respectively. In the case of the new Vostochny cosmodrome, the delivery distance will increase to 5,500 km.

The Vostochny Cosmodrome is located 6 degrees north of Baikonur, which leads to a reduction in the maximum mass of cargo launched into space (ceteris paribus launch conditions);
- spent parts of missiles, landing in the taiga, can cause forest fires, which are quite a serious problem for this region of Russia;
- lack of infrastructure and housing for employees, leading to large financial costs for the creation of a virtually new city with a population of up to 100,000 people (including the families of the cosmodrome personnel).

Issue price

The cost of building the Vostochny cosmodrome is estimated at 300 billion rubles, which is comparable to the Russian budget spending on the Sochi Olympics and the APEC summit. Such a staggering amount of construction was voiced by G. Naginsky Director federal agency Spetsstroy. It is worth noting that the government of the country officially approved an estimate of 81 billion rubles until 2015. However, soon enough the phrase about 251 billion rubles began to sound in the speeches of officials, now there was a new figure announced - 300 billion rubles.

The cosmodrome is getting more expensive, although so far practically nothing has been done. As of the end of September 2012, the work had not gone beyond the stage of clearing forest belts and digging pits. With such schedules, it will not be easy to meet the deadline, most likely, the construction time will be postponed. Currently, they say that the first launch of a launch vehicle from the Vostochny cosmodrome is scheduled for 2015, the first manned flight will take place in 2018, and the final completion of construction is scheduled for 2020.

Any inhabitant may wonder why so slowly? Of course, building spaceports is not an easy task. In order to assess the scale of these structures, it is necessary to know their dimensions. For example, "Baikonur" with its 15 launch complexes, 2 airfields, half a thousand railway tracks, spread over an area of ​​6,700 square meters. kilometers. In terms of territory, it is more than Transnistria or Cyprus. In total, 28 spaceports have been built in the world (with 5 already decommissioned). However, there are only 3 truly large sites from which heavy rockets capable of launching manned vehicles into Earth's orbit could be launched. In addition to "Baikonur" and the American Space Center. Kennedy, this is the Jiuquan spaceport of the People's Republic of China, occupying an area of ​​2,800 square meters. kilometers.

By the time Vostochny is finally built, it will be one of the 4 largest spaceports on the planet and will become the most modern of them. It will be not only a launch complex for launching heavy carriers, but also 2 fuel plants: hydrogen and nitrogen. In total, the spaceport will include about 1,600 different structures. In addition, Roskosmos also showed pictures of a modern star city, so far for 30,000 inhabitants. Judging by the presented images, the workers of the cosmodrome will have to live in ultra-modern housing among flowering gardens.

But this miracle will have to wait a long time. At one time, when the superpowers urged each other on in the space race, launch pads were erected in the blink of an eye. For example, Baikonur was built in less than 2 years. The first work in Kazakhstan began in June 1955, and the first launch of a ballistic missile took place in May 1957, after 4 months the world's first satellite went into Earth's orbit.

The project of a residential microdistrict for employees of the Eastern

At Vostochny, the shock construction did not work out from the very beginning. Formally, work at the facility has been going on since November 2007, from the moment the President of Russia signed a decree on the creation of a new cosmodrome. In fact, the process was slowed down as soon as they could. Many associate this with the position of the former head of Roskosmos, A. Perminov, who almost openly opposed the Vostochny cosmodrome. The calculation here was as follows. Russia and Kazakhstan have agreed on a lease term for Baikonur until 2050. Russia annually transfers to its neighbor - 115 million dollars (3.7 billion rubles), the cost of rent is fixed for the entire period. It is worth recognizing that this agreement was beneficial for Russia. The total amount of payments for the remaining 38 years of the lease will be 140 billion rubles, which is less than what is required for the construction of a new cosmodrome. The saved funds could well be used for various purposes, for example, for the development of new launch vehicles.

Choosing a site for the future spaceport

However, the views of the Kremlin with the position of Perminov diverged. At the top, they decided that space independence is more important than saving money. According to plans, already after 2030 on Russian territory 90% of all our launches will be carried out. After that, Kazakhstan, most likely, will be forced to almost completely mothball Baikonur, since re-equipping it for launching foreign missiles is expensive and difficult. Most likely, only 1 launch complex will remain in operation - Baytrek, which is designed to launch new Angara missiles. The cost of its construction is 1.6 billion dollars and Kazakhstan takes it upon itself. Here the countries benefit from each other. Russia will sell rockets to Kazakhstan, and it will earn on commercial launches.

Having decided on the fate of Baikonur, Russia started looking for a place for a new cosmodrome. For some time, experts were leaning towards Nakhodka. By choosing one of the most southern points on the territory of Russia, which is even 3 degrees south of Baikonur. In addition, Nakhodka is located by the sea, thanks to which bulky spacecraft could be brought up water transport. This is cheaper than delivering them from factories using aircraft. It was on transport savings that Beijing counted when it completed the construction of the 4th Wenchang cosmodrome, located on the seashore.

Construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome

However, the choice still fell not on the Primorsky Territory, but on the Amur Region, although a number of experts do not consider it optimal. The launch point has moved 9 degrees north relative to the latitude of Nakhodka, the cosmodrome is located near the border with China. The flight trajectory is such that in the event of an accident on takeoff, the rescue module will most likely land at sea, where it is more difficult to reach it. At the same time, many infrastructure facilities, including roads and housing, will have to be built from scratch. The annual temperature fluctuation will also affect the cost of work - from +35 to -40 degrees. What is worth only one preparation of the soil, when samples have to be taken from a depth of 70 meters.

The cosmodrome in Nakhodka would be good, except for the fact that when launched into orbit, rockets could fly into the airspace of neighboring Japan. In addition, in the event of possible accidents, our eastern neighbor would not use to inflate an international scandal. As a third option, the option of building in the area of ​​Sovetskaya Gavan in the Khabarovsk Territory was considered, but it did not fit either, since it was located even closer to Japan.

Sources of information:
http://ria.ru/science/20120414/625992986.html
http://argumenti.ru/economics/n357/203212
http://en.wikipedia.org

Around 5 am on April 28, the first launch was made from the new Russian Vostochny cosmodrome. The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle successfully launched the Lomonosov, Aist-2D and SamSat-218 satellites into the planned orbit. The launch was supposed to take place the day before, early in the morning on April 27, but a minute and a half before the launch it was canceled.

As the head of the state corporation Roscosmos later explained Igor Komarov, "yesterday there was an automatic cancellation of the automatic ground control system. (...) Apparently, the lack of operation of one of the cables, the cables were replaced."

President Vladimir Putin personally oversaw both successful and unsuccessful launch attempts. According to the Kommersant newspaper, immediately after a successful start, Putin gave a scolding to the leaders of the space industry. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin received a reprimand, Igor Komarov - a severe reprimand. Leonid Shalimov, to CEO The Yekaterinburg NPO Avtomatika, from which the cable was put on the rocket, which, apparently, thwarted the first attempt to launch, the president issued a decree on incomplete official compliance.

​Third spaceport

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, in fact, the only cosmodrome left on the territory of Russia from which civilian commercial launches could be carried out was the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region. However, Plesetsk is not the most successful launch site in many respects, so for two decades now Russia has been leasing the Baikonur cosmodrome from Kazakhstan. Talks about the need to build their own large cosmodrome have been going on in the Russian Federation since the early 1990s, in the end, a site in the Khabarovsk Territory near the former military cosmodrome Svobodny was chosen for this. The construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome dragged on for five years and was accompanied by numerous scandals. The completion of work was postponed several times, and as a result, the new cosmodrome was ready for the first rocket launch only at the beginning of 2016.

Political instead of military

“The main reason for the construction of the East is political,” says Sergei Zhukov, test cosmonaut, co-leader working group AeroNet NTI, General Director of CJSC "Technology Transfer Center". “Conversations began when relations with Kazakhstan were not very clear, and to some extent continued all these years.”

In 2007, by decree of Vladimir Putin, the Svobodny military cosmodrome, a test center of the Ministry of Defense, created on the basis of the 27th division, was closed. missile troops strategic appointment in 1996. “This site seemed very successful for the construction of a civilian cosmodrome,” Zhukov says.

Initially, they were looking for a site to accommodate strategic missile silos back in the 50s and 60s of the last century. “We looked at many points, there had to be a fairly southern latitude, the possibility of communication via various highways, including water, non-susceptibility to seismic, and in this region, generally speaking, it shakes,” says Zhukov. - Of course, the proximity to a potential enemy - the United States. And we found this site.”

In the first half of the 90s, they began to look for a site already under the cosmodrome, however, then it was still military. For the cosmodrome, in many respects the same factors are important as for strategic missile weapons, so it was on the basis of the position area of ​​the 27th division of the Strategic Missile Forces (now disbanded) that the Vostochny cosmodrome was built. A decade later, in 2007, the same site naturally became one of the candidates for the construction of the main Russian civil cosmodrome and was ultimately recognized as the most successful option.

Southeastern

Rockets mainly launch satellites and automatic vehicles into orbit, less often they deliver cargo and astronauts to the ISS. This means that there are only a few basic types of practically interesting orbits. The most distant from the surface (36 thousand kilometers) are geostationary orbits. Telecommunication satellites are located on them, each of them at any time is located above the same point on the equator. Below, at an altitude of 20,000 kilometers, are the orbits of the GLONASS and GPS navigation satellites. They are inclined to the plane of the equator at an angle of about 60 degrees. Even lower (about 1000 km and below) are polar orbits, satellites move along them, for which it is important to cover all points on the earth's surface, these are remote sensing satellites, reconnaissance satellites, and so on. Their inclination to the equator is about 90 percent. Finally, at an altitude of only 450 km, the ISS revolves around the Earth, the inclination of its orbit is 51.6 degrees.

Satellites launched into orbit from the Vostochny cosmodrome

The physics of orbital ballistics is arranged in such a way that the orbits into which the cargo can fall depend significantly on the place where the rocket is launched. Roughly speaking, the inclination of the orbit (the angle between the plane of the orbit and the plane of the equator) is difficult to make less than the launch latitude. For example, Baikonur is located at a latitude of 45 degrees, respectively, it is easy to deliver cargo to the ISS, satellites to “navigation” and “polar orbits” from it. But getting into geostationary orbit from Baikonur is more difficult - it requires additional maneuvers and high fuel consumption (do not forget that additional fuel is either a heavier and more expensive rocket, or less payload). The Russian Plesetsk cosmodrome is located at 63 degrees north latitude, getting from there to geostationary orbit or the ISS orbit is an almost impossible task.

A Soyuz rocket launches a satellite into geostationary orbit from the Kourou cosmodrome

In other words, the closer the cosmodrome is to the equator, the less expensive it is to launch cargo from it to any important orbits. One of the most convenient locations is at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. The latitude of the launch site, operated by the European Aerospace Agency, is just over 5 degrees south latitude. And Elon Musk's Space X company built a spaceport on one of the islands of the Kwajalein archipelago in pacific ocean, at a latitude of about 9 degrees north latitude. However, only two launches were made from it, the program had to be curtailed due to bureaucratic difficulties.

One of the reasons for choosing this particular location for the new Russian cosmodrome is its latitude, about 51 degrees north latitude, only 6 degrees more than Baikonur. This means that polar, “navigation” orbits and the ISS orbit are accessible without any problems, geostationary ones are accessible almost the same as from Baikonur.

Heptyl on the head

But aren't there points to the south in Russia? Of course there is. For instance, most of North Caucasus. But here comes the second factor, which is important when choosing a convenient site for the cosmodrome. When a rocket is launched, the launch stages are gradually separated from it. They fall to the ground hundreds and even thousands of kilometers from the starting point in a direction that depends on a given orbit. Usually, the place of fall of spent stages and other elements can be predicted - these are previously known “fall fields”, however, they are quite impressive in size, several thousand square kilometers. Along with the debris, there may be, for example, the remains of fuel, and in fact the upper stages of modern rockets still run on heptyl, an extremely toxic substance. And if the launch goes wrong, the dangerous debris could end up almost anywhere along the several thousand kilometers of the intended flight path.

So, it is obvious that for the successful location of the spaceport, two conditions must be met: the main flight trajectories should not pass over densely populated areas; trajectories must remain within national borders or pass over neutral waters. Baikonur has only the first quality, and even then not quite: "If they start from Baikonur, the first step is, as a rule, the Kazakh steppes, and the second step is already Altai. Altai Mountains, although not very populated, but people live, and there were various troubles," says Zhukov. In addition, Russia has to allocate additional funds for the maintenance of fall fields in Kazakhstan. A hypothetical cosmodrome in the North Caucasus is a completely unfortunate option, the trajectories of most launches would pass through densely populated areas of southern Russia and / or over the territories of neighboring states. But Vostochny satisfies both requirements: the impact fields for any major launches will fall either on sparsely populated areas of the Khabarovsk Territory, or on the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

Earthquakes and logistics

Sergei Zhukov names other advantages of the chosen platform. For example, this is a relatively calm seismic environment. So, as an alternative for the construction of the military cosmodrome Svobodny, Vanina Bay, located even further east on the coast of the Tatar Strait, was considered, but the idea had to be abandoned precisely because of regular earthquakes.

Heavy launch vehicle "Angara" launch pad Cosmodrome "Plesetsk"

The Vostochny cosmodrome is criticized for being very far from enterprises that manufacture and assemble both launch vehicles and satellites. And this criticism is justified. The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle was assembled at the Progress plant in Samara, and in order to get to the Vostochny launch pad, it had to be disassembled on a specially designed railway train for 6.5 thousand kilometers, it took 18 days. The production of heavy Angara rockets, which will be launched from Vostochny, is planned to be transferred from Moscow to Omsk - this is 4.5 thousand kilometers from the new cosmodrome.

At the same time, the advantage of Vostochny is the presence of convenient transport arteries nearby. “The Trans-Siberian Railway passes nearby, just a few kilometers away from Moscow is the 7777 station. The Chita-Khabarovsk federal highway passes nearby. In addition, literally 3-4 kilometers from the start, the Zeya River flows, which is almost more full-flowing than the Amur, that is, it is also possible to deliver goods along the Amur and Zeya, ”explains Zhukov.

"Angara" on the Amur and mobile homes

It is the Vostochny cosmodrome that should become the main platform for launching heavy launch vehicles of the Angara series. These fairly modern rockets should replace the Proton project, until now the Angara was launched in test mode only from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in 2014 (by the way, both tests were successful). Although at first the creation of a new launch complex for the Angara at Baikonur was discussed, in March 2013 the leadership of Roscosmos decided to prepare a site already at its own Vostochny cosmodrome. “Politics is a delicate thing,” Zhukov says. – We see what happened in our relations with Ukraine. Today everything is fine with Kazakhstan, but how will the wheel of politics turn in the future…”

Mobile service tower at Vostochny

According to Zhukov, the equipment of the new cosmodrome with two launch pads (already ready for the Soyuz and under construction for the Angara by 2021), a communications and control complex and other facilities, represents an “evolutionary step” for the Russian cosmonautics. In particular, there is a mobile service tower on Vostochny, something like a large hangar that moves along rails and can run into a rocket standing on the launch pad. It is useful in that it allows you to service the rocket in almost any weather conditions, in addition, it can be used to place satellites in the head of the rocket that cannot be moved horizontally. “It's not really new technology, - Zhukov notes, - we repeat what was done on the Kura, although it was done, including with our participation.

Of course, it would be strange to expect less, given the total cost of building the cosmodrome at 180 billion rubles (according to some sources, 400 billion rubles), which, for example, is twice as much as the budget for culture and cinematography of the Russian Federation in 2016 and 10 times more than the cost of the South Korean Naro spaceport ($251 million), opened in 2009. Zhukov claims that high cost objective reasons can be found at the cosmodrome: “The cosmodrome turns out to be more expensive, of course, than the southern ones, but this is the north, these are winters, here the requirements for concrete are completely different, the requirements for buildings are different, the requirements for roads are different. There are many such moments that say that the northern spaceport is becoming more expensive.”

Vostochny instead of Baikonur?

Consecration of the Soyuz rocket before launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome

The near future of the new cosmodrome is in uncertainty, in particular, it is not known when the next test launch after the first test will take place. On April 26, ahead of the scheduled test date, Konstantin Chmarov, director of the Roscosmos branch at the Vostochny cosmodrome, said that the cosmodrome control scheme could be reorganized immediately after the first launch. However, in the future, it is Vostochny that should become the main Russian civilian cosmodrome. Does this mean that Russia will soon abandon Baikonur? Sergey Zhukov is sure not. “We will continue to use Baikonur, launches are underway, we have, in my opinion, a 50-year lease agreement. If the load on Baikonur is reduced, it will be only gradually. So far, it is much more convenient logistically and infrastructurally, for example, many satellite manufacturers have their hulls there.”

Thus, Russia will use three fairly large spaceports at once. “Well, the Japanese also have three spaceports, the Chinese have three or four spaceports, the Americans have Canaveral as their main spaceport, but private companies launch from their own. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the fact that there is a small network of spaceports, the load will simply be more evenly distributed between them,” Sergey Zhukov believes.

After the collapse of the USSR, the space power was left without its own cosmodrome, because Baikonur went to Kazakhstan. The need to reduce dependence on launches from a neighboring country was obvious, and it would not hurt to save money - Baikonur costs the Russian Federation more than $ 100 million annually! In November 2007, the President of Russia signed a decree according to which the country should have its own cosmodrome - Vostochny. Where is this unique facility located, at what stage of construction, how much money has already been spent on its construction? We will talk about this and much more in this article.

Story

Initially, two options for the location of the object were considered - either the Khabarovsk Territory or the Amur Region. It was decided to build the Vostochny cosmodrome in Amurskaya. Of course main reason- the absence of serious infrastructure costs (Vostochny is located near the Svobodny cosmodrome, which was disbanded in 2007). In addition, this region is characterized by low seismicity. It is also important that, according to calculations, the rockets launched from the cosmodrome in the Amur Region will have an absolutely safe trajectory - the first stage will fall in the south of Yakutia, which is not populated, and the second - in the Arctic Ocean.

The year 2010 was marked by the fact that a memorial sign was laid in this place in honor of the start of work. A year later, technical and preliminary design began. And already in 2012 - the construction of the first launch complex, which was completed in the spring of 2016. It is worth saying that the construction was accompanied by high-profile corruption scandals, hunger strikes and strikes of workers who were not paid wages. But first things first.

general information

The total area of ​​this Russian cosmodrome is about 700 square kilometers. It was decided that the city of Tsiolkovsky, which is being built on the territory of the CATU of Uglegorsk, will become the residential and administrative center of the Vostochny cosmodrome.

It is planned to build ten sites - both technical and supporting. In addition, a launch complex for a launch vehicle with increased payload capacity will be built. An airfield, automobile and railways, two plants at once - oxygen-nitrogen and hydrogen.

Construction of the "Vostochny"

Now you know where the Vostochny cosmodrome is located. Let's talk about the progress of its construction. Construction work on the facility began in 2012. Then a foundation pit was dug here, the foundations of some buildings were laid. In early December, the construction of metal structures began, the expansion of the Ledyanaya railway station. In September 2013, Deputy Director of the Russian Federation Alexander Busygin reported:

From December 2011 to the present time, Spetsstroy of Russia has completed a significant amount of work: a forest has been cut down, a construction site has been prepared, temporary roads have been built from site to site with a total length of almost 70 kilometers to ensure all the work on the construction of the cosmodrome. All earthworks for the main structures of the cosmodrome have been completed: excavation and displacement of soil with a total volume of more than 7 million cubic meters has been carried out. Temporary bases for the placement of equipment have been organized, a shift camp for 4.5 thousand people has been built and is already functioning. The entire infrastructure of temporary buildings and structures has been deployed - concrete plants, reinforcement production, crushing and screening facilities. More than 120 thousand cubic meters of monolithic reinforced concrete have already been laid in the "body" of the structures of the future cosmodrome. Today full swing the construction of the main structures of the launch and technical complexes is underway.

In the spring of 2014, at the Vostochny cosmodrome, First stage on power supply, and by July, 96% of all concrete work had been completed. At the same time, the construction of treatment facilities began. In 2015, the installation of launch equipment for launch vehicles and the construction of a whole complex for storing rocket fuel components began. The telecommunications support of the cosmodrome has also begun. Separately, it should be said about the railway - by May 14, 100 kilometers of tracks from the Trans-Siberian Railway to the cosmodrome were ready. At the end of the same month, the All-Russian student construction site opened at the facility. Student teams from all over the country went through a serious selection, the best of the best got to the cosmodrome! More than 100 young people from leading universities in Tomsk, Kazan, Kursk, and the Amur Region preferred the construction semester to the academic semester. It is worth noting that the teachers treated the forced absenteeism of their students with understanding.

The first stage of construction was completed in autumn 2016. All facilities were put into operation by the end of the same year. The second phase of construction began in the second half of 2017. It is planned that all work will be completed by 2021. In August last year, the Government of the Russian Federation allocated more than two hundred million rubles to the Ministry of Construction for design and survey work, which will make it possible to create a power supply project for the second stage of construction. By the way, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu controls the progress of all work performed and the delivery of facilities.

Cosmodrome "Vostochny": photo of the project and its cost

The first financial investments were made in 2011 - then 1.4 billion rubles were allocated for construction and installation work. These funds were supposed to build power lines, railways and roads. 81 billion were allocated for the first stage of construction - to create the supporting infrastructure for the Vostochny cosmodrome. Funds were calculated for a period up to 2015. Another 92 billion was allocated to space technology.

It is planned that the construction of the entire facility will take about three hundred billion rubles. The budget for the construction of the second stage of the cosmodrome for 2017-19 has already been approved: it will amount to 25-30 billion a year.

Strikes and theft

Almost simultaneously with the start of construction, strikes of workers began - they were delayed in paying wages. The President instructed Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, to solve the problem. In 2014, he was appointed construction coordinator. It is worth noting that Rogozin visited the construction site more than fifty times.

By April 2015, the situation with wages had deteriorated so much that the builders not only went on a hunger strike, but also turned to Direct Line with Vladimir Putin. The fact is that the total debt to the builders at that time was more than 150 million rubles.

On the fact of embezzlement of an amount exceeding seven billion rubles, several criminal cases were initiated. For example, in relation to the management of a building contractor - the Pacific Bridge Company. The chairman of the board of directors of this company was sentenced to three years in prison. The court established that it was I. Nesterenko who organized the theft of the amount of 104.5 million.

Cosmodrome infrastructure

Initially, it was planned to build a number of different technical and support sites.

So, the composition of the finished Vostochny cosmodrome will include:

• launch vehicle complex;
• an airfield for receiving aircraft of all types;
• car roads;
• railways;
• plants - oxygen-nitrogen and hydrogen;
• buildings for testing and training manned spacecraft;
• material and technical warehouses;
• and parking for helicopters;
• facilities for training cosmonauts;
• shelters - both for equipment and for the personnel of the cosmodrome;
• repair facilities.

Training of specialists

Of course, it is impossible to imagine the activities of the Vostochny cosmodrome without qualified personnel. To date, training of specialists is carried out in several Russian universities:

• South Ural state university;
• university;
• Moscow Aviation Institute.

Since 2012, the training of specialists for all services of the cosmodrome began at the Bauman University in Moscow, the Pedagogical University in Blagoveshchensk.

Exploitation

The first launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome was originally scheduled for the end of December 2015. However, a number of facilities were not yet ready at that time, and therefore Vladimir Putin decided to postpone the launch to April 27, 2016. However, it was not possible to launch the carrier rocket that day either: the launch was automatically delayed due to the lack of a response signal in the rocket control system.

The first from the Vostochny cosmodrome, insured for 1.84 billion rubles, took place a day later - on April 28, 2016. Then the Soyuz launch vehicle launched 3 spacecraft into orbit at once - Aist-2D, Mikhailo Lomonosov, and the Sam-Sat-218 nanosatellite.

Search groups

The presence of search groups on the basis of the cosmodrome is a mandatory condition. What do the specialists of such groups of the Vostochny cosmodrome in the Amur Region do? First of all, they notify the population living within the area of ​​the fall, conduct a pre-launch flight, the purpose of which is the evacuation of hunters and other people located in the area of ​​the fall. They are also engaged in post-launch inspection, search and evacuation of parts that are separated from the missiles.

It is important to note that during launches, it is from this cosmodrome that search teams are deployed in two districts of the Amur Region - Zeya and Tyndinsky, and two regions of Yakutia - Vilyuisky and Aldansky.

Country value

Experts say that as a result of the construction of the new Vostochny cosmodrome, the country will receive absolute independence in space activities. It is also important that the socio-economic situation on the territory of the Amur Region will improve significantly - the development of the region's industry begins, investments and private capital are attracted. A significant reduction in the cost of renting Baikonur deserves special attention.

Advantages

The Roscosmos television studio has prepared a presentation film that tells about the stages of the construction of the facility, its disadvantages and advantages. The main thing worth noting is that the Vostochny cosmodrome is located 11 degrees south of Plesetsk. This, experts say, will allow the removal of large loads. Among the advantages is the fact that the trajectory of the missiles does not pass over the territories of other states, nor over the densely populated regions of Russia. In addition, this object is located very close to airfields, railways and roads.

Thanks to the emergence of a new cosmodrome, political risks are reduced. The point is that Kazakhstan has been recent years repeatedly blocked the launches of Russian missiles under a variety of pretexts. In addition, the new complex will reduce the load on Baikonur, however, there is no talk of a complete replacement yet - at least until the end of the lease term in 2050.

Difficulties

Of course, it was not without some difficulties. For example, there was an urgent need to transport spacecraft here, which means that it was necessary to either lay a railway line or build an airfield. In addition, experts noted that during the transition from Baikonur to Vostochny, transport costs will increase significantly - both in terms of time and finances. The fact is that the distance of delivery of personnel and launch vehicle exceeds five and a half thousand kilometers! That is why in 2015 it was decided to transfer the assembly of Angara missiles to the city of Omsk.

The problem was the lack of housing and any kind of infrastructure for the employees of the new cosmodrome. Only slightly more than 6 thousand people can live on the territory of Uglegorsk at the same time, and therefore a new locality. It is planned that the built city of Tsiolkovsky will be able to accommodate more than 12 thousand inhabitants.

Flaws

When compared with what is located on the territory of Kazakhstan, a number of shortcomings can be identified. So, Vostochny is located 6 degrees north of Baikonur. This will lead to a reduction in the mass of the output cargo. But there is a plus in this - rockets from Baikonur are launched "bypassing China", and the second stages fall in Altai. That is, rockets cannot take off from here along the most convenient and profitable trajectory.

The disadvantage (and a very serious one) is the fact that the spent parts of the missiles fall directly into the taiga. This can lead to forest fires, which are already a problem in this region.

Everyone who held in their hands a banknote of two thousand rubles, issued in October 2017 by the Bank of Russia, could see the Vostochny launch complex on the reverse side. Recall that on the front side is depicted located in Vladivostok.

By 2021, it is planned to launch a manned Federation spacecraft from this cosmodrome - in an unmanned version. And in 2023 - already with the crew.