Who would not like to visit the spaceport and see with their own eyes the launch of a rocket into space? I doubt such people even exist. For many, this is even a dream that I had. Once, in 2011, it came true, and I was present at the Plesetsk cosmodrome during the launch of the Soyuz-U launch vehicle, which delivered the spacecraft into orbit.

The funny thing is that the spectacular launch of the rocket itself lasts no more than one minute. Prior to this, I had to travel half a day by train, then walk for a whole day around the village of Mirny, and the rocket launch took place only in the evening of the second day.
Ignition, racks retract, flames, the rocket rapidly rises into the sky, passes through the clouds, and it is no longer visible. But it's worth it! It's really cool.

P.S.
Unfortunately, the photos could not be updated, because the originals remained on a hard drive that had broken several years ago. Therefore, a maximum of 900x600 pixels and funny old copyrights on the photo.

2. The launch vehicle is about one and a half kilometers away, it is suspended on the launch pad, clamped by racks. A train with fuel is leaving on the right.

3. The train with oxygen and fuel drives off to a safe distance.

4. Soldiers.

5. First of all, the main legs are lowered, leaving a small support attached to the nose of the launch vehicle.

6. Ignition! The last support has gone!

7. Let's go!

8. In just 8 minutes, the Soyuz-U launch vehicle will enter orbit.

9. By and large, I did not see with my own eyes how the rocket took off, only through the viewfinder of the camera.

10. Soyuz-U is a three-stage launch vehicle that has been launched for 42 years. The last launch took place in July 2015 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

11. The rocket passed through the clouds.

12. From the ground you can even see the separation of the first stage, which in a few minutes will collapse somewhere on the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

13. People from the Plesetsk cosmodrome do not fly, because it is located too far from the Equator, and launches are much more expensive than from Baikonur.

14. Rewarding the guys for a successful launch.

15. On the right is the commander of the cosmodrome until 2011, Major General Maidanovich Oleg Vladimirovich.

16. Until the beginning of the 90s, the Plesetsk cosmodrome held the world leadership in the number of rocket launches into space, Baikonur was in second place.

17. One of the technical differences between rocket launches in Russia and other countries is that our launch vehicle is suspended before launch, while they have it.

18. Suspension of the booster saves costs because this type of launch causes much less damage to the launch pad.

19. The linear speed of the Earth's rotation at the latitude of Plesetsk is 212 m/s, at the latitude of Baikonur - 316 m/s.

20. The Soyuz-U launch vehicle is designed to launch spacecraft of scientific research and special purpose, as well as manned and cargo spacecraft of the Soyuz and Progress series.

21. As of 2016, the Plesetsk cosmodrome has 6 launch complexes, of which two have been decommissioned - Soyuz and Kosmos launch vehicles. The launch complex for launch vehicles Rokot is under construction, the construction of the launch complex for the Zenit launch vehicle has been halted.

22. A total of 791 Soyuz-U rocket launches were made, of which 770 were successful.

23. This was the fourth launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in 2011.

24. The working fuel for the Soyuz-U launch vehicle was kerosene, the oxidizer was liquid oxygen.

25. Technical work at the launch complex after launch.

27. A soldier came and reported to us that the launch vehicle had successfully entered orbit, and communication was in order.

29. After the final work, the main supports are raised.

31. Not only the military, but also ordinary engineers are involved in the launch process.

32. Thank you for your attention!

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Modern spaceports in Russia are objects that play a crucial role in science, economics, socio-political, cultural communications at various levels. In the Russian Federation, there are both operating and under construction launch sites. Where are the Russian spaceports located? What kind of objects are they currently represented by?

What spaceports operate in the Russian Federation?

Baikonur, Plesetsk, Kapustin Yar, Yasny, Svobodny and Vostochny, which is under construction, are modern Russian spaceports. The list of relevant facilities, of course, can be adjusted depending on how the infrastructure used in the implementation of the Russian space program will be distributed. It is possible that due to large area of certain spaceports, as well as the complexity of the tasks solved on them, new launch pads will be opened, current ones will be closed and transferred to another place. But at the moment, the Russian cosmodromes mentioned above can generally be considered as a fairly well-established system of facilities for the corresponding purpose. Let us now consider the specifics of each of them in more detail.

Baikonur is the main cosmodrome within the space programs of the Russian Federation

Baikonur is a cosmodrome that belongs not to Russia, but to Kazakhstan, but the Russian Federation is practically its only user. Its main operators are RSC Energia, TsSKB Progress, GKNPTs im. M. V. Khrunicheva, Yuzhny Space Center. Baikonur was built in 1955. This facility was leased by the Government of the Russian Federation from the Republic of Kazakhstan for 50 years. The cost of using the cosmodrome is about 5 billion rubles a year - 3.5 billion is, in fact, the rent, 1.5 billion - funds allocated by the Russian Federation to maintain the facility's infrastructure.

Baikonur, despite its legal affiliation with Kazakhstan, is traditionally regarded as a Russian cosmodrome. It is known for the fact that the Earth, the first manned spacecraft, various scientific satellites were launched from it. Now Baikonur is the largest of all objects of the corresponding type that are involved in the Russian space industry. Its total area is about 6717 sq. km. In the past few years, this Russian cosmodrome has been the world leader in terms of the number of launches.

Infrastructure of the Baikonur Cosmodrome

The infrastructure of Baikonur is represented, in particular, by the following facilities:

9 launch complexes of various categories;

15 launchers designed to launch rockets that launch satellites and ships into space;

4 launchers used for testing ballistic missiles;

11 cases intended for installation and testing of equipment for various purposes;

34 complexes adapted for pre-launch preparation of rockets and vehicles for various purposes launched by them into space;

3 stations at which launch vehicles and other spacecraft are refueled with various types of fuel;

Measuring complex;

Information and Computing Center, in which control is carried out, as well as control of spacecraft flights and processing of various types of data;

Oxygen-nitrogen production complex capable of producing about 300 tons various types cryogenic products during the day;

CHPP with a capacity of 60 MW;

Power train with a capacity of 72 MW, operating on gas turbines;

In the amount of 600 objects;

In the amount of 92 units;

Airfields - "Extreme" and "Jubilee";

Local railway infrastructure with a total length of about 470 km;

Automobile infrastructure with a length of about 1281 km;

Power lines in 6610 km, communications - in 2784 km.

Having considered the main features of the largest cosmodrome involved in the Russian space program, we will study the specifics of other objects of the corresponding type that operate in Russia.

"Kapustin Yar"

Many researchers tend to consider Kapustin Yar more like a military training ground. But in many respects, it can also be considered a cosmodrome, primarily due to the fact that test launches of ballistic missiles are carried out from it - with warheads that are launched into outer space. Kapustin Yar was built in 1946.

This cosmodrome of Russia is located mainly in but some of its territories are part of the Atyrau, as well as the West Kazakhstan regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Its total area is about 650 sq. km. This cosmodrome has its own administrative center - the city of Znamensk. Not far from it is a military airfield.

"Clear"

The Yasny Cosmodrome is most often considered by experts as a launch base - but for rockets, again, intended for launching into outer space. Actively used since 2006. This relatively new spaceport is located in Russia, in the Yasnensky district, which is located in the Orenburg region.

The main operator of the facility is the international corporation Kosmotras. The infrastructure of the cosmodrome is used mainly for launching various satellites into low Earth orbit. At the same time, the Dnepr rocket of Russian-Ukrainian production is most often used to solve the corresponding tasks.

"Plesetsk"

The northernmost cosmodrome in Russia is Plesetsk. It is located about 180 km from Arkhangelsk - south of the city. The area of ​​the object is about 176.2 hectares. Plesetsk began to operate as a cosmodrome in 1966. It can launch missiles belonging to the R-7 family and others that belong to similar classes.

Russia's northernmost cosmodrome, according to some analysts, has a record in terms of the total number of rocket launches into space carried out from it.

"Free"

The Svobodny Cosmodrome is located in the Amur Region. It has been in operation since 1996. This Russian cosmodrome has an area of ​​410 square meters. km, and has the infrastructure to launch light and medium class missiles. An interesting fact is that the construction of Svobodny was initiated due to the fact that after the collapse of the USSR, the main Soviet Baikonur cosmodrome ended up outside the Russian Federation, and the leaders of the Russian space program decided that the state needed its own facility for an appropriate purpose. In practice, at that time, the easternmost cosmodrome of Russia, after the start of operation, was involved, in particular, for the purpose of test launches of ballistic missiles - such as Topol. Now it is practically not actively used, this is largely due to the fact that a new facility is being built in the Far East - the Vostochny cosmodrome. Consider, in turn, the basic information about it.

"Oriental"

This is the newest and most eastern cosmodrome in Russia. It started construction in 2010. It will be located, by the way, not far from Svobodny, which is supposed to be disbanded in connection with the installation of the main infrastructure already at Vostochny and the subsequent optimization of logistics to the specifics of the new facility.

It is calculated that the easternmost cosmodrome under construction in Russia will occupy an area of ​​about 1035 square meters. km. Its creation is intended to solve the following major tasks: the acquisition by Russia of its own cosmodrome, adapted for launching any types of rockets, the formation of additional impulses for the intensive development of the Far Eastern territories of the Russian Federation. This region is given special attention in the state socio-economic programs, and the construction of the corresponding facility is considered here as one of the most significant factors in the successful implementation of these initiatives.

Vostochny is a Russian cosmodrome, which has a number of advantages, in particular, over Baikonur. So, for example, the flight paths of missiles that will be launched from here are located outside densely populated as well as foreign states - those are laid over neutral waters. In addition, a significant factor is where the cosmodrome in Russia is located - namely, in close proximity to a developed transport infrastructure. This makes the operation of Vostochny particularly cost-effective. At the same time, some experts also highlight a number of shortcomings in the design of the corresponding object of the Russian space program. First of all, the fact that Vostochny is located 6 degrees north of Baikonur is noted - therefore, the total mass of the payload that is launched into space at the Russian cosmodrome will be slightly lower.

When will the launches from Vostochny start?

When will Russia's easternmost cosmodrome be opened and put into operation?

Initially, it was assumed that the first from the corresponding facility would be carried out at the end of 2015. But at the moment it has been postponed to 2016. As for the launches of a manned spacecraft from Vostochny, the first should take place in 2016. The personnel of the new Russian cosmodrome will live in the city of Uglegorsk, which is located in the Amur Region, in close proximity to the facility under construction. In the same city will be located administrative bodies"Eastern". By the way, some of the infrastructure facilities of the cosmodrome may be built outside the Amur region. It is assumed that from Vostochny it will be possible to launch missiles of almost any type - light, medium and heavy - such as, for example, the Angara, which was successfully tested in the Russian Federation in 2014.

Summary

Thus, the modern spaceports of Russia are represented by 5 operating facilities - for the time being, Svobodny can be counted among those, since it still has infrastructure, and one is under construction. They are located in various parts of the Russian Federation - in the south of the European part of the country, in the north, in the Far East. The largest cosmodrome involved in the Russian space program is located in Kazakhstan. Soon it will share its functions, which are expressed in the implementation of launches of all popular types of rockets, with the Vostochny cosmodrome, which is being built in the Amur Region.

"Angara", Vostochny - why Roskosmos does not fly and does not let expensive toys.

Russia has invested a lot in the development of the Angara launch vehicle and in the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome. In recent years, the media have repeatedly mentioned these projects, either in loud promises, or in victorious reports, or in the context of scandals. Unfortunately, there was much less news about real achievements than bravura and revelatory hype. One Angara carried out an orbital launch two and a half years ago, one Soyuz flew from Vostochny a year ago. And that's it.

Fresh news: it looks like the Angara will not even be trusted with the new manned spacecraft Federation, which, according to very recent plans, was preparing to fly on it to the moon.

Even a person who is far from astronautics understands that a rocket should fly, but a cosmodrome should be launched. If both do not happen, then things are wrong. The question of what the state billions went for is repeated many times in the media, in blogs, and in the comments. Let's try to figure out why Roscosmos has flightless and non-letting expensive toys.

This Eastern Angara theme should be considered as a whole, since they are now closely related, although they started as completely independent projects. It is important to understand that the current situation was the result of unpredictable developments over the past 20 years, to which Roscosmos reacted. And do not forget that Roskosmos is not a person, but a complex evolving structure, that practically none of those who made the decision to develop the Angara or build the Vostochny now holds those posts and does not influence today's decisions.

"Angara"

Just look at the line of missiles in different time designed under the name "Angara" to understand the long development time. The history of this missile is reminiscent of a famous video about the production of infantry fighting vehicles. padley.

At first, it was prepared for the Zenith launch pad, which was already at Baikonur and Plesetsk. Then they started designing their own. Wings were attached to the side boosters to make them reusable even when Elon Musk was studying dollars according to e-mail send. The concept of universal rocket modules - a promising topic that reduces the cost of production, was subsequently implemented by the young American startup SpaceX. In general, the history of Angara is an example of what can happen if you give the developers an unlimited budget, unlimited deadlines and say "Create!" And they made a rocket with universal modules to save money, but with three different starting tables for each modification of A3, A5, A7, which raises the cost of the entire complex to the sky.

The only thing that accompanied the "Angara" throughout its life path was its uselessness. Like a rocket, the Angara is not needed. And it was never needed. The Angara has always been used for any other purpose, except for launching spacecraft. For normal rocket work, existing missiles continued to be used: the capabilities of A1 are Dnepr, Rokot, Soyuz-U, A3 are Soyuz-2 and Zenit, A5 are Proton, A7 are loads of such no.

There are no commercial prospects either - the rocket is twice as expensive as the Proton.

"Angara" began to collect cooperation, i.e. all manufacturers of components, after the collapse of the USSR. Then, in order to load the designers with work, feed them in the 90s, and not lose, in principle, the ability to develop missiles. Along the way, we worked out all sorts of exotic winged options, because we can and give money. By the end of the work, the rocket acquired a propaganda value - Russian, environmentally friendly, its own. At the start of the heavy modification of the Angara A5, a new role was identified, which, in the end, became the main one, determining today's fate - a political one.

The first orbital heavy launch of the Angara was unique in the history of Russian cosmonautics - it was launched two days ahead of schedule. After many years of delays, but two days earlier than the announced date. Accurately on the day when President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Russia on a state visit.

Oriental

The decisive factor in the construction of the East was the fact that Baikonur is not ours. By the beginning of the 2010s, the basis of the Roscosmos strategy appeared - guaranteed access Russian Federation into space from its territory.

The Baikonur Agreement was signed by Russia and Kazakhstan in 1994. Under the terms, Russia pledged to pay $115 million annually. At the time of the conclusion of the contract, this compensation seemed acceptable to the young Kazakh republic, but then the country's economy grew and Baikonur's contribution seemed to be less and less. At the same time, the spaceport is a restless neighbor. Spent first stages of rockets are constantly falling from the sky. Periodically, something bangs over the spaceport, spreading suspicious brown clouds. And the Kazakh public is worried after reading the Wikipedia article "unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine". Rumors are circulating around the country like "after the Russian launches, the weather deteriorates." In general, Kazakhstan has more reasons to get more from the cosmodrome. You can put pressure on a ban on dropping steps, a ban on launches after an accident, or simply unambiguous hints to terminate the contract.

Russian cosmonautics will not fly away on Plesetsk alone without Baikonur. Key features Baikonur: Proton launch pads and Soyuz manned pads. But while the United States depends on the Soyuz, Kazakhstan did not dare to encroach on this missile, but the Proton is like a thorn:

Poisonous - and no one cares about environmentalists' reports that toxic fuel does not affect nature - does not have time to reach the ground.

Commercial - in the 90-2000s, Proton pulled from a third to a half of the entire commercial cosmonautics of the world, and each launch costs a little less than Kazakhstan receives per cosmodrome per year.

Military - independent achievement of the geostationary orbit opens up the possibility of constant radar and optical control of the territory of the whole world or selected regions.

In general, many people would support Kazakhstan in its desire to squeeze the Russian "Proton".

And in this situation, Russia undertook to solve the problem. The decision may seem controversial, the classic flooding with money, but now it is already clear that it works. Tactics "carrot and stick".

"Knut" and became "Angara" with Vostochny. By launching a heavy rocket from its territory and building a Far Eastern cosmodrome, Russia made it clear to Kazakhstan and the rest of the world that it has its own "luna park", and it no longer hurts to put pressure on Proton.

"Gingerbread" became in 2015 flight the only Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov, and the development of a joint project of the Baiterek cosmodrome. The project itself is already more than ten years old, but it became more active after the flight of the Angara and the launch from Vostochny, although the profitable Sunkar project became the decisive factor.

Now Angara has only one launch site in Plesetsk. Created at the expense of the Ministry of Defense in order to ensure Russia's access to space from its territory. But Plesetsk is the worst cosmodrome for launches into geostationary orbit - too much fuel is spent on changing the inclination of the orbit. On Vostochny, for a long time, it was planned to build two launch sites for the Angara A5 - one "cargo", the second - manned. In this configuration, and with the refinement to the Angara A5V, it became possible to deliver the Russians in the Federation to the circumlunar orbit with two launches. Roskosmos steadfastly held on to this potential opportunity during the most severe sequestration of the space budget. For the media, the formula was repeated about "ensuring the possibility of reaching the Moon until 2030."

I wanted to believe. Just a couple of months ago, despite the chaos with defective engines, debris in the fuel lines and astronauts slamming doors, the prospect of joint operation by the end of the 20s of the American circumlunar station. Orion and Federation docked at a station overlooking the moon. Would love to see this...

But the Ministry of Finance of Fate came - there is no money for two tables under the Angara, which means there is no flight to the Moon, and there are no manned launches.

Phoenix/Sunkar

The Soviet, and later Ukrainian, Zenith rocket was quite successful for its time, and maintained high economic and energy efficiency in the 21st century. In fact, it was the cheapest rocket for launches into geostationary orbit, although it lost in terms of power and reliability to the Proton. She flew in the 90-2000s on commercial and government orders from Baikonur and from the floating SeaLaunch spaceport.

The Ukrainian missile flew on a Russian engine. The political conflict between Russia and Ukraine practically buried this project. But the success of Zenit and the revival of SeaLaunch under the auspices of commercial company S7 prompted Roskosmos to work on a Russian rocket on the RD-170. The developments of RSC Energia on the Rus rocket were taken as a basis. This is how the Phoenix project was born. Kazakhstan gave money for this work, and a variant called "Sunkar" (Falcon) is being worked out for it. This rocket can be launched from the Zenith launch pads, i.e. significant capital costs are saved.

Quite recently, the head of Energia spoke about the possibility of putting the Federation spacecraft on the Phoenix, and today this turns out to be the only possible option. "Phoenix" is weaker than "Angara", therefore, so far no Moon shines for our astronauts. But in the future, it is possible to assemble the Five-Phenix out of five rockets, and this will already be a lunar super-heavy rocket. Those. here the modular concept of the Angara is repeated, with the difference that each module is an independent missile with a wide range of tasks, in contrast to the inferior Angara URM. The American Falcon-9 rocket is developing with the same ideology. Is it easy to assemble three or five from one rocket is clearly seen in the example of the triple Falcon Heavy - the launch was promised in 2014, in the yard of 2017 and promised by the fall. We'll see.

How meaningful is the creation of a new rocket from scratch, when a similar Angara is almost ready? Is it possible to believe that "Phoenix" will not turn into an endless useless long-term construction, like "Angara"?

You should not believe anything, but you can hope, and here's why:

1) If "Phoenix" works out with the price of "Zenith", then it will be three times cheaper than "Angara A5", with comparable launch capabilities, if you start from the equator at SeaLaunch.

2) "Phoenix" is not being developed by GKNPTs them. Khrunichev, and RSC Energia, which has established itself as a high-quality manufacturer of Soyuz spacecraft and other equipment. Energia was much less likely to get into the reports of corruption scandals, the salaries of workers at the enterprise have always been almost the highest in the industry. It can be said that Roskosmos simply does not have anything better than RSC Energia.

3) Starting tables for "Zenith" at Baikonur are ready. SeaLaunch is ready to go to sea. Rejecting the two launch pads of the Angara, you can save money on the development of the Phoenix, and there will still be a change to the lunar microsatellite.

4) There are private customers at Phoenix. The same S7 is already ready to buy and start up.

5) The participation of Kazakhstan is encouraging. Now Russian space projects are successfully developing practically only in international programs. Much that is done for oneself is infinitely long and with an unclear perspective. Much that is international is of high quality and on time, at least recently it was still so.

6) The project of the Kazakh-Russian cosmodrome "Baiterek" got off the ground only after Russia stopped trying to foist "Angara" on Kazakhstan and started talking about "Phoenix".

Well, simple: "Phoenix" is needed. Provided that it will be cheaper than the Proton. It is needed both in Russia and in the world market. In fact, this is a Russian Falcon-9, only without reusability, but with wings.

By breaking news, for the next 10 years, the picture emerges as follows:

1) The planned transfer of Baikonur to Vostochny is suspended.

2) Vostochny is a really good modern cosmodrome, its only problem is that while there is Baikonur, it is not needed. Therefore, from the Far East, only to maintain potential, they will launch rare "Unions" with commercial or scientific loads of 5-6 launches in the best years.

3) On Vostochny, they build one launch pad for the Angara and launch some kind of military satellite from there every two years, purely in order not to forget how to make a rocket and the table does not rust.

4) "Federation" flies in the mid-20s on the "Phoenix" / "Sunkar" from Baikonur, and only around the Earth. Maybe he’ll still have time to jump into the ISS once.

5) "Phoenix" / "Sunkar" pulls over most of the potential commercial orders of "Proton", and flies from Baikonur and SeaLaunch, there is no or very little toxic missile, part of the profit goes to the local treasury and Kazakhstan is happy.

6) "Proton" continues to fly from Baikonur to the stop but rarely, as long as (and if) there is a state order and some heavy commercial satellites.

7) "Angara" is still not needed, and "is on a siding", and if "Phoenix" shows itself well, then it will be closed altogether.

8) The production of "Proton" is moved from Moscow to Omsk, the rare "Angara" is made in the same place, the residential complex "Cosmos" appears on the site of the plant in the bend of the Moscow River in Fili.

In this whole picture, the saddest thing is the role of "Tsikh" - the Khrunichev State Research and Production Center. The once powerful production and scientific and technical center in the center of Moscow, which built satellites, rockets and space stations, is going through a long crisis, reorganization and scandals, is losing all opportunities to lobby its interests, so all the changes that are taking place in Roscosmos are in the hands of a direct competitor - RSC " Energy".

It is important to understand that there are no bad and good people in this story, everyone is trying to resist the coincidence of circumstances with the maximum benefit for themselves. Everything that has happened to Roskosmos since 1991 is the result of the Soviet legacy. I have already noticed that Roskosmos received a colossal industrial potential from the USSR, which is now working well if at 30% capacity. And all that the department has been doing for 25 years is not to lose the inherited “bag, picture, basket, cardboard box, and little dog”, and we want Roskosmos to run a sprint with all this stuff. In difficult years, the work was on commercial orders and the Americans helped with their “international” station. Now they have lost both commercial orders and the prospects for international cooperation with former partners, and there is not enough money of their own.

The industry's only hope to return to the "golden age" of the 1980s is oil at $150. No other factors will help. With this understanding, the reform began a couple of years ago. Therefore, everything that Roskosmos is doing in a state of reform and budget cuts is reorganization, optimization, mergers and acquisitions, shrinkage and shrinkage, so it won’t seem like a little to anyone.

In general, I have a feeling that a super-heavy rocket and Russians on the Moon will become a prize for Roscosmos for a successful reform. If it is possible to create an efficient and compact industry that provides for the needs of the state in near-Earth space and competes in the world market, then it will receive an appetizing order for the Moon. And if not, well, then it didn’t work.

And don't cry for the Angara, it came and went for a reason.

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 Roscosmos. 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 aircrafts 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. The high level of security of the facility also deserves special attention. 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.

The marine space launcher is 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 Earth's orbit, many different civil and military actions are carried out.

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"The thought of a metal balloon stuck in my brain. Sometimes it tired me, and then I spent months doing other things, but in the end I returned to it again"

K.E. Tsiolkovsky

The Russian word "rocket" comes from the German word "rocket". And this German word is a diminutive of the Italian word "rocca", which means "spindle". That is, "rocket" means "small spindle", "spindle". This is due, of course, to the shape of the rocket: it looks like a spindle - long, streamlined, with a sharp nose.

Rockets were invented a long time ago. They were invented in China many hundreds of years ago. The Chinese used them to make fireworks. They kept the structure of the rockets a secret for a long time, they liked to surprise strangers. But some of these surprised strangers turned out to be very inquisitive people. Soon, many countries learned how to make fireworks and celebrate solemn days with festive fireworks.

For a long time, rockets served only for holidays. But then they began to be used in the war. There was a rocket weapon. This is a very formidable weapon. Modern missiles can accurately hit a target thousands of kilometers away.

And in the 20th century, a school teacher of physics Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky invented rockets new profession. He dreamed of how a man would fly into space. Unfortunately, Tsiolkovsky died before the first ships went into space, but he is still called the father of astronautics.

Why is it so difficult to fly into space? The problem is that there is no air. There is a void, it is called a vacuum. Therefore, neither planes, nor helicopters, nor balloons can be used there. Airplanes and helicopters rely on air during takeoff. The balloon rises into the sky because it is light and the air pushes it up. But a rocket doesn't need air to take off. All she needs is a spaceport.

The first and largest spaceport in the world is Baikonur, but it is located abroad in Kazakhstan. Russia has its own cosmodromes, there are four of them: Plesetsk, Yasny, Kapustin Yar, Vostochny.

The Vostochny Cosmodrome is located in the Amur Region. The choice of a place for its construction was not accidental. In the construction of the spaceport, its location is of great importance. The further south the cosmodrome, the greater the mass of cargo that can be launched from it into space. From the point of view of missile flight trajectories, Vostochny is also well located: the initial section of the trajectory does not pass over densely populated regions of Russia and the territories of foreign states, and the areas where the separated parts of the missiles fall are either sparsely populated or are neutral waters.

At a distance of less than 200 kilometers from the Vostochny cosmodrome there is a large administrative center, the capital of the Amur Region - the city of Blagoveshchensk. It is located at the confluence of the two largest rivers in Asia: r. Amur and R. Zeya. The Zeya River originates in the north of the Amur Region and flows along the northern border of the cosmodrome. Rocket launches are accompanied by emissions of spent fuel gases into the atmosphere, which can enter the river and reach the major cities of the Russian Far East downstream. In addition, rocket launches are associated with emergency and emergency situations that can lead to an environmental disaster.

In order for the rocket to get into space, it is necessary to overcome the gravity of the Earth. Therefore, the rocket must gain a high speed (first space velocity) in order to break away from it. To do this, scientists and engineers have come up with various types of rocket engines that run on various forms fuel. The most frightening of them is "heptyl".

The purpose of my research work is to study the principles of operation and the impact on the environment of rockets used and planned for use at the Vostochny cosmodrome.

The objectives of my research work are:

Studying the design and arrangement of blocks of various types of rockets;

Determination of the main stages of a rocket flight into space;

Studying the security measures applied at the Vostochny Cosmodrome;

Creation and launch of a rocket model on an environmentally friendly engine.

Cosmodrome "Vostochny"

The history of the Vostochny cosmodrome began on November 6, 2007, when Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the creation of a cosmodrome in the Amur Region. This happened a few months after the closure of another Russian cosmodrome Svobodny - the predecessor, located in the same place, in the Far East, was closed in March 2007.

Initially, the launch site was not supposed to appear at the same place where the recently closed Svobodny was located: the plans were to create a cosmodrome with new infrastructure on the Pacific coast - not far from Vladivostok, which had become the main eastern capital. But this idea was not continued: taking into account the problems with the weather on the coast and other geographical and geopolitical factors, the authorities decided to move the construction of a new spaceport deep into the continent.

Putting a cosmodrome into operation is a little easier than the space flights themselves. The choice of a place for construction should be dictated by a number of factors: geographical, geopolitical, socio-economic. It is important to take into account flight trajectories (in order to avoid missiles and debris hitting the territories of neighboring states or densely populated areas of your own country), the possible mass of cargo to be removed, whether there are airports, railways, or highways nearby.

The technical equipment of the cosmodrome allows us to consider it one of the most modern cosmodromes in the world. Control technological equipment here it is fully automated (unlike Baikonur, for example), that is, machines control all processes, from refueling the ship to launch. Automated and command post- all data about the rocket, along with dozens of parameters, are displayed on the screens, and automation evaluates adherence to schedules and the operation of systems during the flight.

For the first time, a mobile service tower equipped with the latest technology is used to work with a rocket on the launch pad. It monitors the progress of all work and also maintains a comfortable temperature for specialists whose task is to assemble constituent parts rockets.

For the first time, a special gallery was equipped in the assembly and testing complex of Vostochny, which connects different buildings of the complex - a transborder. Mounting cases are always at some distance from each other, and this creates problems when transporting individual parts of the rocket and assembling them into a single whole. Here the problem is solved: parts of rockets and satellites can be transported from building to building along a special gallery, and not along the street, without violating the temperature regime that is important in these matters.

Rice. 1. Mobile service tower on the launch pad

Rice. 2. Assembly and test building (MIC)

The first launch from Vostochny was scheduled for December 25, 2015, then postponed to April 27, 2016, and then postponed for another day. Finally, on April 28, a historic event took place: the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle with the Volga launcher launched three spacecraft into orbit - Mikhailo Lomonosov, Aist-2D and the SamSat-218 nanosatellite.

The Soyuz 2.1a rocket itself, like other Soyuz launch vehicles with the index 2, is digital. It is equipped with a new computer control system, which made it possible to increase the accuracy of launching the cargo into orbit, the stability and controllability of the rocket, and also - which is especially important - to increase the dimensions of the payload. If earlier satellites or spaceships were slightly larger in diameter than a rocket, or even the same, now a rocket can launch vehicles into space large sizes. In addition, video cameras were installed in the first rocket launched from Vostochny for the first time, allowing real-time image acquisition from the rocket board before launch and during the launch of the cargo into orbit.

The plans include providing the spaceport with launches until approximately 2024. Roskosmos is going to launch the Meteor spacecraft and two satellites of the Canopus series into orbit; already by 2018, the number of launches per year is expected to increase to six or eight, in the future - up to ten. Starting from 2021, launches of Angara-A5P and Angara-A5V launch vehicles are planned. An important stage in the development of the cosmodrome will be the lunar program, launches of vehicles to the Moon will have to be carried out from 2019 to 2024:

"Luna-25" - mission: polar landing technology, the beginning of the study of the South Pole of the Moon;

"Luna-26" - mission: global review and exploration of lunar resources;

"Luna-27" - mission: study of regolith and exosphere at the South Pole of the Moon;

"Luna-28" - mission: delivery of lunar polar soil to Earth.

The full commissioning of the Vostochny cosmodrome is planned for 2020. In addition to the new Angara launch vehicle and the modified Soyuz-2 launch vehicle, which were originally planned to be launched from the cosmodrome, in the future, the capabilities of the cosmodrome will be developed to a level that ensures the preparation and launch of orbital station modules, space vehicles for study (and development) Moon and Mars, as well as other distant celestial bodies.

Space rocket systems (CRK)

Space rocket systems that are planned to be launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome can be divided into two types of rockets: Soyuz launch vehicle and Angara launch vehicle.

Rice. 3. Missiles: on the left - Soyuz, on the right - Angara

Launch vehicles of the Soyuz-2 type were developed on the basis of the serial Soyuz-U launch vehicle. The Soyuz-2 launch vehicles use improved propulsion systems and modern systems control and measurement, which significantly improves the technical and performance characteristics. Soyuz-2.1a" is a three-stage medium-class rocket. The first and second stages are equipped with liquid-propellant rocket engines RD-107A and RD-108A, the third - a four-chamber RD-0110. An environmentally friendly oxidizer - liquid oxygen and low-toxic hydrocarbon fuel T-1 (kerosene).The mass of the output payload is up to 7.5 tons.

Soyuz-2 launch vehicles in combination with the Fregat upper stage are designed to launch spacecraft into near-Earth orbits of various altitudes and inclinations, including geotransitional and geostationary, as well as departure trajectories.

The newest Russian Angara space rocket system includes a family of environmentally friendly launch vehicles (LV) of various classes, which allow launching up to 37.5 tons of payload (Angara-A5V modification) into low Earth orbit. Angara missiles belong to the heavy and super-heavy class of missiles.

The basis for creating variants of the Angara launch vehicles are the oxygen-kerosene universal rocket modules - URM-1 (for the first and second stages of the launch vehicle) and URM-2 (for the upper stages of the launch vehicle). The number of URMs in the first stage determines the carrying capacity of the launch vehicle.

The universal rocket module is a complete structure consisting of oxidizer and fuel tanks connected by a spacer and an engine compartment. URM-1 is equipped with a liquid-propellant jet engine RD-191, URM-2 - with an RD-0124A engine.

The launch vehicles of the Angara family do not use aggressive and toxic propellants based on heptyl, which can significantly improve performance environmental safety complex, both in the regions adjacent to the cosmodrome, and in the areas where the spent stages of launch vehicles fall.

Rocket flight into space

In order for the rocket to get into space, it is necessary to overcome the gravity of the Earth. Therefore, the rocket must gain a high speed (first space velocity) in order to break away from it. To do this, scientists and engineers came up with a certain procedure for the operation of the rocket.

The Soyuz 2.1 launch vehicle consists of three stages and is made according to the scheme with a parallel separation of the side rocket blocks at the end of the first stage and a transverse separation of the second stage rocket block at the end of its operation. At the first stage of the flight, the engines of the four side and central blocks are working, at the second, after the separation of the side blocks, only the engine of the central block.

Rice. 4. The components of the rocket and the stages of its flight

The engines of the side blocks operate for 118 seconds after the start, after which they are turned off. After that, the side blocks are separated from the central block and discarded.

The second stage (central block) consists of a tail compartment, in which a single-acting engine is installed. The nominal running time of the central unit motor is 280-290 seconds.

The launch of the engines of the central and side blocks is carried out on Earth, which makes it possible to control their operation in the transition mode and, in the event of malfunctions during the launch, cancel the rocket launch. This improves operational safety.

The third stage, consisting of a transition compartment, a fuel tank, an oxidizer tank, a tail compartment and an engine, is mounted on the central block and connected to it using a truss structure.

The third-stage propulsion engine is turned on approximately two seconds before the central unit is turned off. Gases escaping from the nozzles of the third stage engine directly separate the stage from the central block. After turning off the engine and separating the spacecraft or upper stage with the spacecraft, the third stage performs a maneuver by opening the drain valve in the fuel tank. Only the warhead remained of the rocket. The rocket will continue its further flight with the help of an upper stage.

Creation of an environmentally friendly rocket model

An environmentally friendly engine is one that does not harm environment. One of these engines can be considered pneumatic-hydraulic. A rocket model with such an engine makes it possible to conduct many different experiments and, most importantly, to get acquainted with the operation of a jet engine. You can easily build a pneumatic-hydraulic rocket yourself. First you need to decide what size the rocket will be. The base of its body will be a simple plastic soda bottle. Depending on the volume of the bottle, the flight characteristics of our future rocket will vary. For example, 0.5 liters, although it will be small in size, it will also take off low by 10-15 meters. The most optimal size is a bottle with a volume of 1.5 to 2 liters. To start, you will also need the main tool - a pump, it is better if it is automobile and with a pressure measuring device - a pressure gauge.

The main node in the rocket will be a valve, it will depend on the efficiency of the future rocket. We will make the valve from a cork, a bicycle inner tube and a metal plate.

Rice. 5. Valve

To make a rocket model body, you will need two 1.5 liter bottles and metallized tape. Stabilizers in the amount of four pieces are easy to make from cardboard from under household appliances. For the manufacture of the launch pad, you will need a flat plywood sheet, metal corners and self-tapping screws.

Rice. 6. Rocket model on the launch pad

Empirically, it was determined that the rocket model should be filled with water for 1/3 of the total length of the entire bottle. If you fill in more water or less, then in the first case there is too little space for air, and in the second - too much. The engine thrust in these cases will be very weak, and the operating time will be short. Thrust, decreasing as the water is ejected, which allows the rocket model to reach a height of 30 - 50 m. The flight time of the model from start to landing, depending on the height reached, is 5 - 7 seconds. A model rocket launched without water will be very light and will only rise 2 to 5 meters.

Pneumo-hydraulic models of rockets can also be multi-stage. The record for the flight altitude of such a rocket is 600 meters. At the same time, they can lift a significant payload, for example, some testers install cameras or mini video cameras and successfully conduct aerial photography.

Conclusion

As a result of acquaintance with the Vostochny cosmodrome with its "present" and "future" rockets, the following conclusions were obtained:

the rocket consists of three stages and a warhead;

to take off from the Earth, the rocket must gain the first cosmic velocity;

rocket flight consists of six stages;

the rockets used and planned for launch are environmentally safe.

The final stage of my work was the creation and launch of an operating environmentally friendly pneumo-hydraulic rocket model. As a result of performing various options for launching a rocket model, the following results were obtained:

a model launched without water will be very light and will only rise 2 to 5 m;

the rocket model must be filled with water for 1/3 of the total length of the entire bottle;

installation of the rocket at an angle of 60 ° leads to a decrease in the height of the lift, but the flight range increases;

the flight time of the model from the start to the moment of landing, depending on the altitude reached, is 5 - 7 seconds;

when the model is installed vertically at the start, it can reach a height of about 50 m.

Unfortunately, the pneumatic-hydraulic model of the rocket cannot be used as a working rocket at the Vostochny cosmodrome, since it does not develop the first space velocity (7.9 km/s), but is limited to only 12 m/s. But it allows you to visually conduct experiments and understand the principles of rocket technology.

Literature

Arkhipova K. Eastern gates to space // Men's work. No. 57. 2016. URL: http://www.menswork.ru/?q=content/kosmodrom%20vostochii (accessed 09.11.2017).

Voliman D. Professor Astrocat and his journey into space // MIF. 2015. 64 p.