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Russia Plans Slow Withdrawal from Kazakh Space Base
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Текст: Ser4gei Ivashko
Russia’s defence minister Sergei Ivanov has announced that the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Archangel region is to replace Baikanur as Russia’s main cosmodrome. On Monday another Soyuz U rocket was launched from Plesetsk, the first Russian space launch of the year.
On Monday a Soyuz U rocket launcher carrying a Cosmos - 2387 satellite for the defence ministry was successfully launched from Plesetsk.
Defence minister Sergei Ivanov attended the launch, after which he announced that the Plesetsk cosmodrome, initially built for testing new rockets, is to be made Russia’s main launch pad for space missions."
“We are firmly on the way for Plesetsk to become the main Russian cosmodrome. That is for sure,” Ivanov announced. According to the minister, “From now on the overwhelming number of launches will be made from this cosmodrome.”
Ivanov did, however, go on to say that Russia does not intend to altogether abandon the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
“For the foreseeable future we won’t be able to launch manned space flights from Plesetsk. Therefore, to say that we are turning our backs on Baikonur is fundamentally incorrect. It’s another matter that more and more launches in the interests of the defence ministry will be made from Plesetsk.”
The defence minister’s announcement is connected to the order from President Putin for a program for the development of Plesetsk. That program is due to be ready by the beginning of March.
The Russian space agency Rosaviacosmos actively supports the development of Plesetsk. As the agency’s general director Yuri Koptev announced, “Over the next two years it is necessary for Russia to adapt the infrastructure of Plesetsk for the launch of the new generation Angara rockets… It will give Russia, now renting the Baikonur cosmodrome from Kazakhstan, the possibility of implementing a more independent cosmos policy.”
Previously the funds for upgrading the Plesetsk cosmodrome were provided mainly by the State Cosmos Centre in the name of Khrunicheva, which makes money from commercial launches.
However, the conditions of the world market have changed and specialists predict that the number of commercial launches will decrease in the next few years. “Therefore it is no longer possible to rely on non-budget funds for building Plesetsk’s infrastructure,” Koptev explained.
The program for the development of Plesetsk is still on the drawing board, but already the ministry of defence and Rosaviakosmos have started to take decisions about concrete tasks.
This week a working group headed by deputy defence minister Alexander Kosovan visited Plesetsk to inspect the launch pad which is to be reconstructed. “Two tasks lie before us: the reconstruction of one of the launch pads under the Soyuz 2 and the construction of a launch site from which it will be possible to launch light, medium and heavy Angara rockets,” Kosovan announced.
130 million US dollars are to be spent on the upgrade of Plesetsk between now and 2005, whereas Russia currently pays Kazakhstan $115 million a year to rent Baikonur.
It is absolutely obvious that Russia requires its own cosmodrome.
A similar plan to move Russia’s space launches from Baikonur to Plesesk and Svobosny was developed and approved by the defence ministry back in 1994 – 1995.
The first stage of that plan envisaged the modernisation of Plesetsk launch pad for the launch of Proton M, Soyuz and Molniya rockets and to build a new station for the Zenit rockets. The second stage of the plan envisaged the construction of launch pads for the heavy class Angara 24 rocket carriers in Plesetsk and the construction of new launch centres in Eastern Russia.
However, those projects were not completed due to a lack of finances. In response the defence ministry proposed that non-budget funds be sought for the development of Russia’s terrestrial space centres.
The previous plan obviously forms the basis of the new project for the Plesetsk cosmodrome. However, this time around given the close cooperation between Rosaviakosmos, the defence ministry and Russian rocket building enterprises with their non-budget funds, it is very possible that this time the project will be realised.
27 ФЕВРАЛЯ 17:16
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