Also known as Plesetsk or Mirnyy
LOCATION:Mirnyy, Arkhangelsk Oblast
SUBORDINATION: Ministry of Defense BACKGROUND: Established 15 July 1957 as the secret "Angara" facility,
Plesetsk has been a leading rocket testing and space launch complex for
over 40 years.[1,2] The site encompasses 149,000 hectares (368,000 acres)
and includes 1745 experimental-technical facilities.[1, 3] President Yeltsin
declared Plesetsk the primary state testing cosmodrome of the Russian Ministry
of Defense in November 1994.[1] This status did not immediately solve the
range's financial difficulties, however; in September 1995, Plesetsk's
electricity was cut off for three days due to the facility's failure to
pay its power bills.[4]
ACTIVITIES: Over 1,500 missiles and rockets (over 600 in the
years 1987-1997) have been launched from Plesetsk. Vostok and Voskhod manned
spacecraft were launched from the site, along with Kosmos-3M, Kosmos-112,
Soyuz-U, Molniya-M, Tsiklon-3, and Zenit satellites.[1,3] Currently,
Plesetsk is used primarily for military space launches and is a major test
site for ICBMs, including the RS-12M1/2 Topol-M [NATO designation SS-27].[1]
The first launch of a Topol-M, and the first launch of the Start, the civilian
space launch version of the Topol-M, both occurred at Plesetsk.[5]
Sources: [1] Sergey Davidenko, "Severnyy kosmodrom,"
Pravda, 16 July 1997, p. 1. [2] Interfax, 20 July 1997; in "Plesetsk
Cosmodrome Has Launched over 1,500 Missiles," FBIS-UMA-97-201. [3] Aleksandr Sharov, "Gosudareva doroga
k zvezdam," Rossiyskaya gazeta, 16 July 1997. [4] "Armed Settlement Of Accounts,"
The Current Digest, vol. 46, no. 47, 12/20/95, p. 26. [5] Aleksandr Dolinin, "'Angara,' Famed
For Its 'Topols.' Unique Missile Range in Mirnyy Turns 40," Krasnaya
zvezda, 16 July 1997, p. 3, in "Mirnyy Test Range's Achievements Lauded,"
FBIS-TAC-97-197. {Entered 7/22/98 FW}
PLESETSK TEST SITE DEVELOPMENTS: For information on ICBM test launches from Plesetsk
please see the ICBM
Test Launches subsection of the Russia: Nuclear Weapons section.
4/1/2002: DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER
KUDELINA VISITS PLESETSK Deputy Defense Minister Lyubov Kudelina,
chief of the military's finances, paid a visit to the Plesetsk
facility to familiarize herself with its financial issues, examine its
infrastructure, and observe the launching of a Molniya-M SLV.
The Ministry of Defense press service has stressed that Plesetsk
will become the focus of Russia's space activities, and will be the site for
launching new-generation SLVs
such as Soyuz-2 and Rokot.
There are also plans to built facilities for launching the new Angara
heavy SLV
from Plesetsk.
[ITAR-TASS, 1
April 2002; in "Russia: New space missile complexes to be developed at Plesetsk,"
FBIS Document CEP20020401000084.] {Entered 5/3/2002 MJ}
2/14/2002: PLESETSK TO BECOME
RUSSIA'S MAIN SPACE LAUNCH FACILITY AFTER 2005 Speaking to Agentstvo voyennykh
novostey reporters on 14 February 2002, Deputy Defense Minister and Construction
and Quartering Chief Colonel General Aleksandr Kosovan
announced that Plesetsk
will become the site of most of Russia's space launches after 2005. President Putin
reportedly ordered that the Plesetsk
facility be used to the greatest extent possible and adapted for heavy SLVs.
According to Kosovan, Plesetsk
will require $105 million for the necessary upgrades, which is less than the $115
million Russia pays Kazakhstan annually for the use of Baykonur.
Nevertheless, the new emphasis on Plesetsk
does not mean Russia will cease using Baykonur altogether, according to Kosovan.[1] Kosovan's
statements were confirmed three days later by Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov,
who also said that although the number of Ministry of Defense launches from
Plesetsk will grow, the military will not be its sole user. Priority will be
given to dual-purpose launches that will serve both military and civilian
interests. Sergeyev
also noted that Plesetsk's
infrastructure will require improvements, including the construction of an
airport capable of accepting heavy transport aircraft, and improvements in power
supply systems.
Sources: [1] Agentstvo voyennykh novostey, 14 February 2002; in "Most Russian Space
Launches From Plesetsk After 2005," FBIS Document CEP20020214000153. [2] Agentstvo voyennykh novostey, 27 February 2002; in "Russia's Ivanov:
improvement of Plesetsk doesn't mean withdrawal from Baykonur," FBIS Document
CEP20020227000229. {Entered 5/3/2002 MJ}
Page last updated 8 July 2002
Comments or questions? Contact Cristina
Chuen at MIIS CNS: Cristina.ChuenATmiis.edu
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