LOCATION: Svobodnyy,
Amurskaya Oblast [CD Kosmicheskaya stantsiya, "Kosmodromy. Svobodnyy"; in Kosmodrom.ru Web Site,
http://www.kosmodrom.ru/,
3 December 2003.] {Entered 12/03/2003 MS} SUBORDINATION:Ministry of Defense [Agentstvo voyennykh novostey, 19 August
2002; in "Russian government determines federal bodies responsible for
cosmodromes' development," FBIS Document CEP20020819000102.] {Entered 1/9/2003
EL} ADMINISTRATION: Commander: Colonel Vladimir Tyurin ["Ministr oborony Rossii posetil kosmodrom Svobodnyy,"
InSpaceMedia Web Site,
http://www.inspacemedia.ru/, 5 November 2002.] {Entered 1/9/2003 EL} Research Center Technical Director: Aleksandr Sukhadolskiy ["New Svobodny Cosmodrome Unlikely To Make Launches This
Year," Military Parade Web Site,
http://rcaam.milparade.ru/9g/06_09.htm, 1998.] {Entered 1/9/2003 EL} BACKGROUND: Svobodnyy was established in 1968 as an ICBM base for strategic
missile forces. It was closed in 1993 but reactivated as a cosmodrome on 1 March
1996by Boris Yeltsin.[1] This decision was due in part to Svobodnyy's
location, which reportedly allows Svobodnyy to deliver 22-25% heavier loads into
space than a rocket launched from Plesetsk.[2] The Svobodnyy Cosmodrome is also a
more advantageous launching point for placing
satellites into a solar-synchronous orbit than Plesetsk.[3]According to
Space Forces Deputy Commander Major General Anatoliy Shishkin, the Svobodnyy
Cosmodrome's geographic location may guarantee its role as Russia's future base
for next-generation space missile complexes by 2010. The Plesetsk and
Baykonur Cosmodromes are intended to support launches of military satellites
from approximately 2005 to 2010.[4] Sources:
[1] "Svobodny Launch System, Russia," Space Technology Web Site,
http://www.space-technology.com/, 12 March 2002.
[2] Olga Ruban, "Tretiy lishniy kosmodrom," Ekspert online edition,
http://archive.expert.ru/, No. 40 (347), 28
October 2002.
[3] "New Svobodny Cosmodrome Unlikley to Make Launches this Year," Russian
and CIS Aerospace and Arms Market Web Site,
http://rcaam.milparade.ru/9g/06_09.htm, 1998.
[4] Lieutenant-Colonel Vyacheslav Davidenko and Captain Mikhail Sevastyanov,
"Providing for National Security in Space: A Mission of National Importance,"
Voyennyye znaniya, 1 October 2002; in "Russian Space Troops Deputy CINC
Shishkin Views Restoration of Orbital Grouping, Resolution of Personnel Issues
as Top Priorities," FBIS Document CEP20021217000355.
{Entered 1/9/2003 EL} ACTIVITIES: The Svobodnyy Cosmodrome currently serves as a launch facility for military
and commercial satellites. Since its reactivation in 1996, four satellites
have been launched from Svobodnnyy using Start-1 boosters (modified RT-2PM Topol
ICBMs [NATO designation SS-25 'Sickle']).[1] Although the
Start-1 boosters were launched from mobile launchers, the Svobodnyy Cosmodrome intends to launch Strela
rockets (based on decommissioned UR-100NUTTKh ICBMs [NATO Designation SS-19 'Stiletto']) from
modified silos in the future.[2] As of 2000,
however, the firm NPO Mashinostroyeniya was only in the initial stages of converting the silos for Strela
boosters.
A two-pad launch platform for Angara rockets was apparently envisioned for the Svobodnyy Cosmodrome
during the 1990s but construction has been delayed due to lack
of funds.[3] Sources:
[1] "Pervyy start RN 'Strela' s kosmodroma 'Svobodnyy' namechen na tretiy
kvartal 2003 goda," Space-Inform, 13 September 2002; in National Space
Agency of Ukraine Web Site,http://www.nkau.gov.ua/gateway/news.nsf.
[2] Agentstvo voyennykh novostey, 5 November 2002, in "Russia: DM
Ivanov praises Svobodniy cosmodrome's development prospects," FBIS Document
CEP20021105000048.
[3] "Svobodny Launch System, Russia," Space Technology Web Site,
http://www.space-technology.com/, 12 March 2002. {Entered
1/9/2003 EL}
SVOBODNYY COSMODROME DEVELOPMENTS:
12/11/2002: BLAGOVESHCHENSK RESIDENTS PROTEST PROPOSED LAUNCHINGS OF STRELA ROCKETS ITAR-TASS reported on 11 December 2002 that environmental concerns have
prompted many
residents in the city of Blagoveshchensk to protest future
launchings of Strela boosters, which use heptyl as a fuel source, from nearby Svobodnyy Cosmodrome. Numerous meetings
have been held and a letter of protest including a list of signatures was submitted to
Russian President Vladimir Putin in December 2002. The Deputy Director of
NPO Mashinostroyeniya, Petr Nosatenko, claimed that Strela rockets are much cleaner
than solid-fuel missiles and that the byproduct of the rockets' engines would be
water.[1]
Svobodnyy Commander Colonel Vladimir Tyurin also stated that launchings of Strela rockets at Svobodnyy will not endanger the environment or
people of the Russian Far East.[2] Sources: [1]Boris Savelyev, "Zapretit puski s kosmodroma
'Svobodnyy' raket na geptilovom
toplive trebuyut ekologi Amurskoy oblasti," ITAR-TASS, 11 December 2002.
[2] Nikolay Belyy, "Kosmodrom Svobodnyy: Vtoroye dykhaniye," Dalnevostochnyy
Federalnyy Okrug Web Site, http://www.dvfo.ru/news/500,
26 December 2002. {Entered 1/9/2003 EL}
9/13/2002: SPACE GENERAL PREDICTS STRELA LAUNCHES AT SVOBODNYY BY THIRD QUARTER
OF 2003 Space-Inform, with reference to ITAR-TASS, reported on 13 September 2002
that Russian Space Forces Commander Colonel General Anatoliy Perminov
had said that
a Strela rocket will
be launched from Svobodnyy in the third quarter of 2003. ["Pervyy start RN 'Strela' s kosmodroma 'Svobodnyy' namechen na tretiy
kvartal 2003 goda," Ukrainian Aerospace Portal,
http://www.nkau.gov.ua/gateway/news.nsf,
13 September 2002. {Entered 1/9/2003 EL}
2/20/2001: SWEDISH ODIN SATELLITE LAUNCHED FROM SVOBODNYY COSMODROME The Swedish satellite Odin was launched on 20 February 2001 from Svobodnyy
utilizing a Start-1 booster.The satellite is intended for
scientific purposes. ["Chronology: Year 2001," RussianSpaceWeb.com Web Site,
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/chronology_2001.html,
3 December 2002.]
{Entered 1/9/2003 EL}
12/5/2000: EROS SATELLITE LAUNCHED INTO ORBIT On 5 December 2000, the EROS-A1 satellite was launched into orbit from Svobodnyy
using a Start-1 rocket. The EROS-A1 is supposedly the first in a series
of satellites to be launched by
ImageSat International. ["IAI EROS A1 Commercial Satellite Successfully Launched," Israeli Aircraft
Industries LTD Web Site,
http://www.iai.co.il/,
5 December 2000.] {Entered 1/9/2003 EL}
12/24/1997: FIRST COMMERCIAL SATELLITE LAUNCHED FROM SVOBODNYY The Svobodnyy Cosmodrome launched its first commercial satellite on 24
December 1997 when it delivered the EarlyBird 1 into orbit.The
launch of the high-resolution remote sensing satellite was financed by the US company EarthWatch
(renamed DigitalGlobe
in 2001). [EarthWatch Incorporated News Release "EarthWatch Successfully Launches EarlyBird Imaging Satellite";
in
Florida
Today online edition,
http://www.floridatoday.com/,
25 December 1997.] {Entered 1/9/2003 EL}
3/4/1997: SVOBODNYY LAUNCHES ZEYA SATELLITE The first successful launch at Svobodnyy took place on 4
March 1997 when a Start-1 rocket (based on the Topol ICBM [NATO designation
SS-25 'Sickle']) delivered the experimental Zeya satellite into orbit. ["Svobodny Launch System, Russia," Space Technology Web Site,
http://www.space-technology.com/.]
{Entered 1/9/2003 EL}
Delivery Vehicle Facilities
