Vostochny Cosmodrome Site 1A

Summary

The Vostochny Cosmodrome Site-1A (Russian: Площадка-1A) is a launch complex currently under construction at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast, Russia. It will consist of a single pad for use by Angara rockets.[1] The launch complex is expected to be completed by December 2022 and is being constructed by Kazan Corporation.[2] By 8 October 2018, the entire area of the Angara launch pad was cleared of trees, an activity which began at the end of August 2018.[3]

Vostochny Cosmodrome Site 1A
Pad during construction, July 2020
Map
Launch siteVostochny Cosmodrome
Coordinates51°52′10″N 128°21′26″E / 51.86944°N 128.35722°E / 51.86944; 128.35722
OperatorRoscosmos
Launch pad(s)One
Launch history
StatusActive
Launches0
First launch9 April 2024 (Planned)
Angara A5 / Vostochny Angara Test Flight
Associated
rockets
Angara Rocket family

History edit

"Angara-A5V" rocket launch complex layout
 
 

On 23 November 2018, JSC Tyazhmash began to assemble the first metal structures for the cable filling tower, which will have 17 floors and consist of 44 elements. The mass of one element is about 30 tons, the height is 3.3 meters.[4] On 7 December 2018, a source in the rocket and space industry told the media that full-scale construction work would be launched from 2019 (earlier, in August 2017, Ruslan Mukhamedzhanov, general director of TsENKI NIISK affiliate, told the media that trenches could only be started after the ground was thawed spring warming).[5]) At the moment, there are various preparatory work. All construction works stipulated by the contract with the PSP "Kazan", which received positive positive conclusions of the Glavgosexpertiza in May 2018, are carried out in accordance with the schedule.[6]

On 23 January 2019, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, following a meeting on the financial and economic status of the state corporation Roskosmos and its subordinate organizations, told the media that the contract with the PSO Kazan was terminated by mutual agreement of the parties. Idle time in construction amounted to almost half a year, as a result of which the deadline for the delivery of the second line of the eastern line shifted in 2021, but not later than 2023. A new contractor will be hired for construction, and no plans are to be made to freeze the construction.[7]

On 30 May 2019 saw the actual start of construction.[8] On 4 June 2019, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin told the media that construction work had begun and work was being done to excavate the soil.[9] On 9 June 2019, a source at the Cosmodrome told the media that on 8 June 2019, builders began digging a pit under the second launch pad using excavators. On 26 July 2019, the head of Roskosmos Dmitry Rogozin told the media that the construction of the launch pad continues, despite heavy rains in the region for a month. On 22 August 2019, Roscosmos confirmed that there was no lag behind the schedule due to heavy rains: the contractor promptly implements the necessary water disposal measures.[10] On 29 August 2019, the head of TsENKI (Russian: ЦЭНКИ), Kirill Filenkov, told the media that factory tests of the support device of the first four floors of the cable-filling tower had been completed successfully and they began sending them to the spaceport. Dispatch will be completed on time with an estimated launch date for Angara-A5 in the fourth quarter of 2023.[11]

On 1 September 2019, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, announced on Twitter that on 2 September 2019, the foundation pit would begin concreting and 1.5 thousand cubic meters of concrete would be poured.[12] Also on 1 September 2019, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov in an interview with the media said that the Cabinet was dissatisfied with the pace of construction of the second stage. A change in the contractor is not ruled out: instead of the PSO Kazan, the second stage can be independently completed by a public law company that will unite all the construction assets of the Ministry of Defense. On 5 September 2019, a source in the rocket and space industry told the media that the facilities of the second stage - the launch under the Angara, the command post and the fuel storage - are being built ahead of schedule for a month. To erect a command post, a pit was dug and the concrete base was half-poured; for storage of fuel is the formation of beds under the tank.[13]

References edit

  1. ^ Zak, Anatoly. "Construction of 2nd launch pad at Vostochny Cosmodrome underway". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  2. ^ "Russia to build US$580 million launch pad for Angara carrier rocket by 2023". TASS. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Roskosmos to break ground at the new Angara pad". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Завод приступил к механообработке первых металлоконструкций для космодрома Восточный". Тяжмаш. Tyazhmash. 23 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Строить инфраструктуру для «Ангары» на Восточном начнут не раньше весны 2018 года". 16 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Источник: возведение пускового стола для "Ангары" на Восточном начнется в 2019 году". ТАСС. 7 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Для строительства второй очереди "Восточного" привлекут нового подрядчика". РИА Новости. 23 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Путин посетил строительную площадку второй очереди космодрома Восточный". РИА Новости. 6 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Рогозин сообщил о начале строительства второй очереди космодрома Восточный". TASS. 23 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Минобороны может самостоятельно достроить космодром "Восточный"". TASS. 26 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Первый пуск "Ангары" с космодрома Восточный намечен на 2023 год". РИА Новости. 28 August 2019.
  12. ^ "Минобороны может самостоятельно достроить космодром "Восточный"". TASS. 2 September 2019.
  13. ^ "Источник: стройка второй очереди космодрома Восточный идет с опережением графика". TASS. 5 September 2019.