Svobodny (russian: Свобо́дный) was a Russian

rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

launch site located approximately 15 km north of Svobodny, Amur Oblast. The cosmodrome was originally constructed as a launch site for intercontinental ballistic missiles called ''Svobodny-18''. It was initially selected as a replacement for Baikonur Cosmodrome in the

Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic ; kk, Қазақ Советтік Социалистік Республикасы) *1991: Republic of Kazakhstan (russian: Республика Казахстан; kk, Қазақстан Республикасы) , linking_name = the ...

, which became independent as

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However the development of Svobodny was subsequently ended in 2007 in favour of a totally new space port, the

Vostochny Cosmodrome The Vostochny Cosmodrome (russian: Космодром Восточный, ''Kosmodrom Vostochny'', "Eastern Spaceport") is a Russian spaceport (still partly under construction) above the 51st parallel north in the Amur Oblast, in the Russian ...

. The breakup of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

left the primary cosmodrome, to be used by the successor state

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, at Baikonur in a foreign country, Kazakhstan. An arrangement to rent the facilities for $115 million annually was arranged. Launches were moved to other facilities, like

Plesetsk Cosmodrome Plesetsk Cosmodrome ( rus, Космодром «Плесецк», r=Kosmodrom "Plesetsk", p=kəsmɐˈdrom plʲɪˈsʲet͡sk) is a Russian spaceport located in Mirny, Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km north of Moscow and approximately 200 ...

, but this location is too far north to be useful for many launches. Studies for a far-east location closer to the latitude of Baikonur started, and initially settled on the existing missile base at Svobodny. This was located near the railway station of

Ledyanaya Ledyanaya (russian: Ледяная, meaning "Icy"), is a peak in the Koryak Mountains. Administratively it is part of the Kamchatka Krai, Russian Federation.Google Earth This high mountain is the highest point of the Koryak Mountains. It is a ...

, and had been used for several decades by the 27th rocket division of Strategic Rocket Forces. In the summer of 1994 president Yeltsin visited the town of

Blagoveshensk Blagoveshchensk ( rus, Благове́щенск, p=bləgɐˈvʲeɕːɪnsk, meaning ''City of the Annunciation'') is a city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. It is located at the confluence of the Amur and the Zeya Rivers, o ...

and the modification of the launch pads in the site began shortly after. On 1 March 1996, the Russian president issued a decree formally declaring the site as a cosmodrome.Russian space chronology – from Yuri Gagarin to the international space station Launches from Svobodny began in 1997, primarily the '' Start-1'' type, converted ICBMs. The facilities can also host rockets of the

Rokot Rokot (russian: Рокот meaning ''Rumble'' or ''Boom''), also transliterated Rockot, was a Russian space launch vehicle that was capable of launching a payload of into a Earth orbit with 63° inclination. It was based on the UR-100N (SS- ...

(

SS-19 The UR-100N, also known as RS-18A is an intercontinental ballistic missile in service with Soviet and Russian Strategic Missile Troops. The missile was given the NATO reporting name SS-19 Stiletto and carries the industry designation 15A30. Deve ...

based) class. Only five launches have taken place at the underused Svobodny site (for a list of launches see Start-1 article), the best known to be the

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

EROS B The Earth Remote Observation System-B (EROS-B) is the second satellite launched in a series of the EROS family of Israeli commercial Earth observation satellites, designed and manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). It is owned and ...

satellite on 25 April 2006 aboard a Start class rocket. In 2005, after the lease renewal of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the

Russian Space Agency The State Space Corporation "Roscosmos" (russian: Государственная корпорация по космической деятельности «Роскосмос»), commonly known simply as Roscosmos (russian: Роскосмос) ...

decided it did not require a second space launch complex, and in February 2007 president

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

ordered Svobodny closed. In February 2007, a

presidential decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

formalized the closure of the launch facility in Svobodny. According to the Russian press, in the previous three years, government investments in Svobodny reached 350 million rubles.

References

External links

Launch site profile at Encyclopedia Astronautica
{{coord, 51, 42, N, 128, 00, E, type:landmark, display=title Rocket launch sites in Russia Military installations of Russia Spaceports Soviet and Russian space program locations Military installations of the Soviet Union

See also

References

External links