Site 41 was a complex of three launch pads at the

Baikonur Cosmodrome The Baikonur Cosmodrome is a spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan. Located in the Kazakh city of Baikonur, it is the largest operational space launch facility in terms of area. All Russian Human spaceflight, crewed spaceflights are l ...

originally built for flight testing of Intercontinental

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...

(ICBMs) using storable propellant. The need to develop such missiles was determined by low-tactical-technical and operational characteristics of the first Soviet ICBM R-7 created by the

OKB-1 S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation "Energia" () is a Russian manufacturer of spacecraft and space station components. Its name is derived from the Russian word for energy and is also named for Sergei Korolev, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, th ...

under the guidance of

Sergei Pavlovich Korolev Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (14 January 1966) was the lead Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer during the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s. He invented the R-7 Rocket, Sputnik 1, and w ...

. May 13, 1959 by a special decree of the Central Committee of the

CPSU The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

and the CM of the design Bureau «Yuzhnoye» (Chief designer- Mikhail K. Yangel) assigned to develop an Intercontinental

on storable components of propellant, which has received designation R-16 and index – 8К64 . Together with 41 platform built platform No. 42 – technical and No. 43 – for residing of serving military personnel and representatives of the industry.

Construction of the site

In the second half of 1959,

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

work began on the construction of the forties site

Construction of pad for IBR R-16, consisting of the two launches, was entrusted E. I. Nikolaev. Thousands of employees of military engineers and civil subcontracting organizations, UPR Durova D. day and night worked with wholeheartedly. On the home page and technical exchanges were first ready-made premises and facilities. They began to mount the equipment. In April 1960 began construction of roads. In the month of may there were opportunities to resettle some of the soldiers in the capital, stone barracks, were ready hostel for officers-builders and customers. The supervision of construction and landfill everything was done to make life easier for a large mass of people. In August the construction work on the sites 41, 42, 43 were completed. And by 17 October 1960 and equipment erection works on objects of sites No. 41, 42 and 43 were finished.

Operation of the site

26 September 1960 at the

Baikonur Baikonur ( ; ) is a city in Kazakhstan on the northern bank of the Syr Darya river. It is currently leased and administered by the Russian Federation as an enclave until 2050. It was constructed to serve the Baikonur Cosmodrome with adminis ...

cosmodrome came the first flight of the rocket product 8К64 No. LSD1-ST. In September 1960, was approved by the state Commission for the flight tests of ICBMs R-16. The

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the Commission was appointed Deputy Minister of defence Commander-in-chief of the strategic missile forces Chief Marshal of artillery and rocket forces M. I. Nedelin, the technical leader tests – Chief designer of

OKB-586 The ''Pivdenne'' Design Office (), located in Dnipro, Ukraine, is a designer of satellites and rockets, and formerly of Soviet Union, Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), established by Mikhail Yangel. During the Soviet era, the bu ...

- Mikhail K. Yangel. Until October 20, were carried out complex tests of all systems of the rocket in the Assembly-test complex, and on the morning of 21 October 1960 rocket was rolled out from Assembly and testing facility and delivered to the 41-St platform. 21 and 22 October been held under the prelaunch preparation of the docking head, lifting and installation of the rocket on the launch pad, communication connection and testing of all systems. 23 October missile was filled with the propellant components and compressed gases. By decision of state Commission rocket launch was appointed by 19:00 on October 23. But the identified faults forced Госкомиммию postpone the start of a rocket on October 24. First half of the day on October 24, would eliminate the defects. Around 18:45, was declared a 30-minute readiness for launch and started exhibiting in zero software токораспределителя. Occurred unauthorized starting of the engine of the second stage. Fiery stream destroyed the tanks of the oxidant and fuel in the first stage. An avalanche burning lasted about 20 seconds, after which the remains of the units and buildings were burnt down in two hours. Due to th
accident
site No. 4

was completely destroyed, killed 78 people and 42 people injured Nedelin catastrophe">[3 In October 1998 at the initiative of the commander in/h 44275 of Tomczuk V.

the

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

s of the 1st center Baikonur cosmodrome on the 41st floor was installed monument to the tester

Literature

"Rockets and people"
– Boris Chertok, B. E. Chertok, M: "mechanical engineering", 1999. ;
«At risk»
– A. A. Toul,

Kaluga Kaluga (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia. It stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Its population was 337,058 at the 2021 census. Kaluga's most famous residen ...

, "the Golden path", 2001.
«A breakthrough in space»
, – Konstantin Vasilyevich Gerchik, M: LLC "Veles", 1994. * Harford, James. ''Korolev – How One Man Masterminded the Soviet Drive to Beat America to the Moon''.

John Wiley & Sons John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Publishing, publishing company that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company was founded in 1807 and pr ...

, Inc., New York, 1997. pp 119–120. * "Testing of rocket and space technology – the business of my life" Events and facts – A.I. Ostashev, Korolyov, 200

* "Baikonur. Korolev. Yangel." – M. I. Kuznetsk,

Voronezh Voronezh ( ; , ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects wes ...

: IPF "Voronezh", 1997, * "Look back and look ahead. Notes of a military engineer" – Rjazhsky A. A., 2004, SC. first, the publishing house of the "Heroes of the Fatherland" . * "Unknown Baikonur" – edited by B. I. Posysaeva, M.: "globe", 2001. * "Rocket and space feat Baikonur" – Vladimir Порошков, the "Patriot" publishers 2007. * "Bank of the Universe" – edited by Boltenko A. C.,

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, 2014., publishing house "Phoenix", * "We grew hearts in Baikonur" – Author: Eliseev V. I. M: publisher OAO MPK in 2018,

External links

Strategic rocket complex of the R-16 missile 8К64(Р-16У/8К64У)
IP "Rockets"
Day when not start missiles. Part one

Day when not start missiles. Part two

// RussianSpaceWeb.com

// The disaster at Baikonur
The official website of the city administration Baikonur
// Baikonur commemorated a test rocket and space technology.
The Russian Union Of Veterans
// Day of memory and grief.

// 24 October, the Day of remembrance of the victims of the missile. {{Baikonur Cosmodrome launch sites Baikonur Cosmodrome