Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 133
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Launch site | Plesetsk Cosmodrome | ||||||||||||
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Location | 62°53′17″N40°50′57″E/ 62.88806°N 40.84917°E | ||||||||||||
Short name | Pu-133 | ||||||||||||
Operator | Russian Space Forces | ||||||||||||
Launch pad(s) | One | ||||||||||||
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Site 133,also known asRaduga[1](Russian:РадугаmeaningRainbow), is alaunch complexat thePlesetsk CosmodromeinRussia.It is used byRockot,and previouslyKosmoscarrier rockets.It consists of a single pad, originally designated 133/1, and later 133/3.
The first launch from Site 133 was of aKosmos-2I,on 16 March 1967, carrying theKosmos 148satellite. 91 Kosmos-2 launches were conducted, the last of which was on 18 June 1977, withKosmos 919.It was later reactivated as Site 133/3, and supported 38Kosmos-3Mlaunches between 1985 and 1994.
During the late 1990s, Site 133/3 was rebuilt as a surface launch pad for Rockot, following the decision to use it for commercial launches. There were concerns that noise generated during a launch fromSite 175at theBaikonur Cosmodrome,a silo-based complex, could cause vibrations that would damage the payload.
Rockots are wheeled up to the complex in a vertical position, and then the service tower is rolled around it. The payload is lifted by a crane and placed on top of the rocket.[2]The procedure is in contrast to many other Russian and Soviet rockets, which had traditionally been assembled horizontally and then transferred to the launch site via railways. The first Rockot launch from Site 133 took place on 16 May 2000,[2]orbiting theSimSat-1DemoSat.The last Rokot flight took place 26 December 2019, from Site 133. 31 Rockots in total were launched from the site.
References[edit]
- ^"Plesetsk".Permanent Mission in Russia.European Space Agency.2004-10-05.Retrieved2009-03-16.
- ^abHarvey, Brian (2007). "Launchers and engines".The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program(1st ed.). Germany: Springer.ISBN978-0-387-71354-0.
- Zak, Anatoly."Cosmodrome Plesetsk".RussianSpaceWeb.Retrieved2009-03-16.
- Wade, Mark."Plesetsk LC133/1".Encyclopedia Astronautica.Archived fromthe originalon 2010-10-29.Retrieved2009-03-16.
- Wade, Mark."Plesetsk LC133/3".Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-03-01.Retrieved2009-03-16.