OrbitalHub

Ego dixit:

“On April 28th 2016, a Soyuz-2.1a lifted off from Vostochny (Восточный) with three satellites: Lomonosov (Ломоносов), AIST-2D (Аист-2Д), and SamSat-218. This was the first launch from Vostochny. Construction of the cosmodrome began in January 2011 and it is expected to be completed in 2018.”

Wikipedia dixit:

“Vostochny (which means “eastern” in Russian) is in the Svobodny and Shimanovsk districts of Amur Oblast in the Russian Far East, on the watershed of the Zeya and Bolshaya Pyora rivers, approximately 600–800 km (370–500 mi) from the Pacific Ocean, depending on launch azimuth. The planned total area is 551.5 km2, being a region approximately 30 km in diameter centred on 51°53′N 128°20′E. The nearby train station is Ledyanaya and the nearest city is Tsiolkovsky. The cosmodrome’s latitude, 51° north, means that rockets will be able to carry almost the same amount of payload as they can when launched from Baikonur at 46°N. Other arguments for choosing this location include the ability to use sparsely populated areas and bodies of water for the rocket launch routes; proximity to major transportation networks such as the Baikal–Amur Mainline, the Chita–Khabarovsk Highway; abundance of electricity production resources in the area; and the infrastructure supporting the former Svobodny Cosmodrome, on which the new spaceport will be based. The site’s location in the Russian far eastern region allows for easier transport of materials to the site, and allows rockets to jettison their lower stages over the ocean. It was expanded as part of the plan of modernization of the supporting infrastructure. Putin said that among places offered was an area on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, near Vladivostok, but that experts recommended not to locate it there since the proximity to the ocean can create problems and delays in launches, and as a result the current place was chosen.

The new cosmodrome is to enable Russia to launch most missions from its own land, and to reduce Russia’s dependency on the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Currently, Baikonur is the only launch site operated by Russia with the capability to launch crewed missions to ISS or elsewhere. The Russian government pays a yearly rent of $115 million to Kazakhstan for its usage. Satellites bound for geostationary orbit and high inclination orbits can be currently launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwestern Russia. The new site is intended mostly for civilian launches. Roscosmos plans to move 45% of Russia’s space launches to Vostochny by 2020, while Baikonur’s share will drop from 65% to 11%, and Plesetsk will account for 44 percent. In a draft strategy, which was presented at a meeting of the club of friends of the cluster space technology and telecommunications fund “Skolkovo” and published in the official fund microblog on Twitter said that in 2011 the share of space launches from Russia’s territory stands at 25% today and by 2030 this figure will stand on 90%.”

Video credit: Roscosmos

NASA dixit:

“Two days after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the unpiloted Russian ISS Progress 62 cargo ship docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment at the International Space Station Dec. 23. Loaded with 2.8 tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 46 crew, the Progress reached the complex for an automated linkup following a two-day rendezvous deliberately planned to test upgraded software and telemetry systems. The newest Progress will remain attached to Pirs until early July.”

Video credit: NASA/Roscosmos

NASA dixit:

“After launching earlier in the day on Dec. 15 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 46-47 Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), NASA Flight Engineer Tim Kopra and Flight Engineer Tim Peake of the European Space Agency arrived at the International Space Station Dec. 15 following a four-orbit, six-hour rendezvous.”

Video credit: NASA/Roscosmos

NASA dixit:

“Six hours after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the unpiloted ISS Progress 61 cargo craft automatically docked to the International Space Station. After a series of pre-programmed rendezvous burns of its engines, the resupply vehicle linked up to the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module to deliver more than three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the six Expedition 45 crew members on the orbital laboratory. The new Progress will remain attached to Zvezda until early December.”

Video credit: NASA / Roscosmos

NASA dixit:

“On Sept. 12, the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft carrying Expedition 44 Commander Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Flight Engineers Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency and Aidyn Aimbetov of the Kazakh Space Agency (Kazcosmos) undocked from the International Space Station to begin the return journey home for the trio.”

Video credit: NASA/Roscosmos

NASA dixit:

“After launching on September 2 in their Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 45 Soyuz Commander Sergei Volkov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and visiting crew members Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency and Aidyn Aimbetov of the Kazakh Space Agency (Kazcosmos) arrived at the International Space Station on Sept. 4. They docked their craft to the Poisk module on the Russian segment of the complex.”

Video credit: Roscosmos/NASA