Editing Plesetsk Cosmodrome (section)

== History ==
[[File:На космодроме Плесецк (3).png|thumb|left|Administrative buildings at the cosmodrome]]
[[File:На космодроме Плесецк (2).png|thumb|left|Soyuz rocket in the assembly and test building of the cosmodrome]]
[[File:На космодроме Плесецк (1).png|thumb|left|Soyuz rocket being transported to the launch pad]]
[[File:Plesetsk to Kura.jpg|thumb|General trajectory of missiles from Plesetsk to the [[Kura Missile Test Range]]]]
[[File:Plesetsk launch site 3.jpg|thumb|1967 photo of the Cosmodrome taken by a US spy satellite]]

Plesetsk Cosmodrome was originally developed by the [[Soviet Union]] as a launch site for [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]s under the leadership and supervision of lieutenant general [[Galaktion Alpaidze]]. On 11 January 1957, the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] government passed the resolution about the foundation of a special military object with the secret name "Angara". This secret object had to be situated in [[Plesetsky District|Plesetsk District]], Arkhangelsk Oblast. It was named after the town of [[Plesetsk]]. The first Soviet Combat formation of intercontinental ballistic missiles [[R-7 (missile)|R-7]] of general designer [[Sergei Korolev]] had to be located in that place, in thick northern [[taiga]] to the south of Arkhangelsk. The official birthday of the proving ground was 15 July 1957. That day Colonel Gregorjev assumed his post as the missile unit commander. By 15 July 1961, four missile complexes for R-7 ICBMs were at combat status.

In January 1963, a joint decision of the [[Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] and the [[USSR Council of Ministers]] created the "Research Proving Ground missile and space weapons USSR Ministry of Defense" near the Ilez railway station, [[Velsky District]] of Arkhangelsk Oblast. In the summer of 1963, the state leadership decided to use the Plesetsk launch facilities for launching spacecraft. In September 1963, the Council of Ministers of the USSR 3rd ALM and NIIP converted to "53 minutes Research Proving Ground". Three test management, employees of combat duty, tests of rocket and space complexes, holding and processing of telemetry and trajectory measurements.

And from 1964, on the basis of rocket connection started the establishment of research proving ground missiles and space weapons. Such conversion were the favourable geographical location and a significant number of systems already deployed by the end of 1964 were on duty, four launchers R-7A, seven PU P-16U, and three PU R-9A. Since then, the landfill has developed in two directions: rocket and space.

17 March 1966 was the space birthday of Plesetsk. That day was the first missile launching of the rocket booster [[Vostok (rocket family)|Vostok]] with space vehicle [[Kosmos 112]]. Since that time, the rocket base "Angara" has become Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Construction started in 1957 and it was declared operational for [[R-7 (rocket family)|R-7 rockets]] in December 1959. The urban-type settlement of [[Plesetsk]] in Arkhangelsk Oblast had a railway station, essential for the transport of missile components. A new town for the support of the facility was named [[Mirny, Arkhangelsk Oblast|Mirny]], Russian for "peaceful". By 1997, more than 1,500 launches to space had been made from the site, more than from any other launch facility, although the usage has declined significantly since the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Because Plesetsk was used primarily for military launches, especially [[Zenit (satellite)|Zenit]] photo[[reconnaissance satellite]]s, which were launched in large numbers during the 1970s-80s, the USSR did not admit to its existence, but it was discovered by British physics teacher [[Geoffrey Perry]] and his students at [[Kettering Grammar School]], who carefully analysed the orbit of the Kosmos 112 satellite in 1966 and deduced it had not been launched from [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]]. [[Meteor (satellite)|Meteor 1-2]] satellite launch from Plesetsk on 6 October 1969 was one of the earliest launches observed and photographed from [[Finland]]. After the end of the [[Cold War]], it was learned that the [[CIA]] had begun to suspect the existence of an [[ICBM]] launch site at Plesetsk in the late 1950s. The Soviet Union did not officially admit the existence of Plesetsk Cosmodrome until 1983.

[[File:Soyuz 2.1b GLONASS-K2 13L launch 04.jpg|thumb|A [[Soyuz-2.1b]] rocket being prepared for launch from [[Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43|Site 43/3]], August&nbsp;2023]]

The use of the cosmodrome will likely increase in the future since there are concerns with security in operating the [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] in now-independent [[Kazakhstan]], which demands rent for its continued use. Plesetsk is not ideally suited for low inclination or geostationary launches because of its high latitude of 62° north (as compared to the [[Centre Spatial Guyanais]] at 5° north or the [[Kennedy Space Center]] at 28° 31' north). In addition, the high latitude means that lift capacity for boosters launched from Plesetsk is slightly lower than Baikonur launches. By the 2000s, Russia had completely phased out military launches from Baikonur. With some exeptions if for example the Proton M launcher is needed 

[[File:The second test launch of Angara-A5 from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.jpg|thumb|The second test launch of an [[Angara A5]] rocket from [[Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 35|Site 35/1]], December&nbsp;2020]] 

The new all-Russian [[Angara (rocket)|Angara]] rocket was designed to be launched primarily from Plesetsk (and also eventually from the [[Vostochny Cosmodrome]]).<ref name=sfn-20140709>{{cite news|url=http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1407/09angara/|title=First Angara rocket launched on suborbital test flight|author=Stephen Clark|publisher=Spaceflight Now|date=9 July 2014|access-date=10 July 2014|archive-date=23 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023025400/https://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1407/09angara/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2007, a new ICBM, called the [[RS-24 (ICBM)|RS-24]] has been tested and launched there, and is seen as eventually replacing the aging RS-18/[[UR-100N]]s (SS-19 Stiletto) and RS-20/[[R-36M]]s (SS-18 Satan) that are the backbone of Russia's missile forces.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/russia-test-launches-new-intercontinental-ballistic-missile|title=Russia Test-Launches New Intercontinental Ballistic Missile|publisher=Fox|date=7 December 2011|access-date=29 May 2007|archive-date=29 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071229064817/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,276014,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2011, [[Russian Aerospace Defence Forces|Space Forces]] spokesman Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin said Russia will spend over 5 billion rubles (US$170 million) on the development and expansion of the cosmodrome in 2011. This includes the reconstruction of a local motorway and modernising the energy supply system. New facilities will be built, including a dormitory and hospital.<ref name=rn-20110907>{{cite news|url=http://en.ria.ru/russia/20110907/166507393.html|title=Russia to sink $170 mln into Plesetsk space center|newspaper=RIA Novosti|date=7 September 2011|access-date=12 July 2014|archive-date=27 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727125434/http://en.ria.ru/russia/20110907/166507393.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[PL-19 Nudol]] anti-ballistic missile systems are located at the Cosmodrome, at the former launch site of the [[Tsyklon-2]] rocket.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}