Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome (updates)

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Just a few extra's....

Vostochny Cosmodrome’s First Launch Slated for December 2015

[Via Satellite 08-21-2015] Russia is pushing to have the first launch mission from the Vostochny Space Center conducted by December this year, according to an Aug. 20 statement from the Russian government. The government has created and approved a list of the minimal number of launch facilities and a plan including specific deadlines for commissioning the facility, assembling the launch vehicle, installing its payload and delivering them to the space center. The first mission is a Soyuz 2 launch.

Russia’s Enterprises of the Federal Agency for Special Construction, Spetsstroy Rossii, is building the Vostochny Space Center in Russia’s Far East. Vostochny has received increased scrutiny to prevent the project from falling behind schedule. The Russian government has allocated almost 188 billion rubles ($2.74 billion based on Aug. 2015 conversion rates) to what it considers the country’s most ambitious national construction project in terms of funding and labor. This funding is for the first stage of Vostochny.

 

 http://www.satellitetoday.com/launch/2015/08/21/vostochny-cosmodromes-first-launch-slated-for-december-2015/

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Students from Crimea pitch in to build Russia’s Vostochny spaceport

Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev used the presence of 1,179 students at the site in the Amur Region in Russia’s Far East to underline the importance of the space centre, which he called Russia’s “most ambitious national construction project”.

However, during a visit to the busy site last week he strongly criticised the project for falling behind in building homes for the people who will eventually run the space centre.

While complex rocket launch pads appear nearly finished, local housing is only 30% complete ahead of the government-set deadline of December this year, Medvedev said, calling the lag “inadmissible”.

“Have we forgotten how to build housing?” he challenged project officials, according to a transcript of his remarks published by the Russian government.

The Federal Agency for Special Construction, known in Russian as Spetsstroy Rossii, is responsible for 20 different contracts including the launch pads and technical complex, the operations base, a meteorological complex, fuel depots, water-supply, roads, railways and other infrastructure.

In all 8,500 people including the students are working on the vast site in two shifts, without days off, in preparation for the first rocket launch planned for December.

The students, from 32 regions across Russia, are installing curbs and drainage gutters, tying fixtures, pouring concrete and laying bricks, plastering and painting, building roads and doing other auxiliary jobs.

It’s the fourth year students have been brought in to help, but this year’s “Vostochny Cosmodrome national student construction team” has set a record in terms of both the number of participants and duration of work, the government said.

And for the first time, students have come from Sevastopol, Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in March last year following a referendum.

Medvedev highlighted the importance of the students’ participation by calling the cosmodrome a “national student-sponsored construction project”.

The project has come under repeated attacks by the government for delays, alleged contractor embezzlement and staff payment problems, although Medvedev told reporters last week that the cosmodrome now appeared to have entered the “home stretch”.

But he expressed dissatisfaction with how the general civil projects were proceeding, especially the residential construction.
“These are simple facilities and they must be built quickly,” he said.

“We have these hugely complex launch pads, and they seem to be virtually completed,” he told the meeting with Spetsstroy.

“They feature cutting edge engineering solutions and a tremendous amount of complex structures. But have we forgotten how to build housing?”

 

http://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/students-crimea-pitch-b7u7i7ld-russias-vostochny/

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Russian PM urges to ensure successful launch from Vostochny cosmodrome

 

KURILSK /Iturup island/, August 22. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday it was more important to carry out a successful rocket launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome under construction in the Far East than to meet deadlines for putting the new space launch centre into operation, although deadlines were also key to the project’s success.

“There are certain deadlines and Russia’s state corporation Roscosmos is guided by these deadlines,” Medvedev told TASS. “As for launches, it is the state corporation’s other responsibility. We should avoid making mistakes here and we should do our best for the launch to be successful. This is more important than deadlines. However, nobody has changed the existing deadlines.”

“It seems that we are entering the final stage of the first part in the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome,” Medvedev added.

The Vostochny cosmodrome is being built near the town of Uglegorsk in the Amur region. The spaceport, which has been under construction since 2010, is scheduled to be built by November 30, 2015.

Vostochny will comprise two launch platforms, an airfield, facilities for crew members’ pre-launch preparation, oxygen-nitrogen and hydrogen plants, 115 kilometres of roadway and 125 kilometres of rail track.

 

http://timberexec.co.uk/russian-pm-urges-to-ensure-successful-launch-from-vostochny-cosmodrome/

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Recent photo....Things are progressing well for the Soyuz complex. Flame trench nearing completion, cladding going on the MMS, light standards are up and lightning towers almost done.

Later......

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Few more shots .......

Later...

 

[Unobscured Vision]

Nice, DD. Love the stuff you're finding for the new Cosmodrome. Can't wait to see them getting hardware uphill.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

The Soyuz 2.1 launch facilities appear to be coming along quite well, and they may  make the December launch.....

 The first rocket to be launched from Vostochny is to be the Soyuz-2.1a, made by the Progress Rocket and Space Centre. The carrier rocket will place into orbit the Samara satellite Aist-2, the SamSat-218 nanosatellite of the Samara State Aerospace University and the Lomonosov satellite of Moscow State University (MGU).

 

 http://tass.ru/en/non-political/798698

ILS has begun to market the lighter Angara 1.2 for 2017.....

Russia’s new Angara space rocket will make its commercial debut in 2017, with the company responsible for selling it on the global market announcing that it is actively marketing the rocket in the hopes of regaining Russia’s lost dominance in the commercial space race.

International Launch Services (ILS), a Virginia-based subsidiary of Russia’s Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center that is responsible for selling certain Russian rockets to international customers, announced last week that the Angara 1.2 rocket will be available to customers in two years.

ILS is best known for selling Russia’s Soviet-designed Proton-M rocket for commercial satellite launches. Until last year, the firm enjoyed a 30 percent share of the market, but a series of Proton launch failures and the conflict in Ukraine has eroded their position.

The Angara announcement has been carefully timed. The U.S. space industry unseated Russia as the dominant market player in 2014, taking a 50 percent of new launch contracts and a market share of 40 percent.

However, satellite providers are itching for a third option in a market dominated by the California-based SpaceX and France’s Arianespace launch firm.

 

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russias-new-angara-rocket-launches-on-global-market/526126.html

From reading many articles on the Soyuz pad, several common factors have been mentioned. The pad and flame trench are of standard design, but really beefed up...capable of launching any Soyuz. The other factor being Vostochny to guarantee Russian access to space from their own country, which only makes sense to not rely on "rental sites".

Vostochny  construction is now directly controlled by the government, by decree, with a major emphasis on completion in stages. The first stage will be completed with the Soyuz 2.1 launch at the end of 2015. The second phase is the two Angara launch pads, one for all generic Angara 1.2 to Angara 5 variants, and one pad for Angara 5. The airport, on a second contract, may commence at this time as well. The third phase is for the Angara manned and super heavy variants. The three phases are also tied to three phases of residential construction.

http://www.tsenki.com/en/projects/russian/cosmodrome_vost/

ILS will make the Angara 5 commercial variant available in 2021

According to the company, the heavy Angara A5 — which can lift up to 25 tons — will be available to customers “in the 2021 time frame, following completion of the Vostochny Cosmodrome launch site located in eastern Russia,” the statement said.

 

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russias-new-angara-rocket-launches-on-global-market/526126.html

The Russian Space industry is well aware of the competition

The Angara announcement has been carefully timed. The U.S. space industry unseated Russia as the dominant market player in 2014, taking a 50 percent of new launch contracts and a market share of 40 percent.

However, satellite providers are itching for a third option in a market dominated by the California-based SpaceX and France’s Arianespace launch firm.

The Angara rocket family is based on a modern modular approach to rocket design that allows the size of the rocket to be tailored to the weight of its payload — an approach also featured in the design of the Falcon family of rockets designed by California-based SpaceX.

“The Angara system is scalable to meet various performance requirements, and the use of common technology will create production efficiencies in the factory,” Khrunichev CEO Andrei Kalinovsky was quoted as saying in an ILS statement. “This translates into cost savings for customers,” he added.

 

SpaceX is marketing its Falcon 9 light launch and Falcon Heavy rockets at prices ranging from $60 to $90 million per launch. The company promises to drastically reduce its prices if it succeeds in perfecting techniques to reuse parts of its rockets.

ILS announced the debut of the Angara 1.2 soon after a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch failure in June, which will ground the U.S. company for a few months. SpaceX’s backlog is also tied up with NASA contracts and other large orders from satellite operators.

This leaves satellite operators with fewer options for launch services, and they are looking for a third option to diversify away from SpaceX and Arianespace, which have pushed out ILS to form a market duopoly.

Last month, the heads of Luxembourg-based SES and France’s Eutelsat, two of the world’s three largest satellite operators, said they would do whatever it takes to support the emergence of a third launch provider to ensure that they have more options if SpaceX or Arianespace rockets are unavailable either due to a launch failure or high demand, SpaceNews reported.

 

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russias-new-angara-rocket-launches-on-global-market/526126.html

The Angara family is now front and center for development to replace several Russian platforms. The lead time is 10 years for Vostochny and the Angara series development of a modular system and a human rated launcher as well....hence the 2 Angara pads right away in 2016. The best part is the bigger series. We have heard little of the Angara 7...because it is now being deemed in the Angara 5V series and the super heavy will have another designation....and a real heavy...

Deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin, now in charge of the development of the space complex, said of the super-heavy rocket development: 'The president has given the preliminary go-ahead to begin work on this project.'

He stated: 'This means that, after developing the entire family of the Angara rockets - the light, middle, and heavy classes - we will switch to creating rockets of an absolutely different class, not the 7, 15, and 25 tonne-ones, but 120-150-tonne ones.'

The timescale means that these rockets will be created 'after 2020', he said. 

Putin criticised delays in the work on the space complex, which has been blamed on a shortage of manpower.

'In the future, the capacity of the cosmodrome will be expanded ... to be used to realise programmes to explore the Moon, Mars and other space objects,' he said.

 

http://siberiantimes.com/other/others/news/new-super-heavy-rockets-to-launch-from-russian-far-east-cosmodrome-to-mars-and-beyond/

Here, the 5V is the Angara 7...just put in a series for development

 

He explained that the project "Angara" is developing today in three ways. First - it is bringing today's "Angara" - where, according to Koptev, there are over than to work. Second - this is a project "Cupid" - device "Angara" for starts with Far Eastern cosmodrome "East". The third - is the development of a heavy version of "Angara-A5V" in the 34-35 tons and the creation of a second launch pad at the "East". The first launch "Angara-A5V" could take place in 2022.

 

http://www.rg.ru/2015/03/24/angara-site.html

Therefore the Angara family will be the full range...and the time scale is for proper development at Vostochny...hence the 2 pads in 2016, and the 3rd phase for a super heavy pad system.

They want to replace the old launcher systems, modernize to modular systems similar to SpaceX, and know they have to compete with the young guns. This, in my opinion, is just being smart, do the development, and stay with the long term plan of a lunar landing.

This will be exciting to watch as the Angara pads get built and they get down to development....exciting times ahead, once the Vostochny construction is over...

(pages were translated)

To date, place one test launch "Angara-A5". The missile was launched from the launch complex of the universal December 23, 2014. The payload has a mass-dimensional cargo. Usually, when tested, even the most recent version of the heavy-class rocket, the same "atlas", "delta", "Ariana", they are displayed on a low orbit."Angara-5" flew directly into geostationary. Why is that? It was decided to work once the whole route of flight. And this is good. But, by the way, experts say that once flew so high, it was possible to deliver and the real spacecraft.

As noted by Yuri Koptev, NTS Roskosmos called for the drafting of the launch vehicle "Angara-A5V" and its possible adaptation to future transportation and manned spacecraft for the lunar program. And it is possible that manned flights to the moon will take place in two stages - with the "transfer" in orbit. Yuri Koptev said that during the launch of "dvuhpuskovoy scheme" astronauts in Earth orbit will change to the flight center, which will deliver them directly to the surface of the moon. 

 http://www.rg.ru/2015/03/24/angara-site.html

Later....

[Unobscured Vision]

Wow .. it's smart and ambitious. I'm sure they had plans for most of this going back to the 90's, but the fall of the USSR derailed all of that. It's good to see that they've updated and modernized it all, tossed aside what they didn't need to do, and went straight into the buildup for manned Lunar Missions.

I hope they succeed. I know we all hope they succeed. Humanity does not need any more lollygagging, delaying, setbacks, excuses, or half-measures. Geopolitical nonsense never should factor into Space Exploration, because in the end it's just a big pi**ing contest that nobody wins. I'm pleased that we're moving past it, finally.

Now the United States needs a President who sees the benefit of Space the way Putin does. And yes, if Donald Trump is the nominee, I'm voting for HIM. There's lots of money to be made in Space, and Trump knows it. He'll push Space like nobody we've ever seen on that basis, along with the Scientific and Engineering advances that come with it.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Wow .. it's smart and ambitious. I'm sure they had plans for most of this going back to the 90's, but the fall of the USSR derailed all of that. It's good to see that they've updated and modernized it all, tossed aside what they didn't need to do, and went straight into the buildup for manned Lunar Missions.

I hope they succeed. I know we all hope they succeed. Humanity does not need any more lollygagging, delaying, setbacks, excuses, or half-measures. Geopolitical nonsense never should factor into Space Exploration, because in the end it's just a big pi**ing contest that nobody wins. I'm pleased that we're moving past it, finally.

Now the United States needs a President who sees the benefit of Space the way Putin does. And yes, if Donald Trump is the nominee, I'm voting for HIM. There's lots of money to be made in Space, and Trump knows it. He'll push Space like nobody we've ever seen on that basis, along with the Scientific and Engineering advances that come with it.

Went to reply and got dumped off site for maintenance for a few hours.........

It makes a lot of sense now. First they need their own site, not rentals. Then they use what they have to pay the bills while the Angara family takes shape. As the models are proven, dump the old ones. They know ArianeSpace is not going in full reuseable. They know Boeing/ULA/Orbital are really dragging things out and will likely not be able to compete in the near future. India is growing a home system and China are doing their own thing for now. This leaves SpaceX, Blue Origin, Russia and a handful of small sat launchers for the real competition. The emphasis is on Vostochny...and once construction ends, full Angara time. The 2 Angara pads for Angara 1.2 /5 and Angara 5 are 2nd phase, meaning importance, starting after the Soyuz sat launch in December 2015. They did not build this site to construct 40 year old shells....they have a plan, and that plan is to stay viable with the young guns to take their share of the market and attain their vision.

This goes to show how much impact SpaceX has had on a global scale. Modular design, reusability and the competitive edge to act. Actions speak louder than words and in my opinion, Russia is going to be there like they have always been.

I admit to being a SpaceX fan, but I am really impressed with what they are doing and am definitely cheering them on......

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Update goodies....

Last years "mockup" for the dual Angara pads at Vostochny

MST shots

Soyuz pad

The next bunch of video's shows conceptional use...initial construction...and types of modern equipment used....Russian language, some with subtitles...

They give one the idea of what this site is about....informative

Cosmodrome Vostochny from within: from the rocket flight   video 4:29 min

 

cosmodrome Vostochny launching pad August 18, 2015  video 2:07 min
 

 

Spaceport East is preparing to launch the first ahead of schedule  video is 2:12 min

 

 

Military acceptance, "We are building a spaceport" video is 38:11 min

 

 

Later......

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Stumbled across a few gems......

First Soyuz 2 being shipped to Vostokny on Sunday, September 6, 2015....this will be the one launching in December 2015

A space launch vehicle, the Soyuz-2 will be the first to be sent to new cosmodrome in Russia, Vostochny, located in Siberia. The Soyuz -2 will leave the factory on Sunday, according to Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Dmitry Rogozin.

The launch vehicle to take off for the first time at the end of 2015. According to the graph, the works in Baikonur should be completed by November 30.

 

http://br.sputniknews.com/ciencia_tecnologia/20150905/2046433.html

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Angara A5V which has been slated for 2021, may be ready in 4 years.....

The first prototype of the new manned spacecraft, to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) and to the moon in a new rocket launcher Angara A5V from the Baikonur Vostochny, can be developed by 2019, informed RIA Novosti the president of the corporation Space Energya, Vladimir Solntsev, during the International Aerospace Salon MAKS 2015.

 

 

"We agreed with the builders that let's hurry ie reduce the time to develop and produce the first copy of this spacecraft. Despite the fact that we announce 2021 as the date of production and the first release of this ship, we plan to do it already in 2019 and I think we can do this, "said Solntsev.

According to the president of space corporation Energya, manned transport spacecraft new generation that is being prepared by the corporation will be used to carry astronauts and cargo to the moon or orbital stations.

 

http://br.sputniknews.com/mundo/20150831/1996010.html

Good news all around....... 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Soyuz-2 rockets for Vostochny Cosmodrome

Artist rendering of the Soyuz-2 rocket on the launch pad in Vostochny.

To emphasize the political importance of Russia's new space port, the very first rocket departing Vostochny is expected to provide spectacular "selfies" of its ascent into orbit.

 

Four exterior TV cameras and associated avionics developed for Soyuz rockets based in Vostochny. Credit: NPO IT

 

Specifically for its use in Vostochny, the Soyuz-2 rocket was expected to get modest internal upgrades to enable the fueled vehicle to remain on the launch pad for up to 100 hours and to withstand the rigors of transportation of up to 10,000 kilometers. The rocket stages were expected travel by rail for around 6,600 kilometers from their manufacturing plant in Samara in Southern Russia to the Russian Far East.

Soyuz rockets built for launches from Vostochny would also be equipped with special valves to drain excess propellant to the outside of the Mobile Service Tower, MBO, to prevent dangerous concentration of oxygen vapors in its interior.

Additionally, Vostochny-based Soyuz-2 rockets would carry four TV cameras in hardened cases on the exterior of the rocket. Looking down from the top of the vehicle, the cameras could shoot spectacular live videos of the launch from a unique vantage point of the ascending vehicle. Known as Onboard Video Control System, BSVK, the camera network was developed at NPO IT in Moscow and was first publicly demonstrated at the Moscow Air and Space Show in August 2015. The BSVK would be eventually installed on Soyuz-ST rockets flying from Kourou, French Guiana, and on "regular" Soyuz rockets launched from Baikonur andPlesetsk.

In 2015, RKTs Progress also announced that in the anticipation of the first launch from Vostochny, Soyuz-2.1a rockets had also received more compact and more efficient flight control computers. The same upgrades also enabled to reduce the onboard cabling within the vehicle's flight control system. Finally, new long-functioning non-rechargeable chemical batteries had been installed, TsSKB Progress said.

 

 

As of beginning of 2015, all testing of the first Soyuz-2 rocket for Vostochny had to be completed in May 2015 to enable the shipment of the vehicle to the launch site at the beginning of the following month. The June delivery date was re-confirmed during a chief designer meeting at RKTs Progress in Samara on April 16, 2015.

However, in reality, even if the rocket had been ready on time, there was no place to put it in Vostochny, because the construction of processing facilities in Vostochny lagged behind frivolous deadlines. The first rocket was finally prepared for shipment to Vostochny on Sept. 6, 2015. The 6,600-kilometer journey was expected to take 21 days. As of August, the politically fixed launch date for the first mission still remained fixed to Dec. 25, 2015

 

Credit: RKTs Progress

 The first stage booster and and a second-stage tank for the first Soyuz-2 rocket bound for Vostochny are being prepared for transportation in Samara at the end of August 2015. Click to enlarge. Credit: RKTs Progress

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/soyuz2-vostochny.html

Later.....

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Vostochny's processing area features new architecture

 

At the future Russian space center in Vostochny, all preparations of rockets and spacecraft before their roll out to the launch pad will be conducted at a special facility identified as Technical Area, or Tekhnicheskaya Pozitsiya, TP, located at Site 2. Although it has been a traditional feature for many launch sites around the world, the processing facility at Vostochny was conceived to have a truly innovative architecture.

 

 
 Interpretive drawing of processing facilities in Vostochny projected on the October 2012 satellite image of Site 2. Copyright © 2013 Anatoly Zak

The rocket and spacecraft preparation facility

Traditionally, Russian launch sites had separate processing and assembly facilities for each type of rocket. In many cases, a full complement of support infrastructure would have to be built even for individual launch pads. These large and expensive facilities were often sprawling over a considerable area, all requiring their own roads, communications lines, personnel and residential areas. In contrast, for Vostochny, developers at OAO Ipromashprom, (the main architectural contractor on the project), designed a single centralized processing and assembly hub, which would consolidate all preparation activities of the space center. Rockets of various sizes and their payloads would still be prepared inside their custom-built work sites, or modules, however they would all be located next to each other and linked by a single hallway known as "transborder gallery". Such an innovative solution promised to minimize the volume of each individual building, eliminate the duplication of support infrastructure, keep all spacecraft preparation activities under one roof and enable future expansion of the facility.

 

 

Rocket assembly building, MIK RN

 

The main building of the processing complex, MIK RN, is dedicated to the assembly of launch vehicles. It is equipped with with a pair of dual cranes spanning 40-meter width of the facility and capable of lifting up to 100 tons each. The cranes move just below the ceiling of the building 27 meters above the floor. On the floor, the building has a total of 510 meters of rail lines.

On one end, the processing building is connected to the rocket stage storage facility, on another to the transborder gallery. The main hall of the building is flanked by several floors of administrative, support and testing rooms.

 

Spacecraft processing building, MIK KA

The spacecraft processing building has specialized work sites for processing and handling various satellites, upper stages and payload sections integrated under the payload fairing. The facility was equipped with high level of climate control and filtration systems to ensure clean environment for sensitive sensors onboard the spacecraft.

A pair of 50-ton cranes built in St. Petersburg was located 34 meters above the floor and span 42 meters.

The main assembly hall of the building was flanked by seven floors of administrative and support rooms.

Fueling and neutralization station, ZNS

On the opposite end from the transborder gallery, the spacecraft processing building is flanked by the the ZNS station. It was designed specifically for fueling of the spacecraft prior to their mating with the launch vehicles, which required to include this facility into the first phase of construction to be completed before the end of 2015. In addition to storage for hazardous propellants, the ZNS building also included means for collecting and neutralization of industrial waste and hazardous vapors. Floors of the three-story, climate-controlled facility were paved with special acid-resistant tiles.

 

 Transborder gallery

Transborder gallery

The main transfer hallway (transborder gallery) also designated GP-12 and developed at KB Motor had a total area of 10,000 square meters. It would sport a pair of giant movable platforms or "transborders." Weighing 200-ton and measuring 6 by 28 meters, this truss structures would shuttle back and forth along rail tracks on four dual bogies. After a spacecraft or a rocket component had completed the processing inside its work site, it would roll onto the platform, which would then transfer it to the main assembly hall for final integration. (619)

According to the original plans approved in 2010, the half-a-kilometer-long transfer hallway would be connected to the south sides of four processing buildings:

• The satellite, upper stage and payload section assembly building, or MIK KA, RB and KGCh;
• The manned spacecraft processing complex, MIK TK PPTS;
• The assembly and maintenance complex, MPK, for the PTK NP spacecraft and its launch and docking module, SSB;
• The launch vehicle assembly building;

In addition, the same transfer hallway was to be connected to the north sides of five support buildings with storage rooms, fueling and power stations.

However, when the development of the processing complex in Vostochny finally reached the construction phase in May 2012, visuals gleaned from reports in the official media revealed that only around a half of the original design had survived the reality check. According to a statement from the Spetsstroi contractor, a total of 24 buildings and facilities were included in the first phase of the general plan.

Scheduled for completion at the end of 2015, the scaled down complex still sported a cavernous 180 by 60-meter launch vehicle assembly building. It was originally intended for Rus-M rockets, but after the cancellation of the project in 2011, the facility was re-purposed for a smaller Soyuz-2 and Soyuz-2-1v launch vehicles. The rocket assembly building was flanked by a spacecraft processing facility, which would now house work sites for unmanned satellites.

Most importantly, the innovative centralized architecture of the overall complex has been retained, with the foundation of the transfer hallway clearly visible on satellite photos of the construction site in 2012. Publicly available blueprints also hinted at the plans to expand the transfer hallway westwards in order to accommodate a new processing area for the Angara family of rockets in the second phase of development in Vostochny. Optimistic plans of 2012 apparently aimed to bring Angara to Vostochny as early as 2018 to carry manned missions from the site.

 

Support facilities

Along with main processing complex for rockets and spacecraft, Site 2 would be home to various support facilities such as a fire station, a complex belonging to the Ministry of Emergency Situations and a propellant storage.

Roskosmos scheduled the preliminary design for the support facilities to take place from May 2011 to March 2012. Proposed support infrastructure included:

• Fueling and neutralization station, ZNS;
• Oxygen and nitrogen production plant, KAZ;
• Physics and chemistry lab, FKhL;
• Rocket propellant storage complex and means of its transportation, KKh KRT ST.

The project relied on already completed designs for the Rus-M rocket. The construction was to be split into two phases: the first stage with a completion date in 2015 and a second stage with a completion in 2018.

 

 

Construction activities at Site 2

The construction at Site 2 started roughly in parallel with the work at the Soyuz launch pad in the spring and summer 2012. According to the official press, foundations for a total of 15 facilities of the technical complex had to be finished by the end of 2012. Signs posted at the construction site of the processing complex quoted completion dates as September and December 2015.

Residential area

Simultaneously, construction was picking up at various secondary locations beyond Site 2. By the beginning of 2013, Dalspetsstroi (the main local contractor), reported the completion of renovation at five formers barracks capable of accommodating more than 1,000 workers.

Ledyanaya train station

The Ledyanaya train station at the junction between the main railway artery of the space center and the federal railway line was also under renovation, along with the construction of power lines, railway and automobile roads. Workers also broke ground at the industrial support zone located southeast of Site 2.

 

 

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/vostochny_tp.html

This idea is going to be outstanding when it comes time to "mix and match", to create the four main styles of the Soyuz 2. This complex will be handling the Angara line soon........"toys R Rus" outlet....where's my cart....... 

[Unobscured Vision]

No kidding ... where's the "biggie-size" shopping pallet? I want some of that action too. It's like Lowe or Home Depot, but for smarties like us who like the really good toys.

Nice.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

This complex has been designed by a space pioneering nation. They not only wrote their own "book", they damn near wrote the library for high performance rocket engine design. The only thing holding them back, is money. This "flowing system", was not designed to launch a rocket every 6 months. This is a fast turn around, multi launch "family" processing center. The International Spaceport site will eventually see every combination of launcher, from cube sat "missiles", to ground pounding super heavies. We could see multi vendor launcher outlets on site, space tourism, lunar visitor kiosk, space mining as well as reuseable stages landing at the airport.Their space future is just getting started....buckle up!..........

Note...In my opinion, the birth of this complex was instilled as a plan to join newspace ventures, and remain, a major competitive player that can adapt. Well done!

Later....... 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Soyuz firing room, KP

The famous "klyuch na start" (key to launch) command for Soyuz rockets in Vostochny will be given from a brand-new blockhouse sporting more-than-half-a-meter-thick walls. Located less than half a kilometer from the launch pad, the windowless structure will become the nerve center responsible for checking and monitoring of all key systems onboard the launch vehicle during the countdown and launch.

 

 
Soyuz rocket's launch control building in Vostochny shortly after in completion in 2015.

More recent photo...top right behind service tower (MST)

Replacing underground bunkers of Baikonur and Plesetsk, Facility No. 169 will house monitoring equipment and the personnel responsible for the countdown and launch of Soyuz rockets. Officially known as KP (from the Russian komandny punkt -- "command post"), the two-story building is situated at the south-west corner of the Soyuz launch complex, just 450 meters from the launch pad.

Like other facilities in Vostochny, the structure was designed to withstand an eight-point magnitude earthquake, however additionally, it is protected from a possible rocket explosion. The building was reported to have 60-centimeter walls and the 40-centimeter roof, both made of reinforced concrete. It required more than 12,000 cubic meters of concrete and 2,000 tons of metal. The roof took 2,050 cubic meters of concrete. The structure also features 10 blast-proof doors with a mass of nearly a ton each.

In addition to the launch control system developed at NPO Avtomatiki in Yekaterinburg, the launch control facility is also equipped with the Launch Manager Information System, which was newly developed at KB Spektr. It includes nine monitors displaying information on all phases of the countdown and launch. In particular, the center will be monitoring the condition and the amount of propellant onboard the vehicle. Also, the facility will contain the main control console for the fire suppression system of the Soyuz launch complex.

From the KP facility, the "firing team" will initiate an automated launch sequence for the Soyuz rocket. Around a minute and a half before a scheduled liftoff, an operator will issue a "Klyuch na Start" (key to launch) command, which apparently will now be activated with a built-in switch rather than with a literal key. Moreover, officials ensured that the automated sequence would be controlled by multiple specialists rather than by a single firing officer.

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/vostochny_soyuz_kp.html

 
The main "firing" console in the Soyuz launch control room. Click to enlarge. Credit: Spetsstroi

The latest incarnation of the famous "key to start" switch. Credit: Spetsstroi

Misc photo's dug up....

Assembly building...gives idea of the ceiling height for mobile cranes....

MST color scheme 1

MST color scheme 2

MST slide out's

MST drop panels

Later......

[DocM]

Not exactly a Clean Pad design like 39A or 39B, is it?

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Extra misc photo's

Soyuz rocket support structure inside the Mobile Service Tower during its testing in August 2015. Click to enlarge. Credit: Roskosmos

The Mobile Service Tower is getting its wall panels in August 2015. Click to enlarge. Credit: Roskosmos

Flame hole work

 

Cooling system

Early shot of rebar in flame trench

 

Heavy duty flame trench......a lot of work went into this.......

 

Moon landing poster

two "trucks" per side...Main beam for MST

Later......

Edited September 13, 2015 by Draggendrop
Forgot one photo

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Not exactly a Clean Pad design like 39A or 39B, is it?

Yes...39A and 39B are going to be stunning...was thinking of doing a topic for updates later...once all the "dust" settles. It's going to be a top notch area...can't wait to see SpaceX goodies on the pad......

I was using Google Earth Pro....to zoom in on Vostochny...I used the co-ordinates....all new maps, till I get within 10 miles....then just the 2007 blurred...not nice...will have to find other sat shots.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Complex updates for August and September....

August

On August 5, Spetstroi indicated that the completion of propellant storage facility, stage impact sites, recycling of the construction debris and solid waste as well as a number of other facilities was postponed by Roskosmos until 2016. Spetsstroi quoted the lack of approval from the State Expertise as one of the reasons for delays.

At the same time, Spetsstroi reported the completion of the 4.4-kilometer railway linking the Soyuz launch pad with the main processing facility.

Spetstroi also said that the main rocket and spacecraft processing facility had reached the final stage of construction and its personnel was working in two shifts to install air-conditioning, ventilation and other systems in the interior of the buildings. The administrative and production section of the facility was equipped with a fire-suppression system, which cleared the way to their final outfitting and three of the floors had been already outiffted with office furniture, Spetsstroi said on August 5.

The first "occupant" of the main hallway was the transporter-erector for the delivery of the Soyuz rocket to the pad. The three-car train, which also included an extension platform and a thermal-control car, was assembled at the technical complex by August 24.

On the same day, Roskosmos said that its personnel completed installation of assembly hardware in the launch vehicle assembly building.

At the same time, 29 systems were under installation on the Soyuz launch pad and 12 of them were ready for testing. Five systems, including Launch System, Cable and Fueling Gantry, Upper Cable and Fueling Gantry, Assured Power-supply System, the Service Cabin were completed and were ready for autonomous tests, Roskosmos said. Eight 50-meter and three 18-meter lightning towers were completed. However a pair of largest 150-meter towers was still under construction. Spetsstroi also announced the completion of the four floodlight towers.

Also on the pad, workers installed elevators into the Mobile Service Tower, MBO, and conducting wall panelling and roofing.

The total workfore at the time was quoted at more than 8,000 people.

In August, the residential area seemingly became the weakest link of Vostochny. Due to lack of housing for civilian specialists, the Russian military was rumored forming its own launch crew, which would be expected to prepare the symbolic first mission from Vostochny out of make-shift trailers or even tents in the middle of Syberian winter!

During the night from 20th to 21th of August, right on the eve of a visit to the center by the Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a fire broke out in the assembly complex. The official Russian media obviously did not report the incident, but one of the workers posted a video of the fire online and reported that it had been caused by an electric short circuit.

Could be an issue is propellant storage facility is not online, but I imagine they could use mobile services if required....they will be under the gun for end of December...but hopefully, safety first as mentioned from the ministers office.

September: Moscow prepares ground for Vostochny delay

On September 15, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin returned to Vostochny with another inspection. Once again, TV footage and images released during the trip showed steady progress at all major facilities, particularly at the residential area of the site, with four new apartment blocks in the final stages of construction. According to the local daily, Amurskaya Pravda, the launch personnel at the new site had reached 200 people out of 800 strong force expected by the end of the year.

Still, the mega-project was slightly behind the arbitrary deadlines imposed by Moscow. The Interfax news agency quoted the head of the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, Igor Komarov, as saying that the technical facilities of the center had still lacked permanent power supply, water and heating. Komarov admitted that the overall work still lagged behind schedule.

Peculiarly, this time, the Russian press was seemingly given signals to prepare ground for the government to get out of the political trap it put itself into. The Rossiya TV channel reported that the launch date for the inaugural mission from Vostochny has not been yet determined and the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, would not commit to the liftoff until everything had been ready. "Roskosmos is waiting for the beginning of integrated tests of the launch site hardware," Rogozin wrote at the end of the trip, "We demand from Spetsstroi (military construction company) to complete their work." Again, Rogozin made no mention of the December 25, 2015, launch date, even though it had previously been re-confirmed on an almost monthly basis during the past year.

 

It would be nice if they kept the launch date...but prefer a safe first launch...a few months is nothing to wait for, to do it right.....

 http://www.russianspaceweb.com/vostochny2015.html#09

New photo's.....

Soyuz launch pad in Vostochny in September 2015.

Spacecraft assembly building in Vostochny in September 2015.

The almost completedtransborder gallery around September 2015.

3 train transport erector

Residential area in Vostochny in September 2015.

 

Upgraded missile range instrumentation ship to support launches at Vostochny cosmodrome

The Project 1914.1 Marshal Krylov measurement ship with a displacement of 23,700 tons was launched on July 24, 1987 and remains the only Russian ship in its class, outfitted for space communications

MOSCOW, September 16. /TASS/. The upgrade of the Marshal Krylov missile range instrumentation ship will facilitate launches of space rockets from the Vostochny cosmodrome, Andrei Obukhov, chief designer of the Baltsudoproyekt design bureau (an affiliate of the Krylov state scientific center), told TASS on Wednesday.

"We are working on modernization of the Project 1914.1 Marshal Krylov ship operated by the [Russian Navy] Pacific Fleet. Improvements in the ship’s measurement equipment will enable it to support rocket launches from the Vostochny cosmodrome that is being built now," he said.

According to the chief designer of Baltsudoproyekt that developed the Project 1914.1 ship, "the Marshal Krylov is under our continuous supervision because we are installing specialized equipment and extending its service life under the government-awarded contract."

 

 

Obukhov said that the Marshal Krylov had come to Vladivostok for the upgrade in October 2014. The upgrade is being performed by the Dalzavod shipyard.

The Project 1914.1 Marshal Krylov measurement ship with a displacement of 23,700 tons was launched on July 24, 1987 and remains the only Russian ship in its class, outfitted for space communications, and one of the largest and best-equipped Russian Navy ships. It operates in support of flight tests of advanced spacecraft, launch vehicles and cruise and ballistic missiles. Measuring 200-plus meters in length and having a crew of about 350, the Marshal Krylov has a speed of 22 knots and can carry two Kamov Ka-27 (NATO reporting name Helix) search and rescue helicopters.

http://tass.ru/en/science/821547

Later....... 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Energia Launches Contest To Name Russia's Next Manned Spacecraft

RSC Energia Press Service

Russia's largest space industry enterprise, RSC Energia has announced a contest to name its new manned spacecraft, which the company plans to begin testing next year, the company announced on its website. 

The ship is currently known by its developmental name, the Prospective Piloted Transport System (PPTS). The project has been in development since 2009, and will replace the Soviet-era Soyuz spacecraft as Russia's manned spacecraft. 

In the tradition of manned spaceflight, PPTS needs a snappy name, such as Soyuz, Apollo, or Dragon. Energia said on its website it will run a contest from August 30 to Nov. 2 open to any adult Russian citizen to come up with a name of no more than 15 characters. 

Entries can be submitted to the company through its website, and the winner will be announced on January 15. The winner of the contest will receive a trip to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to watch the launch of a manned Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station. 

The two runners up will receive unspecified gifts from the contest organizers, the announcement said. 

The PPTS spacecraft will begin testing next year, and will be the world's first spacecraft built largely from carbon fiber, the head of Energia, Vladimir Solntsev, said at a company press conference at the MAKS 2015 air show outside Moscow on Thursday. 

Solntsev said this makes PPTS a unique vehicle, and that the carbon fiber will be produced domestically. 

The new ship is being designed to fly aboard Russia's new Angara carrier rocket, which is being modified to launch manned spacecraft from the under-construction Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's far east in the mid-2020s. 

 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/energia-launches-contest-to-name-russias-next-manned-spacecraft/529012.html

http://astropular.com/russia-shows-off-new-manned-spacecraft-to-replace-aging-soyuz/

/s   And before anyone says it, they have probably heard them all over the decades.......... these names will probably not cut it .......Kaputnik ......Kaboomnik ......Kaplopnik ........Granadz .......RUDnik or Exploznik. Myself, I would really like to see them call it.....  KOROLEV, for heritage reasons.

Russia Shows Off New Manned Spacecraft To Replace Aging Soyuz

A new generation spacecraft is being developed by Russian scientists to perform similar functions of and replace an aging space probe.

The manned space transport has not yet been given a name, but has already been displayed to the public for the first time Monday.

The Russian Space Agencypresented photos of this spacecraft at Moscow's MAKS-2015. Along with this new Russian development displayed at the 12^th International Aviation and Space Station at Hall D1 were the Roskosmos and ACCD built by leading Russian enterprises and 19 other space industry exhibits.

 

This "new generation new transportation spacecraft" is being developed by RSC Energia which has been involved in the rocket-space industry since 1946. The manned spacecraft is designed to replace Soyuz-TMA which was issued by the Russian Federal Space Agency and features changes according the NASA's requirements as well as service the International Space Station (ISS). Some of the features of the aging spacecraft include more latitude in the crew's height and weight, better parachute systems and a glass cockpit.

The new spacecraft which has been under development for about a decade now will send astronauts to further explore the moon and Mars. The development is a part of the Prospective Protected Transport System 9PPTS) aimed at replacing not only the Soyuz-TMA but also the Progress Cargo ships. The long-awaited testing of the capsules will take place over the next few months. In 2021, this new spacecraft will be test launched in an unmanned orbital flight atop the new Angara rocket from the new Russian spaceport Vostochny Cosmodrome, also currently being constructed.

While space enthusiasts await the new Russian spacecraft's first unmanned test flight, its developer RSC Energia announced the launching of a competition for a name.

 

The creativity competition will run from Aug. 30 through Nov. 2 this year, with results to be announced Jan. 15 next year.

Deliberations of a judging panel and votes of the public will decide on the best suggested name and the winner of the competition. If naming this new spacecraft isn't a prestige enough, the winner will also have the chance to watch the Soyuz spacecraft take off in the launch of a manned spaceflight in Baikonur spring of 2016.

 

 http://www.techtimes.com/articles/80070/20150831/russia-shows-off-new-manned-spacecraft-to-replace-aging-soyuz.htm

ROSCOSMOS SUPPORTS IDEA OF TOURIST TRIPS TO COSMODROMES

Tourist operators will deal with the new service.

Roscosmos is interested in the idea of tourist trips to Baikonur and, in the future, to the Vostochny cosmodrome, Izvestia informed on Monday.

“We will create a special system that will make tourist destinations more civilized,” Roscosmos representative Igor Burenkov admitted.

According to him, the corporation will not be engaged in serving tourists, but it will certainly make the necessary changes in the infrastructure.

The source specifies that tourists can visit Baikonur right now. As for the Vostochny cosmodrome, experts say it will need its infrastructure.

“There are some trips to cosmodromes, but they are not systematic,” the space agency representative said.

Earlier, head of the Federal Tourism Agency Oleg Safonov proposed to create a tourist object at the Vostochny cosmodrome, in the Amur region.

“We are constructing the Vostochny cosmodrome. It is obvious we should create a unique tourist destination. We have no so many cosmodromes in the world,” he said at the East Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

The Minister added that both Russian and foreign tourists would visit the Vostochny cosmodrome with pleasure.

 http://russia-news.us/news/science/roscosmos/

Later.........

[Draggendrop Veteran]

The train has arrived at Vostochny, with the Soyuz 2.....

 

 

https://twitter.com/Rogozin

Later......

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Contest finalists named.....

'Space Begins Here!' – Winners of Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome Logo Contest Unveiled

Russia's federal space agency Roscosmos has announced the winners of a contest to design the logo and official slogan of the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a giant spaceport still under construction in Russia's Far East, according to a statement published on the agency's website.

Roscosmos launched the contest on March 23, promising the winners in both categories a trip to the existing Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to see a manned launch of a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS), and unspecified gifts for the second and third place winners.

However, “given the manifest creative abilities and professional approach to the creation of logos and slogans, the jury decided to award the main prize … to all finalists [three in each category],” the statement said.

The finalists were voted on by ordinary Russian citizens, Roscosmos said. The six finalists will be flown to the Soviet-built Baikonur Cosmodrome in December for the next ISS mission launch.

The winning slogans for Russia's new $3 billion spaceport are “Space begins here!,” “The stars are closer than you think!” and “Space without borders!” The slogan finalists are residents of Bryansk, Yaroslavl and Kachkanar.

The logos featured familiar themes for spaceflight logos, such as idealized depictions of rockets and arrows swooping into the heavens — something closely resembling those of the NASA and Roscosmos symbols.

Roscosmos said a brand identity and communications strategy for Vostochny would be developed on the basis of the logos and slogans developed by the contest winners, but that the agency “reserves the right to use or not use the submitted logos and slogans.”

Russia's largest spacecraft manufacturer, RSC Energia, announced in late August a similarly structured contest to find a name for Russia's next-generation manned spacecraft, which is currently known as the Prospective Piloted Transport System (PPTS).

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/space-begins-here-winners-of-russia-s-vostochny-cosmodrome-logo-and-slogan-contest-unveiled/533391.html

Logo#1

Logo #2

Logo #3

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Vostochny, 1 month ago, video is 3:10 min

 

New shot's compared to old ones, and a good view of Guiana Soyuz platform, video is 2:50 min

 

Rocket support testing at the manufacturer, before install at Vostochny,  video is 0:47 min

 

Angara light blurb, Angara heavy Modular assembly simulation, Angara 5 simulation launch....real good video 8:30 min

 

Real Angara 5 test launch, video 1:10 min

 

Later......

 

[DocM]

Oh, my. Comrade Putin will not be happy

The Moscow Times....

 

Russia's New Rocket Won't Fit in Its New Cosmodrome

Work at  Russia's new $ 3 billion spaceport in  the Far East has ground to  a halt after a  critical piece of  infrastructure was discovered to  have been built to  the wrong dimensions, and  would not fit the  latest version of  the country's Soyuz rocket, a  news report said. 

The  Vostochny Cosmodrome, under construction in  the Amur region, north of  China, is intended to  become Russia's primary spaceport, replacing the  Soviet-built Baikonur cosmodrome in  Kazakhstan. 

The  cutting-edge facility was meant be ready for  launches of  Soyuz-2 rockets in  December, but an  unidentified space agency of a of a told the  TASS news agency of a of a late Thursday that the  rocket would not fit inside the  assembly building where its parts are stacked and  tested before launch. 

The  building "has been designed for  a different modification of  the Soyuz rocket," the  source said, according to  news website Medusa, which picked up the  story from  TASS. 

The  quote could not be found on  TASS, a  state-owned news agency of a of a, on  Friday. 'S Report instead TASS quoted a  spokesperson for  the Center for  Ground-based Space Infrastructure (TsENKI)  - a  federal space agency of a of a organ tasked the managing with  Vostochny cosmodrome. 

"Work with the  rocket at  the integration and  testing complex now can not be conducted because the  facility is not ready," the  spokesperson said in  the report. "There are still imperfections in  the construction." 

The  problems with the  testing and  assembly building are the  latest incident in  a saga of  corruption scandals, embezzlement cases, high-profile arrests, worker strikes, and  construction delays at  the Vostochny cosmodrome.

The  project has come under strict scrutiny from  Russian officials such as President Vladimir Putin - who last year demanded the  facility be ready for  a first launch in  December 2015 - and  Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who has threatened to  rip the  heads off any contractors that slow up construction efforts. 

's Demand Putin looks increasingly unlikely to  be met. Month Last, Gazeta.ru news website reported that the  first launch of  a Soyuz-2 rocket from  Vostochny would have to  be postponed because of  the complications at  the construction site. 

The  Soyuz rocket design has been regularly upgraded and  modified since its first use by  the Soviet Union in  the late 1960s. The  original Soyuz was an  advanced derivative of  the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile, the  R-7.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Yes, the proverbial (     ) will hit the fan....But...this is excellent. The December 2015 Soyuz launch was cutting it a bit close. The refueling site was not complete, as well as various service utility hook-ups to main buildings. They have been using the decree, to keep construction moving, full well knowing a reschedule of a few month's, may be required. This will put Tsenki to task, some heads will roll and some deadwood will be gone. This will also put everyone on notice, and under the microscope for the first launch, where safety is paramount....one would not want to goof up now.....

With all the prior corruption, ongoing court cases, and firing's....I would think that this will serve notice, that this sort of silliness will not be tolerated...and remind everyone, that it will be hard to snowball Putin, after all, the ex KGB in him didn't disappear...he still uses it.... This International Spaceport is very important to the country and will be the main launch area in due time...and seems to be helping weed out the undesirables, as well...

Later.....

[Draggendrop Veteran]

First launches from Vostochny Cosmodrome possible in spring 2016

Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East. Source: RIA Novosti/Sergey Mamontov

The first launches from the Vostochny Cosmodrome are possible in 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

"You should plan the first launches for 2016, for spring, if you do that by the Day of Cosmonautics, that will be good. If not, there is no need for rushed work," Putin said at a conference held at the Vostochny spaceport.

"Space activity is not an area for acting in a rush or exerting super-efforts, it needs rhythmic work and quality," the Russian president said.

Putin ordered to finalize the water supply, electric power and water disposal systems of the spaceport and to prepare for launching space vehicles.

The head of state asked Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin to say when launches would be made next year.

"We can do that by the middle of April," Rogozin said.
 

http://asia.rbth.com/news/2015/10/14/first_launches_from_vostochny_cosmodrome_possible_in_spring_2016_50052.html

Just what we figured...Take the time to do it right.......

------------------------------------------------------

Photo time.......
Courtesy of Roscosmos and Tass
http://tass.ru/en/science/828918

----------------------------------------------

Putin arrives in Amur region to inspect construction work at Vostochny spaceport

© Igor Ageyenko/TASS

BLAGOVESHCHENSK, October 14. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the Far Eastern Amur region, where he will inspect construction work at the Vostochny spaceport and will chair a session on its development.

President Putin wants to see what has been done to catch up with the construction schedule, president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

"It is a routine inspection trip," he said, adding that the Vostochny space center was Putin’s pet project and the president was personally controlling the construction.

"There were very serious problems, the construction lagged behind the schedule. Now the situation has been improved. And the president wants to see it by himself," the spokesman said.

After a visit to the construction site, Putin "will have a conference with the government members who supervise the construction and with the contractors to discuss issues linked with the construction works, preparations for the first launch, and, naturally, issues of social maintenance of those who take part in the construction works," Peskov said.

Besides, Putin will met with the director general of SIBUR company, Dmitry Konov, to discuss construction of a new gas processing plant in the Amur region. SIBUR is a Russian gas processing and petrochemicals company headquartered in Moscow.

http://tass.ru/en/science/828737

You can bet, people are walking on egg shells...He's not messing around......

---------------------------------------------

Putin to inspect 'pet project' Vostochny, to chair session on spaceport development

MOSCOW, October 14. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin makes on Wednesday a working trip to the Far Eastern Amur region to inspect construction work at the Vostochny spaceport, the Kremlin press service said.

It said the president would examine the technical and launch facilities and then would chair a session on the development of the Russian spaceport.

President Putin wants to see what has been done to catch up with the construction schedule, president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

Peskov said Putin was flying to Blagoveshchensk later in the day. "It is a routine inspection trip," he said, adding that the Vostochny space centre was Putin’s pet project and the president was personally controlling the construction.

"There were very serious problems, the construction lagged behind the schedule. Now the situation has been improved. And the president wants to see it by himself," the spokesman said.

After a visit to the construction site, Putin "will have a conference with the government members who supervise the construction and with the contractors to discuss issues linked with the construction works, preparations for the first launch, and, naturally, issues of social maintenance of those who take part in the construction works," Peskov said.

Besides, Putin will met with the director general of SIBUR company, Dmitry Konov, to discuss construction of a new gas processing plant in the Amur region. SIBUR is a Russian gas processing and petrochemicals company headquartered in Moscow.

Vostochny spaceport

The Vostochy spaceport is being built near the Uglegorsk town in the Amur region. The complex will include two launch facilities, an aerodrome, cosmonauts’ flight training facilities, an oxygen-nitrogen plant and hydrogen plant, 115 kilometers of automobile roads and 125 kilometers of railways and other facilities. The first launch of a carrier rocket from the Vostochny cosmodrome was scheduled for December 2015 and the first launch of a manned spacecraft for 2018.

Construction works at the cosmodrome should be completed on November 30, 2015.

The president last visited Vostochny in September 2014, drawing attention to the fact that construction work was lagging behind the schedule. The president controls construction work and takes part in the settlement of problems emerging during construction work.

The row over back wages at the Vostochny spaceport construction site erupted at the end of March. President Vladimir Putin during the televised Direct Line question-and-answer session on April 16 said he and the workers on site would establish double control of the wage payment situation. He also declared that the Accounts Chamber, the Presidential Control Department and the Investigative Committee were pushing ahead with their own probes.

http://tass.ru/en/science/828732

---------------------------------------------

Vladimir Putin said that he hopes for international cooperation in the space industry at the new Vostochny Cosmodrome.

VOSTOCHNY COSMODROME (Sputnik) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said that he hopes for international cooperation in the space industry at the new Vostochny Cosmodrome in the country’s Far East.

 

“Of course, we hope for international cooperation, it is already pretty large-scaled today, but we need that our partners to be sure that the Vostochny Cosmodrome is one of the best places for joint work. We will increase its capacity,” Putin said during a meeting.

Vladimir Putin on Wednesday gave his permission to make the first launch from the newly-built Vostochny Cosmodrome in the country’s Far East in 2016.

"Plan for the first launches in 2016, somewhere in the spring. If we do this before Cosmonaut Day [April 12], that would be great," Putin told Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees the space industry.

Rogozin promised the first launch would be held in April of next year. "We’ll make it by mid-April," he told Putin during a meeting.

The space port is being built near the village of Uglegorsk in Russia's Far Eastern Amur Region.

Up to 130 construction companies are involved in the state-funded project as subcontractors, Putin said, adding that they were loosely controlled. He urged those in charge to assure the quality of construction works and screen specialists on the task force.

The president said construction was roughly four months behind schedule and thanked Rogozin for overseeing a four-month improvement on the initial eight-month delay. He said those found guilty of criminal violations would be brought to justice.

Putin added that he hopes for international cooperation in the space industry at the new Vostochny Cosmodrome.

"Of course, we hope for international cooperation, it is already pretty large-scaled today, but we need that our partners to be sure that the Vostochny Cosmodrome is one of the best places for joint work. We will increase its capacity," Putin said during a meeting.

Russia hopes that the Vostochny space center will help the country reduce its dependence on the Baikonur cosmodrome, leased from Kazakhstan for $115 million per year. The construction of the space port, extending to an area of 700 square kilometers (270 square miles), began in mid-2012.

 

 http://sputniknews.com/russia/20151014/1028493869/Putin-Vostochny-Cosmodrome.html

-----------------------------------------

I think all involved, have the incentive to do the job tasked.......

April 2016, will allow the time to complete the job and do an inspection, for a safe launch.......

[Unobscured Vision]

Yep, six months of inspection and proving for the new facility should be plenty.

It looks great, and hopefully they don't run into any serious problems during the I&P Phase.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

The coverage, so far, and to the best of my knowledge, has been as stated in the prior post's in this thread. It takes a bit of digging and a lot of time, but...one can always dig through the BS to get at the real situation. There have been many Russia Bashing articles, sifting around the net, whose only intent, is to discredit. They are easy to pick out and ignore, as it is not new's, but propaganda. Every country on this planet has some form of corruption, political shenanigans or commercial influence, altering the environment. If anyone can think of an exception...please state it......(.....crickets!.........borrowed that statement from Doc...it's funny).

Russia has had corruption problems, and these are being addressed via the courts and by removal/firings. Have construction mistakes happened...of course, name a major job that had no mistakes to correct. They have had a hardware configuration mistake in the assembly building...it has been corrected. Then we have the silliness of a statement that the Soyuz 2, would not fit the building. This is ridiculous, as it arrives in rail assemblies and exit's a door that would probably fit a Soyuz 2 with a gazebo around it. Then we have the non payment of wages last year. Money was already allotted for this and contractors were at fault and this issue was taken care of immediately, once brought to light. I am a SpaceX fan, and want American access again...but at the same time, I have respect for what a space power, like Russia, has done for all of us..and continues to do for us today...and will do my part to dispel rubbish journalism which influences those who are not up to date on the project.

Case in point...the article I am about to post, is a classic example of inaccuracies, and bringing up old fodder, to bash someone...please read and you make your decision...thank's...

Putin blasts mismanagement at new Russian spaceport

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Soyuz launch pad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. Credit: Kremlin press service

The first launch from Russia’s new cosmodrome in the country’s Far East will not occur until at least early 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week, in a widely-anticipated delay after reports of botched construction and corruption beleaguering the spaceport project.

Putin traveled to the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Amur region near the Chinese border Oct. 14 for an update on the readiness of the launch base from Russian space officials in charge of its development.

Russian authorities long held to a schedule for launching the first satellite from Vostochny, which means “eastern” in Russian, by the end of 2015, the deadline established when Putin approved the spacecraft development in 2007.

But the Russian president relaxed the timetable in his Oct. 14 visit to the Siberian spaceport, according to transcripts of a meeting between Putin and deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin, whose portfolio includes the Russian space sector.

“Let’s set our sights on a first launch in 2016, some time in spring,” Putin said. “It would be good to time this for Cosmonautics Day (April 12), but there should be no mad rush if this is not possible. Work steadily and calmly to meet the deadline that will be set soon, but just let me know what that deadline will be.”

Rogozin agreed, saying that launch teams would be ready for a liftoff in mid-April, but Putin cautioned space officials to only launch when ready, according to comments released by the Kremlin.

The activation of Vostochny — about 3,400 miles (5,500 kilometers) east of Moscow — would allow Russia to reduce its reliance on the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which the Russian government leases from the Central Asia nation for $115 million per year.

 

An aerial view of the Soyuz launch pad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. Its design is similar to the Soyuz launch facility at the European-run Guiana Space Center in South America, with a large concrete flame pit and mobile service gantry. Credit: Roscosmos

But the Vostochny project, part of the civilian Russian space agency’s development program, has been mired in delays and scandal.

The Moscow Times reported Oct. 2 that equipment inside an assembly building at Vostochny was built to the wrong specification, and the Soyuz-2 rocket meant to fly from the cosmodrome would not fit in the building.

“On the matter of subcontractors, Spetsstroy (Vostochny’s lead contractor) has brought in up to 130 such organizations,” Putin said. “Close supervision of these organizations has not been organized. The qualifications of specialists working in this area require particularly close attention because we have seen a sizeable number of construction flaws. It is good that these problems have been detected in good time and measures and decisions have been taken to fix them.”

Several managers in charge of Vostochny’s construction have been arrested for allegedly embezzling money earmarked for the launch site. Russian prosecutors said in July they had discovered $130 million in theft at the construction site, according to Russia’s Tass news agency.

“I realize that we are building a unique facility here, perhaps the most advanced and high-tech site of its kind in the world, and we understand that new ideas and solutions can arise during the project, but at the same time, we do need to keep the deadlines in mind and not let construction delays build up,” Putin said.

According to Putin, Spetsstroy received about $1.1 billion (70.4 billion rubles) for the Vostochny project from 2011 through 2015. Construction work valued at less than half that figure has been approved and documented, he said.

 

A planned city under construction at the Vostochny Cosmodrome will be home to tens of thousands of aerospace workers and their families, complete with rail and road links, schools, and mid-rise apartments popping up from remote Siberian forests. Credit: Roscosmos

“We must ensure strict monitoring of funds,” Putin said. “We know, sadly, that there are suspicions of criminal acts. I say ‘suspicions’ because the investigation is still underway, but I will ask the Investigative Committee to make sure that all work on opening criminal cases is completed and cases opened are sent on to the courts.”

Workers went on strike at Vostochny earlier this year after not being paid on time, but Putin said the Russian government has allocated all the money needed for the project.

“We need to make a thorough check of how these advance payments have been spent and make sure that workers’ wages are not paid late,” Putin said. “We know, unfortunately, that there have been such problems. Why is this happening? This is not because the state authorities have not made the needed funds available. We have been sending all the needed amounts of money according to schedule.

“This is happening because there is a system of subcontractor organizations that are using funds sent for the space launch center to patch up their own holes elsewhere,” he said. “This is completely unacceptable.”

Rogozin, who was put in charge of Vostochny’s development last year, said there are 20 criminal cases open for misappropriation, waste and fraud related to the cosmodrome’s construction, and he promised wages to workers are now being paid on time.

“We continue to step in with regard to any case of delays even of a few days, and overall, we have put an end to the kind of disgrace that we had at the site last spring,” Rogozin said.

The around-the-clock push to complete the cosmodrome’s basic facilities — enough to enable a launch — was a tall order to be finished in time for a liftoff by the end of 2015, Rogozin said.

Although ground facilities are complete, testing is still in its early stages, he said, adding that past experience at Soyuz launch sites such as the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia and in French Guiana shows preflight checks can take nearly a year.

The Soyuz-2 rocket assigned to the first launch from Vostochny arrived at the cosmodrome in September.

“The space sector is not the place for hasty bursts of last-minute work and super-human efforts,” Putin said. “What we need here are a steady pace of work and reliable quality. We need quality results, not victorious reports.”

Rogozin said the construction is ready to move into a second phase with the installation of a launch pad for Russia’s new Angara rocket, which successfully completed its first two test launches from Plesetsk in 2014.

The first Angara launch from Vostochny is scheduled for 2021, he said, followed by the first piloted flight from the eastern spaceport in 2023 aboard a new-type space capsule to replace Russia’s venerable Soyuz crew craft.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/10/20/putin-blasts-mismanagement-at-new-russian-spaceport/