Baikonur Seen As Critical To Russian Military

LAUNCH PAD

The standard Soyuz booster would not be able to lift such payloads from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia, Popovkin said.

Moscow (UPI) Jun 07, 2005
Russian space officials said they have no practical alternative at the moment to using the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, local media reported Monday.

Col. Gen. Vladimir Popovkin, commander of the Russian Space Troops - the country's military space agency - was quoted by the Argumenty i Fakty weekly as saying launches from Baikonur are cheaper than ones from cosmodromes in Russia.

"The closer to the equator, the less fuel is needed to put a kilogram of payload into orbit," Popovkin said.

Space vehicles for communications, early warning of missile attacks and reconnaissance carry a lot of weight and require a considerable amount of fuel to be placed into orbit. The standard Soyuz booster would not be able to lift such payloads from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia, Popovkin said.

"At present, Baikonur is vital for us," he added.

The Baikonur cosmodrome - 330 miles to the southwest of the Kazakh capital, Astana - is leased by Russia for $115 million annually and the lease is valid until 2050. The cosmodrome marked its 50th anniversary last Thursday.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
Launch Pad at Space-Travel.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

LAUNCH PAD

Soyuz To Launch Radarsat-2

Evry, France (SPX) Jan 11, 2006
Starsem announced Monday the signing of a contract with MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) for the launch of MDA's RADARSAT-2 Earth observation satellite by a Soyuz launch vehicle.

ENERGY TECH Iran Pipeline Backed Despite U.S. Stand China Says Decision Expected Soon On International Nuclear Tenders Japan To Ask EU To 'Joint Host' Revolutionary Nuclear Reactor: Report Bangladesh Signs Deal With Chinese Companies To Extract Coal	CIVIL NUCLEAR Outside View: Who Needs The NPT? Analysis: China And Nuclear Power China Says It Has No Nuke Deals With Iran, North Korea Or Libya Construction Of Chinese-Made Pakistani Nuclear Reactor To Begin Year End
BLUE SKY	WOOD PILE
FARM NEWS NASA Uses Remotely Piloted Airplane To Monitor Grapes	CAR TECH
AEROSPACE Pentagon Report Slams Boeing Aircraft Lease Deal Tanker Scandal: Blame But No Punishment EU Launches WTO Counterclaim Against US Towards A Small Aircraft Transportation System For The 21st Century	NUCLEAR SPACE NASA plans to send new robot to Jupiter Los Alamos Hopes To Lead New Era Of Nuclear Space Tranportion With Jovian Mission Boeing Selects Leader for Nuclear Space Systems Program Boeing-Led Team to Study Nuclear-Powered Space Systems

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement