Moscow -- In 2014, Russia's Aerospace Defense Forces oversaw ten spacecraft launches from the Plesetsk military cosmodrome, located in the Arkhangelsk region, Aerospace Defense Forces spokesman Col. Alexei Zolotukhin told Interfax-AVN.
“In 2014, operational crews of the State Experimental Cosmodrome conducted ten space launches, including the first two test-launches of the lightweight and heavyweight versions of the Angara rocket,” the officer said.
The first test-launch of Russia’s Angara-1.2PP light-class launch vehicle (LV), which was conducted from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in July 2014, was successful. At the end of December 2014, the first Angara-A5 heavy-lift launch vehicle successfully blasted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome and placed a payload mockup into its geostationary orbit.
Flight trials of the Soyuz-2.1v lightweight LV have already been launched at this cosmodrome, and Soyuz-2.1b tests continue there, Zolotukhin said.
“Efforts have been completed at the northern cosmodrome to build ground-based infrastructure that will prepare launches of spacecraft for the joint space monitoring system,” he said.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced earlier that there would be a 33.4% increase in the number of space launches from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
“The number of space launches will grow 1.5 times in 2015, which will make it possible to renew 25% of the orbiting group,” Shoigu said at an online conference dedicated to the maiden launch of the heavy-lift Angara and attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the minister, the program of defense space launches was fulfilled in 2014.
“In that way the capacity of orbital clusters was increased and the first stage of test flights of the Angara rocket was completed,” the minister added.
