Plesetsk Cosmodrome
Plesetsk Cosmodrome is a
Russian spaceport, located about 800 km north of
Moscow and south of
Arkhangelsk (coordinates vary in different sources, but 62.8°N, 40.1°E seems plausible). It was originally developed by the
Soviet Union as a launch site for intercontinental ballistic missiles. Construction started in
1957 and it was declared operational for R-7 rockets in December
1959. The village 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, Russian for "peaceful". By
1997, more than 1,500 launches to space had been made from the site, more than for any other launch facility, although the usage has declined significantly since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
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