Three Soyuz-2 launch pads to be built at Plesetsk by 2019

Three separate launch pads for Soyuz-2 rockets will be built at the Plesetsk space center in northwestern Russia after its renovation is over by 2019, a defense ministry spokesman said Thursday.

By Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team · Editorial process

Published May 24, 2015

Three separate launch pads for Soyuz-2 rockets will be built at the Plesetsk space center in northwestern Russia after its renovation is over by 2019, a defense ministry spokesman said Thursday.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Alexei Zolotukhin said Thursday:

"When the renovation is over, the space center will have three launch pads for launching medium and light-class Soyuz-2 rockets, modifications 1a, 1b, 1v."

He added that renovation works at the Plesetsk space center include building 72 new sites and renovating 26 existing ones.

The first launch of a medium-class Soyuz-2 rocket from a new launch pad is expected to take place in the first half of 2017.

Established in 1957, Plesetsk is one of the world's largest space centers.

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Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team

The Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team produces content across our two editorial pillars: space industry news and Mind & Meaning. We cover launches, missions, satellites, defense, and the technology of getting humans to space, alongside the psychology of ambition, isolation, and meaning under extremes. Articles reflect our team's collective editorial process, source verification, drafting, technical review, and editing, rather than a single writer's work. Nuclear Power Daily takes editorial responsibility for content under this byline. For more on how we work, see our editorial policy.