Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31
45°59′46″N 63°33′51″E / 45.99611°N 63.56417°E
 A Soyuz-2 rocket at LC-31/6 | |||||||||||||
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| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome | ||||||||||||
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| Location | Kazakhstan | ||||||||||||
| Operator | RVSN, VKS, Roscosmos | ||||||||||||
| Total launches | TBC | ||||||||||||
| Launch pad(s) | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Orbital inclination range | 49° – 99° | ||||||||||||
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Baikonur Site 31, also known as Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, is a launch site used by derivatives of the R-7 Semyorka missile. From 2011 onwards, it was supposed to be the launch site for crewed Soyuz missions to the International Space Station, when launches switched from the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle to the Soyuz-2, which was unable to use the launch pad at Site 1/5. However, Site 1/5 has undergone modifications that allow the crewed ISS missions to be launched from it. Only a few crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS) are launched from Site 31/6 (Soyuz TMA-06M, Soyuz TMA-15M, Soyuz MS-02), when Site 1/5 is unavailable.
It was first used on 14 January 1961, for an R-7A ICBM test mission. It is currently used for commercial Soyuz-FG/Fregat missions, and Soyuz-2 launches. In the 1970s and early 1980s, several crewed missions were launched from the site.
See also
- Gagarin's Start (Baikonur Site 1)
References
- "Baikonur LC31". Encyclopedia Astronautica.
Further reading
- J. K. Golovanov, "Korolev: Facts and myths", Nauka, 1994, ISBN 5-02-000822-2;
- "Rockets and people" – B. E. Chertok, M: "mechanical engineering", 1999 ISBN 5-217-02942-0 (in Russian);
- «A breakthrough in space» - Konstantin Vasilyevich Gerchik, M: LLC "Veles", 1994 - ISBN 5-87955-001-X;
- "Testing of rocket and space technology - the business of my life" Events and facts - A.I. Ostashev, Korolyov, 2001 [1];
- "Baikonur. Korolev. Yangel" - M. I. Kuznetsk, Voronezh: IPF "Voronezh", 1997, ISBN 5-89981-117-X;
- "Look back and look ahead. Notes of a military engineer" - Rjazhsky A. A., 2004, SC. first, the publishing house of the "Heroes of the Fatherland" ISBN 5-91017-018-X.
- "Rocket and space feat Baikonur" - Vladimir Порошков, the "Patriot" publishers 2007. ISBN 5-7030-0969-3
- "Unknown Baikonur" - edited by B. I. Posysaeva, M.: "globe", 2001. ISBN 5-8155-0051-8
