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No more Kosmos-3M launches from Plesetsk?

Arkhangelsk region is giving the Plesetsk launch site really hard time with launches of NDMH-based rockets. In January 2005 it pledged to stop Tsyklon launches (the Khrunichev Center recently came up with a proposal to convert the Tsyklon launch complex for the light version of Angara).

Now it seems to be the Kosmos-3M turn. At a recent roundtable at Arkhangelsk, a representative of the Ministry of Defense said that there will be no more NDMH-fueled rocket launches there. The only exception was made for Rockot launchers (converted SS-19 missile) - the Khrunichev Center has a few in stock and wants to use them.

This probably means that Kosmos-3M launches will be discontinued. It was reported earlier that Kosmos-3M will be eventually replaced by Rockot, but some doubts remained. Not that the situation is completely clear today, but it looks like Rockot emerged as a winner.

[Space] [November 21, 2005] []

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References to this entry

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The plan to resume production of Kosmos-3M at the Polyot plant in Omsk is getting closer to reality (so much for the promise not to launch it anymore). During his recent trip to Omsk, Anatoly Perminov, head of Roskosmos, signed...
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The next military satellite, Cosmos-2420, will be launched from the Kapustin Yar site some time in April 20-30. According to a Prime-TASS report, the satellite will be launched by a Kosmos-3M launcher "in the interests of the Navy" (Parus?). The...
[Kosmos-3M launches moved to Kapustin Yar] [April 13, 2006 12:43 PM] [#]

Comments

If so, then the December launch will the last Kosmos 3M to fly I guess. Because I doubt that they will switch to Kapustin Yar, even if it is still active, I doubt that the processing facilities will be upto standard. Or do you disagree?

I still wonder how many Kosmos 3Ms are left at Polet, after production ceased quite some time ago.

It seems a bit silly to convert the Tsyklon launch pad to a Angara Pad, since the newly constructed pad already is able to support the full family. At least, judging from the pictures I've seen of the launch table.

[shoogerbrugge] [November 22, 2005] [#]

I think it is still possible that Kosmos-3M launches will continue - if they are ready to make an exception for Rockot, why not make one for Kosmos-3M?

[Pavel Podvig] [November 22, 2005] [#]

Don't know. This is just me brain storming. Maybe it has something to do with the fact to Polet, the producer in Omsk, has reduced itself to making tractors and overhauling An-2's into An-3s. While Krunichev can exercise a bit of power on the right people, to keep its UMHD launch vehicle in operation.

It would be one nifty way of removing the competition, especially after the recent Rockot failure, while the Kosmos 3M has a rather clean sheet of success recently, and people considering to restart Kosmos 3M production.

Or is that too much of a conspiracy to be true......

[Shoogerbrugge] [November 22, 2005] [#]

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