Kapustin Yar

Kapustin Yar
Капустин Яр
Russian Federation
Kapustin Yar
Coordinates	48°35′10″N 45°43′12″E / 48.586°N 45.72°E / 48.586; 45.72
Site information
Owner	Russian Federation
Site history
Built	1946 (1946)
Built by	Soviet Union

Open Street Map of Kapustin Yar

Kapustin Yar (Russian: Капустин Яр) is a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast, between Volgograd and Astrakhan. Known today as Znamensk (Russian: Знаменск), it was established in Soviet Union era on 13 May 1946 and in the beginning used technology, material and scientific support from defeated Germany. Numerous launches of test rockets for the Russian military were carried out at the site, as well as satellite and sounding rocket launches.

History

The 4th Missile Test Range "Kapustin Yar" was established by a decree of the Soviet Government "On Questions of Jet Propelled Weapons" on 13 May 1946. The test range was created under the supervision of General-lieutenant Vasily Voznyuk (commander in chief of the test range 1946-1973) in the desert north end of the Astrakhan region. The first rocket was launched from the site on 18 October 1947; it was one of eleven German A-4s that had been captured.

The State R&D Test Range No 8 (GNIIP-8, "test range S") was established at Kapustin Yar in June 1951.

Five atmospheric nuclear tests of small power (10-40 kt) were performed over the site in 1957-1961.^[1]

As of 1959 Kapustin Yar was the only publicly known Soviet missile test range. Non-Soviet observers believed at first that Sputnik 1 and 2 launched from the site.^[2] With the further growth and development, Kapustin Yar became a cosmodrome, serving in this function since 1966. The rate of space launches was very low, usually 1-2 a year and during the Soviet era, it hosted only the two smallest launch vehicles, the R-12 and R-14 derived Kosmos boosters. There were no space launches at all from 1988-1998. The town of Znamensk was established to support the scientists working on the facilities, their families and supporting personnel. Initially this was a secret city, not shown on maps and requiring official permission to visit.

Evidence of the importance of Kapustin Yar was obtained by Western intelligence through debriefing of returning German scientists and spy flights. The first such flight reportedly took place in mid-1953 using a high flying Canberra aircraft of the RAF. Numerous circumstantial reports suggest this flight took place, using the Canberra PR3 WH726, but the UK Government has never admitted such a flight took place nor have any of the supposed participants provided direct evidence^[3]^[4] The Canberra took off from Giebelstadt Air Base, Germany, and, flying via the Volga to the Caspian Sea, landed at Tabriz, Iran.

Due to its role as a development site for new technology, Kapustin Yar is also the site of numerous Soviet-era UFO sightings and has been called "Russia's Roswell".^[5]

Missiles tested/launched

October 1947 - A-4 (V-2)
18 October 1947 - Articul T (exact copy of V-2)
? - S-25 Berkut
10 October 1948 - R-1
3 January 1955 - R-11FM
20 January 1955 - R-5M
2 February 1956 - R-5M with standard nuclear warhead
22 June 1957 - R-12
March 1959 - R-13
6 July 1960 - R-14 Chusovaya
11 February 1962 - R-14U
16 March 1962 - 11K63 Cosmos
21 September 1974 - RT-21M RSD-10 Pioneer
12 February 1999 - S-400
3 March 2011 - S-500
4 March 2014 - RS-12M
20 May 2014 - RS-12M

Launch pads

Name		Coordinates	Comment
Burya Launch Complex	Kapustin Yar Burya	48°24′00″N 46°19′48″E / 48.4000°N 46.3300°E / 48.4000; 46.3300	Burya. Elaborate complex consisting of horizontal assembly building, huge circular rail line, and mobile erector/launcher. Built at the Soviet Vladimirovka flight test facility south of Kapustin Yar.
Area 84	Kapustin Yar LC84	48°33′00″N 46°15′00″E / 48.5500°N 46.2500°E / 48.5500; 46.2500	Launch pads: 1. R-5, RT-15. R-5 Launch complex consisting of three pads.
Area 86	Kapustin Yar LC86	48°32′24″N 46°15′00″E / 48.5400°N 46.2500°E / 48.5400; 46.2500	Launch pads: 4. Kosmos 11K63, Kosmos 63S1, Kosmos 63S1M, R-31. Single launch complex consisting of four launch pads.
Area 107	Kapustin Yar LC107	48°35′24″N 46°17′36″E / 48.5900°N 46.2933°E / 48.5900; 46.2933	Launch pads: 2. Kosmos 11K65M, Kosmos 65MP, R-14. Single launch complex consisting of two launch pads.
Mayak-1 silo	Kapustin Yar Mayak-1	48°33′00″N 46°15′00″E / 48.5500°N 46.2500°E / 48.5500; 46.2500	Launch pads: 1. R-12.
Mayak-2 silo	Kapustin Yar Mayak-2	48°33′00″N 46°15′00″E / 48.5500°N 46.2500°E / 48.5500; 46.2500	Launch pads: 1. Kosmos 63S1, R-12.
Pioner Launch Complex	Kapustin Yar Pioner	48°37′12″N 46°15′00″E / 48.6200°N 46.2500°E / 48.6200; 46.2500	Rail-served launch complex.
Area 1	Kapustin Yar PL1	48°24′00″N 46°12′00″E / 48.4000°N 46.2000°E / 48.4000; 46.2000	Launch pads: 1. R-12.
Area 87	Kapustin Yar PL87	48°30′00″N 45°48′00″E / 48.5000°N 45.8000°E / 48.5000; 45.8000	Launch pads: 1. RT-2.
R-1 Launch Area	Kapustin Yar R-1	48°48′00″N 45°40′12″E / 48.8000°N 45.6700°E / 48.8000; 45.6700
R-11 Launch Area	Kapustin Yar R-11	48°42′00″N 46°12′00″E / 48.7000°N 46.2000°E / 48.7000; 46.2000	Naval missile test area.
R-14 Silo Prototype	Kapustin Yar R-14	48°30′36″N 46°15′36″E / 48.5100°N 46.2600°E / 48.5100; 46.2600
R-2 Launch Area	Kapustin Yar R-2	48°46′48″N 45°42′00″E / 48.7800°N 45.7000°E / 48.7800; 45.7000
R-5 Initial Launch Area	Kapustin Yar R-5	48°45′00″N 45°45′00″E / 48.7500°N 45.7500°E / 48.7500; 45.7500
SM-49 submarine simulator	Kapustin Yar SM-49	48°30′00″N 45°48′00″E / 48.5000°N 45.8000°E / 48.5000; 45.8000	Launch pads: 1. R-11FM.
Sounding rocket launch area	Kapustin Yar Sounding	48°42′00″N 46°12′00″E / 48.7000°N 46.2000°E / 48.7000; 46.2000
V-2 Launch Area	Kapustin Yar V-2	48°33′00″N 45°49′12″E / 48.5500°N 45.8200°E / 48.5500; 45.8200	Original site for V-2 launches in 1946. First complex at Kapustin Yar.
Vertikal Launch Pad	Kapustin Yar Vertikal	48°30′00″N 46°46′48″E / 48.5000°N 46.7800°E / 48.5000; 46.7800	Launch pads: 1. Launch site for R-5 scientific launches, located well east of the primary military launch areas.

Notes

↑ http://kapyar.ru/index.php?pg=404
↑ Ley, Willy (October 1959). "For Your Information". Galaxy. p. 73. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
↑ Lashmar, Paul: "Spy Flights of the Cold War" Sutton Publishing 1998 ISBN 0-7509-1970-1 pp 76-83.
↑ Pedlow, Gregory W and Welzenbach, Donald E: "The CIA and the U-2 Program, 1954-1974" History Staff Centre for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency p23.
↑ Featured in the 2005 UFO Files documentary episode "Russian Roswell" which aired on the History Channel.

References

Naimark, Norman (1995). The Russians in Germany. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-78405-5.
Kurt, Magnus (1999). Raketensklaven. Deutsche Forscher hinter rotem Stacheldraht. Elbe-Dnjepr-Verlag. ISBN 3-933395-67-4.

External links

Spaceports

Asia	CNSA Jiuquan Taiyuan Wenchang Xichang ISRO SDSC TERLS ISA Semnan ISA Palmachim JAXA Tanegashima Uchinoura / FKA Baikonur KCST Sohae Tonghae SUPARCO Sonmiani Tilla FKA Dombarovsky Svobodny Vostochny KARI Naro LAPAN Lapan Space Center Ras Al Khaimah spaceport (private)

Europe	FKA Kapustin Yar Plesetsk SSC Esrange

North America	CAF / CSA Fort Churchill NASA KSC Wallops WSSH DoD Cape Canaveral ER Edwards Vandenberg WR Spaceport Curaçao (private) Private Corn Ranch Jacksonville Ellington (proposed) Kodiak Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Mojave Oklahoma Spaceport America Rickenbacker (proposed)

South America	FAB / AEB Barreira do Inferno Alcântara ESA / CNES Guiana/Kourou

Africa	/ ASI / Broglio Space Centre

Oceania	/ DoD Reagan Test Site (Kwajalein, Marshall Islands) Sea Launch (private)

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