First rocket finally departs Russia's Vostochny cosmodrome Russian president Vladimir Putin was on hand earlier today to witness the first launch from Russia's new Vostochny cosmodrome, as a Soyuz lifter carried three satellites* heavenwards. The rocket departed the launchpad at 05:01 Moscow time (02:01 GMT), following a 24-hour knock-back due to a technical glitch. Two views of …
I've always loved the four elegant swing arms that release the rocket. Before launch they gently squeeze inwards holding the rocket upright, but once there's enough thrust for the rocket to begin pushing upwards, they relax their grip and counterweights pull them away from the rocket so it can fly free. No need for explosive bolts and complicated electronics.
Trees being trees, were there before the cosmodrome was built, and why clear more than you need to? There is also a fringe benefit - should there a Rapid Unplanned Disassembly, the trees would help attenuate the force of any shockwave before it hits the command bunker (this is why trees were planted around the oil refinery in Milford Haven). Of course, the trees wouldn't be necessary at the cosmodrome - the bunker would be strong enough anyway, and placed at an appropriate distance from the launch pad.
The area near the Pacific coast where the trajectory will not go over Japan have no infrastructure within 1000+ miles. Even the Death Road is not anywhere near.
The reason for the site choice are railway (it is close to the old transsiberian railway, lack of population nearby and a fairly clean launch trajectory.
If you go further east you start risking the first stage or accidents to end up hitting Japan. You also get way too close to North Korea.
The planned schedule for it is interesting too. After the first launch, there is a planned pause until they finish building the infra and then they move their entire moon program wholesale there.
They are also putting the next generation launchers (Angara class) there, effectively, leaving the old site to deal with legacy launches using nasty toxic fuels for the first and second stage.
Further south and on the coast might mean dropping spent stages on Japan - not a good thing.
Russia's Energia Group is also the majority owner of Sea Launch which was putting Zenit payloads into space from a floating platform on the equator, but that seems to be defunct following the Russian invasion of Ukraine where Zenit is constructed.
The US has less need of a new launch centre, Kennedy/Canaveral are huge, well to the south of any Russian site and well sited in case you need to drop something into the ocean as well as receiving rockets by road, rail and barge.
The Vandenberg Shuttle pad was scrapped following the Challenger explosion when the USAF successfully lobbied to move all national security payloads to the Titan IV. Challenger also put pay to the extremely lightweight filament wound SRBs that would have been required to put a payload into polar orbit. With no booster and no payload, there was no need for a Shuttle pad at Vandenberg.
And the US is currently building a new launch centre near Brownsville, TX where Falcon 9 and Falcon 9 Heavies will be flying from late 2017
Russia did not do it "just because". There was a point when Kazahstan tried to play hardball.
Playing hardball with Russians is not an activity known for its long term beneficial outcomes. You can bargain with them as much as you like, they get it. Hardball - nope, they will ensure that you are never ever in a position to play hardball ever again out of principle, quite often regardless of the costs involved. They will not make a point out of it either (so do not expect any gloating and mentioning of why they did it). They will just do it. I have yet to see a USA or UK politician grok this very well known part of the Russian national mentality by the way.
The Russians negotiated the agreement for the Soyuz pad at the Guiana Space center, refurbished Plesetsk _AND_ kicked off the build at Vostochny when the Kazahs (the rumor is - upon western consluttants and stink tank "advice") tried to play hardball.
By the time Kazahstan back-pedalled on playing hardball at Baikonur they had to accept much worse conditions than what they would have got by negotiating. They are now in the unenviable position of a grandfathered Plan D (with corresponding investment and perspectives). They are not playing hardball any more either.
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