On May 13, 1946, a resolution of the Council of Ministers on the development of jet weapons in the USSR was published. According to this decree, scientific research institutes and design bureaus for rocket technology were formed in the country, and the Kapustin Yar State Range was created. Already by October 1, 1947, the Kapustin Yar test site was completely ready for test missile launches. On October 14, 1947, A-4 missiles, also known as German V-2 missiles, designed by engineer Werner von Braun, were delivered to the newly opened test site by two special trains. Three days later, on October 18, 1947, the first A-4 ballistic missile was launched in the Soviet Union from the Kapustin Yar test site. The rocket was able to rise to a height of 86 km. and reached the surface of the Earth at 274 km. from the place of its start.
A series of flight tests of A-4 missiles in the USSR began with this launch. Like the US rocket space program, the Soviet program began with the launch of captured and later upgraded A-4 (V-2) rockets. In the period from October 18 to November 13, 1947, 11 test launches were made at the Kapustin Yar test site, with both successes and failures, but all this concerned only missiles, and not the available ground equipment. Later, at the Kapustin Yar test site, the first Soviet ballistic missiles built by Sergei Korolev were launched: R-1, R-2, R-5, R-11, as well as geophysical rockets created on their basis. The missiles designed by Mikhail Yangel were also tested here: R-12 and R-14.
On August 31, 1959, for the first time in history, a silo-based missile was launched at the test site, it was the launch of an R-12 medium-range missile, which, after launch, was able to reach the calculated area, thus marking a new era in the history of the development and creation of Soviet rocket technology. On March 16, 1962, Kapustin Yar was transformed from a rocket test site into a cosmodrome - the Kosmos-1 satellite was launched here. From this cosmodrome, small research satellites are launched, for which launch vehicles of relatively low power were used to launch them into space.
Preparation of the A-4 rocket for launch, Kapustin Yar training ground
On October 14, 1969, Kapustin Yar began to function as an international cosmodrome, after the launch of the Interkosmos-1 satellite, developed by specialists from the socialist countries, was carried out from it. The Indian satellites Ariabhata and Bhaskara and the French satellite Sneg-3 were also launched from the cosmodrome. Kapustin Yar played a very important role in training qualified personnel in the field of testing rocket and space technology, as well as leading personnel for other cosmodromes.
Polygon Kapustin Yar
Kapustin Yar (the abbreviated name Kap-Yar is often used) is a military missile training ground located in the northwestern part of the Astrakhan region. Officially, it is called the 4th State Central Interspecific Polygon of the Russian Federation (4 GTSMP). The date of the creation of the test site is considered May 13, 1946, it was created to test the first Soviet ballistic missiles. The area of the landfill is about 650 sq. km. (occupied an area of up to 0.4 million hectares), mostly located on the territory of Russia, but also occupies part of the lands of Kazakhstan within the Atyrau and West Kazakhstan regions. Inclination orbits, degrees: maximum 50, 7, minimum 48, 4. The administrative and residential center of the landfill is the city of Znamensk - a closed territorial unit (ZATO). The population of the city is 32, 1 thousand people. The landfill got its name from the name of the ancient village of Kapustin Yar located on its territory, which adjoins the city of Znamensk from the southeast.
The first test launch at the range was carried out on October 18, 1947, as mentioned above, on this day the A-4 (V-2) rocket was launched. After that, for 10 years from 1947 to 1957, Kapustin Yar was the only place in the USSR for testing domestic ballistic missiles. From September to October 1948, and then 1949, R-1 missiles were tested here, from September to October 1949, R-2 missiles, in March 1953, the R-5 missile was tested. Even as part of the first series of test launches in 1947, the Kapustin Yar test site began to be used as a place for launching geophysical rockets. So on the rocket launched on November 2, 1947, scientific instruments were placed. Since then, this tradition has been maintained until the specialized geophysical rockets V-1 and V-2 were developed in the USSR. At the same time, the place of their launch was still Kapustin-Yar. In the future, launches of meteorological rockets were added to the launch of geophysical rockets. And in June 1951, the first rocket with dogs on board was launched from here.
Anti-aircraft missile B-300. Museum of the Kapustin Yar test site
In the early 1950s, in addition to the active rocket launch program, the development and formation of the test base of the test site went on, new technical and launch complexes were built. On February 20, 1956, nuclear missile weapons were tested at the test site. Launched from here, the R-5 rocket was equipped with a nuclear warhead and delivered it to the Astrakhan steppe, where a nuclear explosion took place in a desert area. In the future, new intercontinental ballistic missiles were tested here more than once.
According to the data discovered today, starting from the 50s of the last century, at least 11 nuclear tests were carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site (nuclear explosions were carried out at an altitude of 300 m to 5.5 km.), And the total power of the detonated devices was approximately 65 atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima. In addition, about 24 thousand various guided missiles were detonated on the territory of the test site, and 177 samples of various military equipment were tested, here, according to the treaty on the destruction of medium and short-range missiles, 619 RSD-10 Pioneer missiles were destroyed.
After 1962, the Kapustin Yar cosmodrome took over the role of a cosmodrome for launching "small" Earth research satellites and rockets. This specialization remained with him until 1988, when the need for launching research satellites was significantly reduced and launches from the Kapustin Yar cosmodrome were stopped. Despite this, the technical positions and launch sites for launch vehicles are still maintained in working order and, if necessary, can be reused at any time.
Exercise at the Kapustin Yar training ground, 1966
It is very difficult to imagine the effective use of the latest rocket technology without the necessary personnel - well-trained rocket specialists. Realizing this, by the directive of the Civil Command of the Army of May 20, 1960 on the territory of the state test site Kapustin Yar, the Training Center of the Missile Forces of the Ground Forces was created, the main task of which was the training and retraining of missile specialists, the processing of the combat coordination of the formed missile units, the development of regulatory documents for a comprehensive combat activity of missile forces.
At the same time, not only strategic missiles were tested at the test site. Over the years, a wide variety of medium and short-range missiles, missiles and air defense systems, cruise missiles were tested here, operational-tactical complexes, for example, Tochka, were tested here. It was here that the famous S-300PMU air defense complex was tested. In the 2000s, the latest S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system was tested here. This complex is the most advanced air defense system in the world and can be successfully used to combat all types of existing, as well as promising air attack weapons.
Years succeeded each other, generations of people changed, technology improved, and the test site was still one of the largest testing and research centers in the country. He gave a start in life to many samples of rocket and space technology and currently has highly qualified test and scientific personnel, is equipped with modern technology and equipment. Today, the Land Forces and the Russian Navy, the Strategic Missile Forces and the Aerospace Forces, the Air Defense Forces and the Air Force have come together on this training ground. Unique experiments are still being carried out here, missile launches are planned and carried out in the interests of all types of troops, new systems are being tested. The training centers train the mechanics-warriors of the world-famous Topol-M complexes, home front specialists.
