Clean up the space rocket waste

Over a big number of years, the areas located near the Plesetsk space centre have seen rocket components fall down over their territories causing dangerous situations for locals. Many of the rocket components also contain poisonous substances and have contributed to pollution of fresh water resources.

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In a meeting with representatives of the Russian Federation Council’s Committee on the North, the Arkhangelsk regional administration reiterated its demands that the affected municipalities are compensated by federal authorities. The senators from the Federation Council now promise to address the issue to the federal government, a press release from the Arkhangelsk administration informs.

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The Russian government already in 1995 decided that an agreement needs to be concluded between the Ministry of Defence and the affected regions. A legislative bill on the issue was in 2009 elaborated by the Federal Space Agency, however this document was not adopted. In the period from the 1970s to 1992, the Plesetsk centre launched a total of 1369 rockets into orbit, which was the biggest number of all world launch sites. Despite a drop in the number of launches after 1992, the centre remains vital in the Russia space industry.