Rocket launch from East with your own eyes

Finally, we managed to see the launch of a space rocket from a fairly close distance. At the Vostochny Cosmodrome, on December 27, 2018, the Soyuz 2.1a rocket was launched with a payload into low Earth orbit. A dozen people and one blogger were a mile from the launch pad.



The observation point is equipped in case of extreme cold weather, which are not uncommon on Amur. This morning was -27 °. In the cold, the batteries of the cameras lost their charge, their phones went out, their lenses were covered with frost, but people were hiding in the room and warming themselves with hot tea with taiga herbs.
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Traditional Siberian landscapes: raketa, samovar, baranki, lacking only medved and balalaika.



Together with the guests, journalists and staff, the launch was monitored by the optical system of the command-measuring complex of the cosmodrome.





And around the taiga ...



About an hour before the launch, the service tower drove off to the side, opening a rocket. The location of the survey was chosen not the best, but it is safe from the point of view of the rocket’s flight path, and there are not many other elevations around.



On the occasion of an important event, they raised flags, although it seems that the flag of the Amur Region was not enough.



The retractable cable-mast from the rocket means that seconds are left before the launch.



Began…



There is a lift contact!



A metering error in the camera allowed a better view of the flame structure. The lateral streams of steering combustion chambers are clearly visible.



Over the taiga echoed the roar and crackle of the flame. The body felt low-frequency air vibrations.



A large cloud of steam, smoke and dust has flown to the right. It seems the steam is usually smaller, but the severe frost has increased the effects of condensation.



The rocket rotates around its axis.



And falls on the course.



The cloud of the earth grows even more.



In the clear sky, a soot trace of kerosene fuel is clearly visible. Despite soot, kerosene is considered an environmentally friendly fuel, although the cleanest is hydrogen-oxygen engines.



At a certain height, the engine exhaust again causes condensation processes in the atmosphere, and a white trail is pulled from the rocket. Usually it is mistakenly called "inversion", although the correct term is "condensation".



Condensation trail casts an unexpectedly contrasting shadow. This is rarely seen on an almost clear sky.
In general, the weather was lucky, but, they say, there are up to 300 clear days a year. But the guests from overcast Moscow were glad to see the blue sky.



As the height increases, condensation stops, and the shape of the flame jet begins to change due to changes in atmospheric pressure.



Branch side accelerators. It is impossible to see them with the naked eye, I did not even see it through the lens. Only a slight disturbance appeared on the trail.



Gradually, the rocket "goes to the point", and the white translucent trail is lost against the background of a pale cloudy haze. In the photo, perhaps, there are two flaps of the head fairing - two points on the sides of the smoke trail.



The rocket flies away very quickly, leaving a sad feeling on how it all ended soon. Perhaps one of the achievements of the “great PR man Mask” is that having taught the rocket to sit down, he almost doubled the duration of the rocket show, which cannot but please the creators of technology and ordinary viewers.

Anyone who wants to see the launch of the rocket and is not a professional photographer, I can advise you to leave photo equipment at home. Enjoy this spectacle in full measure with your eyes and skin, it is worth it! Maybe only binoculars come in handy. It is easier to get to the start at Baikonur, tourist groups lead there, there is no such thing at the East yet.

And the Kanopus-V satellites No. 5-6 and 26 foreign small spacecraft of passing loads were successfully launched into specified orbits by the Fregat upper stage. All satellites came in contact.

Worthy end to a difficult year for Russian cosmonautics.

To see the launch and show it to you, I was allowed by the invitation of the company GKLaunch , which was created in order to provide "Union" with commercial demand in the world market.