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TsPK – Star City

The Star City complex contains the primary center in Russia for training cosmonauts and international space travelers, the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC, or TsPK after its Russian acronym). It is part of Military Unit 26266 or в/ч 26266, a research and training facility.

Star City is located outside of Moscow approximately 40 kilometers to the northeast. It is south-east of and close to Chkalovskii, Чкаловский Airport (Pos.: 55°52′07″N, 038° 03′07″E), itself part of Shchyolkovo, Щёлково city. A train can be boarded from Moscow at Yaroslavskii Station, where an over-1-hour ride through 17 stations will deposit the visitor at Tsiolkovskaya Station just outside TsPK.

TsPK officially came into being on 11 January 1960. As a Russian Air Force military facility, its existence was initially secret and the place heavily-guarded as a closed military town. Until 2009 – when it was handed over to civilian control under the Russian Federal Space Agency – its Chief, who oversaw TsPK, was an Air Force officer. From the 1990s, when the Mir and ISS programs required international visitors to train there, the city became more open (though not entirely), and tours were given to outsiders.

TsPK was named after Yurii Gagarin on his death in a flight training accident in 1968. It was given the status of a Scientific Research and Test institute in 1969.

Star City provides extensive resources for the military personnel and cosmonauts who live there; it is an almost-self-contained town.

Cosmonauts used to have to live in Star City for security reasons during the Soviet era, but can live anywhere that is convenient, now (such as in Moscow).

Full names:

Cosmonaut Training Center named after Yu. A. Gagarin (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, GCTC)
Центр Подготовки Космонавтов имени Ю. А. Гагарина (TsPK, ЦПК)
Tsentr Podgotovki Kosmonavtov imeni Yu. A. Gagarina
Russian State Scientific Research Test Center for Cosmonaut Training named after Yu. A. Gagarin
Российский Государственный Научно-Исследовательский Испытательный Центр Подготовки Космонавтов им. Ю. А. Гагарина (RGNIITsPK, РГНИИЦПК)
Rossiiskii Gosudarstvennyi Nauchno-Issledovatel’skii Ispytatel’nyi Tsentr Podgotovki Kosmonavtov im. Yu. A. Gagarina
Star City (more accurately, Starry Town)
Звёздный Городок
Zvyozdnyi Gorodok

Training facilities

As of 2009, there has been more than 45 different simulators used at TsPK over the years, with 4 generations to date, ranging from early analog to the latest digital versions, with the 5th generation in development. The currently-used simulators reflect the Russian space program’s main focus on the International Space Station:

  • ISS Russian segment (RS) integrated simulator: full-scale mock-ups of the Zvezda, Zarya and Pirs modules in flight configuration
  • Main control post specific simulator for the ЦП, TsP Central Command Post in Zvezda. The simulation does not take place in a module mock-up but in a room that contains various computers and monitors.
  • Multipurpose laboratory module integrated simulator for Russian space experiments
  • Don-ERA: European robotic arm (ERA) simulator trains ISS crews to use the ERA that will be flown to the ISS
  • Soyuz simulator complex. Various simulators cover all aspects of launch, flight and docking for the current Soyuz TMA model. There is also a simulator to train ISS crews to perform manual remote control dockings for Progress cargo ship, automated ISS modules and the ATV. The simulators include:
    • Pilot-732 for Soyuz approach and docking
    • Don-7ST3 for the Soyuz TMA (replacing the Don-Soyuz-TM)
  • Simulators for post-landing are the “Okean-4”, for water landings, the “Materik” for ground landings and a Soyuz Descent Module.

Stands provide virtual training simulations for parts of spacecraft and modules. (See Simulators)

There is a space planetarium that can project up to 9000 stars. Inside this is the AFMS, astronavigation functional modeling stand (Астронавигационный функционально-моделирующий стенд, Astronavigatsionnyi Funktsional’no-Modeliruyushchii Stend), which is used to train cosmonauts to recognize star constellations for space navigation and orientation.

The Hydrolab – Гидролаборатория, Gidrolaboratoriya – is used for simulating spacewalks. Two facilities, Vykhod-1 and 2, enable the simulation of zero-gravity by suspending spacesuit wearers from pulleys in the ceiling.

There are two centrifuges. The smaller TsF-7 dynamic trainer-centrifuge began operating in March 1973 and has a radius of 7 meters, rotating to a maximum load of 20 g. The large TsF-18 opened in 1980 and has an enclosed cabin; it rotates to a maximum of 30 g.

Parabolic flights provide up to 30 seconds of weightlessness during the descent phase of a parabola. A Tupolev Tu-104 was first used in the 1960s. The aircraft used is the Ilyushin Il-76 (designated the Il-76MDK), and there are three of these specially-outfitted jets in the Seryogin Regiment at Chkalovskii. Microgravity experiments, EVA training and familiarization with weightlessness are performed. A modified Tupolev Tu-154 is used for training in Earth observation and space navigation; space equipment is also tested on it.

Simulators for older programs that are no longer used are sometimes stored outside due to lack of space.

Military to civilian control

In 2009 the Russian Air Force decided to hand TsPK over to civilian control, namely to the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos), as announced by the Roskosmos news service on 27/4:

On April 27, Anatoly Perminov, Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, held a meeting with the management of Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

The meeting was attended by Alexey Panteleev, Vice Governor of the Moscow region, Valery Chernov, Territorial Settlement Minister of Government of the Moscow region, Vitaly Davyidov, State-Secretary-Deputy Head of Roscosmos, and the heads of Roscosmos Directorates.

Anatoly Perminov opened the meeting. In particular, he said:

“…GCTC history is linked tightly with foundation and evolution of the Russian and world human space programs. GCTC has everything required for crew training: modern unique labs and simulators, validated methods, high-quality expertise. The renewed Center will face more achievements in space exploration.

“Following the Order of the Russian Government, Roscosmos and Ministry of Defense now carry out the reorganization work to establish a Federal State Budget Entity under Roscosmos. There are some problems connected with GCTC hand-over to Roscosmos, and we discussed those with D.A. Medvedev, Russian President, at the meeting devoted to the Cosmonautics Day.

“The Act of the Russian President dated Jan. 19 also defines reorganization of the military city into a Restricted Administrative Territorial Settlement. Here, we appreciate the support provided by the Governor and the Government of the Moscow region a lot…

“Roscosmos and Ministry of Defence still have to do much to finalize liquidation process until July 2009. All the assets are to be handed over to Roscosmos, personnel is to get new appointments in the Federal State Entity, etc.

“All the issues regarding social protection of GCTC personnel will be solved.

“We have to work hard to establish a renewed Center, and to found a new City, which deserves its name of the Cosmonaut Training Center.

“I am sure that the personnel will support implementation of all current and future tasks related to cosmonaut training, and add more pages to the history book of the Russian space exploration.”

The formal transfer was to be completed by 1 July 2009. I wonder what this means for military cosmonauts – will they still be in the Russian Air Force, as U.S. military personnel are detailed to NASA as astronauts for a selected period of time?

One reason for the transfer was cost-cutting by Minister of Defence Anatolii Serdyukov. Something they may regret?

From an online video report at Roskosmos TV of a news conference, 16 May 2009:

ZATO without epaulets

The centre of preparation of cosmonauts named after Yurii Gagarin is on the threshold of a new life. In Star City the approach has changed. Officers will remove epaulets, the military become civil experts. Such are the realities of life. In the conditions of military reform from the Ministry of Defence the Center is transferred to the Federal Space Agency. Henceforth it will be ФГБУ, FGBU – a Federal state budgetary establishment.

"We will be ready to take any measures to create in Star City the normal conditions for the functioning of all social infrastructure that there was a corresponding investment climate. Everything that it will be necessary to make from outside the governments it is made in the near future,”assured Alexei Panteleev, the vice-governor of Moscow Region.

In official documents the town will be referred to as ZATO, the closed administrative-territorial entity (ЗАТО – закрытым административно-территориальным образованием) as it is still connected with classified activities.

“It is a territorial regime that is connected with many secrets – state secrets – which we are obliged to keep classified. It imposes certain restrictions,” Yurii Gidzenko, the head of department of special preparation at TsPK, explained.

More than 200 military men will continue service at the new Star City without transferring to the reserves. Recently the same kind of reforms took place at the Baikonur cosmodrome. Now it as a part of the Russian Space Department. Today it is possible to be proud of civilian Baikonur.

“After a year or two it is already impossible to ascertain the objects which we have accepted from the Ministry of Defence,” Anatolii Perminov, the head of the Federal Space Agency, has emphasized.

Being a past military man, Colonel-General Anatolii Perminov understands how it is hard to transfer to being a citizen. The head of Russian Space Department has assured the Star City officers that he will personally supervise all reorganisation processes.

“No one will be thrown overboard, we'll try not to offend,” promised Anatolii Perminov.

For people at Star City it is necessary to live on the Earth. Some officers live in service apartments from the Ministry of Defence, while others have no allocated housing. The question is difficult to solve. There will be a housing program in TsPK. “Epaulets, remain on for life, and most importantly, in the soul of this officer and others the best traditions are honored,” Aleksei Panteleev said.

In July the preparation center will be headed by Sergei Krikalev – the Hero of Soviet Union and the first Hero of Russia. He is not a military man, but expectations of officers are clear to him. The working group of the commission will consider all questions. Hospitals, drugstores, kindergartens, food industrial complexes – the infrastructure of Star City should be maintained.

The new leadership promises to improve the life of the town and attract young professionals a decent wage, with interesting business and promising projects. After all, Russia’s space program has already been set out for 30 years.

On 28 July 2009, for the first time in the history of the Star City, election of the city mayor and deputies of the Deputy Counsel took place in the City. (Roskosmos). There was a scandal surrounding the initial candidate, as described in this news article, where Colonel of the FSB Nikolay Rybkin was arrested for allegedly organizing the illegal delivery of an exceptionally large contraband of Chinese goods through Baltic Customs. This caused much indignation in Star City as he was a popular figure, and some thought the arrest a set-up.

A curious bit of trivia, regarding some Australian black swans (one of which can be seen in this Roskosmos news report):

One of his widely known acts was reintroducing twelve swans that inhabit the town’s lake. There was a time when Star City was proud of these birds, but during perestroika, someone ate the swans and sent the bones to the town’s administration. Rybkin, once again, ordered the swans from abroad.

On 22 October 2009, former cosmonaut Aleksandr Volkov became Head of Star City Administration. Coincidentally, he did two long space missons with Sergei (Mir Principal Expeditions 4 and 10). (Roskosmos interview, only in Russian).

Diagrams

Maps from the book Russia’s Cosmonauts (2005):

Related pages: Training, Hydrolab, Soyuz survival training

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TsPK Chiefs gallery

Karpov

Eu.A. Karpov, colonel of medical service
Полковник м/с. Е.А.Карпов (1960-1963)

Odintsov

M.P. Odintsov, Air Force colonel-general, twice Hero of the Soviet Union
Генерал-полковник авиации дважды Герой Советского Союза М.П.Одинцов (1963)

Kuznetsov

N.F. Kuznetsov, Air Force major-general, Hero of the Soviet Union
Генерал-майор авиации Герой Советского Союза Н.Ф.Кузнецов (1963-1972)

Beregovoi

G.T. Beregovoi, Air Force lieutenant-general, twice Hero of the Soviet Union
Генерал-лейтенант авиации дважды Герой Советского Союза Г.Т.Береговой (1972-1987)

Shatalov

V.A. Shatalov, Air Force lieutenant-general, twice Hero of the Soviet Union,
Генерал-лейтенант авиации дважды Герой Советского Союза В.А.Шаталов (1978-1991)

Klimuk

P.I. Klimuk, colonel-general, twice Hero of the Soviet Union
Генерал-лейтенант авиации дважды Герой Советского Союза П.И.Климук (before 2003)

Tsibliev

V.V. Tsibliev, lieutenant-general, Hero of Russia
Генерал-лейтенант, герой России, В.В.Циблиев (2003-2009)

Krikalyov

S.K. Krikalyov, С.К.Крикалёв, Energiya cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union & Russia, first civilian Chief (2009-)