Sary Shagan
| Sary Shagan | |
|---|---|
| Сары-Шаган | |
| Near Priozersk in Kazakhstan | |
| Coordinates | 46°23′N 72°52′E / 46.383°N 72.867°ECoordinates: 46°23′N 72°52′E / 46.383°N 72.867°E |
| Type | Anti-ballistic missile testing range |
| Site information | |
| Operator | Russian Aerospace Forces |
| Status | active |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1958 - current |
Sary Shagan (Russian: Сары-Шаган; Kazakh: Сарышаған) is an anti-ballistic missile testing range located in Kazakhstan.
On 17 August 1956 the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union authorized plans for an experimental facility for missile defense located at Sary Shagan, on the west bank of Lake Balkhash. The first missile launched from the facility was a V-1000 on 16 October 1958, but the facilities for full scale testing were not ready until 1961. Sary Shagan remains in use to this day, with the latest known launch at 4 March 2014. Sary Shagan was a closed city until 2005.
The length of the site is 480 km.
The Sary Shagan range was the intended landing site for the sample return canister of the Russian Phobos Grunt mission.
In the 1970s the Vympel OKB, Geofizika, Phazotron, MNIIRE Altair, others; built the Terra-3 laser testing centre at Sary Shagan.
The Sary Shagan site has hosted a number of radar prototypes such as the Don-2NP. Also there is Balkhash-9 radar station a few km away which started in the 1960s and still functions as part of the Russian missile warning network.
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