MOSCOW. March 2 (Interfax) - The looted Baikonur launch site has been unused for years, and most of the hardware was dismantled back in the Soviet period, a representative of the Center for Operation of Space Ground-based Infrastructure (TsENKI) told Interfax.
"Pad No. 110 at the Energia Corporation's launch site has been mothballed. Its systems and units have been dismantled, and their service life expired over 20 years ago. Component parts of these systems are no longer used by manufacturing industries of the Russian Federation," TsENKI said.
"Please note that the majority of ACS (automated control systems) was not commissioned and even partially dismantled for improvement back in the Soviet period," it said.
TsENKI said earlier that the police were investigating theft of precious-metal parts.
The Ren-TV television channel reported earlier on Tuesday that components containing precious rare-earth metals were stolen from Launch Pad No. 110 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
According to the TV channel, the director of the security service of JSC TsENKI-Southern Space Center alerted the police about the theft. A criminal case has been opened. Material damage as a result of the incident is estimated at over 5,000 rubles.
These electronic components were last seen at the launch pad on February 1, but they were not found in their usual place on February 19, he said. The entrance door to Facility No. 3, where the aforementioned launch pad is situated, was forced open, he said.
Launch Pad No. 110 has been used for launching the Soviet lunar rocket N-1 and rockets of the Energia Corporation.