Most Soviet orbital launches were conducted from Baikonur Cosmodrome, located in the Kazakh SSR.

However, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Baikonur became part of Kazakhstan, which began charging Russia to lease the land for its use.

Plesetsk Cosmodrome was originally developed by the Soviet Union as a launch site for intercontinental ballistic missiles under the leadership and supervision of lieutenant general Galaktion Alpaidze.

On 11 January 1957, the Soviet government passed the resolution about the foundation of a special military object with the secret name "Angara".

The first Soviet Combat formation of intercontinental ballistic missiles R-7 of general designer Sergei Korolev had to be located in that place, in thick northern taiga to the south of Arkhangelsk.

In January 1963, a joint decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the USSR Council of Ministers created the "Research Proving Ground missile and space weapons USSR Ministry of Defense" near the Ilez railway station, Velsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast.

In September 1963, the Council of Ministers of the USSR 3rd ALM and NIIP converted to "53 minutes Research Proving Ground".

And from 1964, on the basis of rocket connection started the establishment of research proving ground missiles and space weapons.

That day was the first missile launching of the rocket booster Vostok with space vehicle Kosmos 112.

The urban-type settlement of Plesetsk in Arkhangelsk Oblast had a railway station, essential for the transport of missile components.

After the end of the Cold War, it was learned that the CIA had begun to suspect the existence of an ICBM launch site at Plesetsk in the late 1950s.

With some exeptions if for example the Proton M launcher is needed The new all-Russian Angara rocket was designed to be launched primarily from Plesetsk (and also eventually from the Vostochny Cosmodrome).

[1] In May 2007, a new ICBM, called the RS-24 has been tested and launched there, and is seen as eventually replacing the aging RS-18/UR-100Ns (SS-19 Stiletto) and RS-20/R-36Ms (SS-18 Satan) that are the backbone of Russia's missile forces.

[2] In September 2011, Space Forces spokesman Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin said Russia will spend over 5 billion rubles (US$170 million) on the development and expansion of the cosmodrome in 2011.

Site 16 was originally built for use by R-7A Semyorka missiles, however no launches were conducted from the complex whilst it was operational.

After its retirement from service in 1966, it was cannibalised for parts which were needed to repair Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome following the explosion of a Soyuz-U rocket.

Site 35 was originally intended to support the Zenit rocket, which the Soviet Union saw as a replacement for the R-7 series.

[7] Following the cancellation of Zenit launches from Plesetsk, Russia had originally planned to use parts constructed for Site 35 to repair one of the Zenit pads at Baikonur that had been heavily damaged when a rocket lost thrust and fell back into the flame trench seconds after launch.

[8] When Russia began development of the Angara rocket, launch pads at both Plesetsk and Baikonur were planned.

[8] The Angara made its maiden flight—in the one-off Angara-1.2pp configuration—from Site 35/1 on 9 July 2014, flying a successful suborbital test mission.