_(cropped).jpg) Memorial to victims of the disaster | |
| Date | 19:01 MSK (16:01 GMT) 18 March 1980 |
|---|---|
| Location | Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43 |
| Casualties | |
| 48 dead[a] | |
| 87 injured (43 seriously) | |
The 1980 Plesetsk launch pad disaster was the explosion of a Vostok-2M rocket carrying a Tselina-D satellite during fueling at Site 43 of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Mirny at 19:01 local time (16:01 GMT) on 18 March 1980, two hours and fifteen minutes before the intended launch time. Forty-four people were killed in the initial fire and four more soon died in the hospital from burns. It is the second deadliest space exploration-related disaster in history.
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