Baikonur: The first & largest cosmodrome in the world (PHOTOS)
- 15 launch complexes for launching carrier rockets
- 4 launch pads for testing intercontinental ballistic missiles
- 11 assembly and test buildings, two airfields
- 470 kilometers of railways
- 1281 kilometers of highways
- and finally the city of Baikonur
All this (and more!) makes up the grandiose complex from which Russia makes its space flights.
Baikonur occupies an area of about 7,000 square kilometers. Its territory could essentially accommodate two and a half Moscows!
Construction of the cosmodrome, which was then called ‘Scientific Research Test Site No. 5’, began in southern Kazakhstan in January 1955. On June 2 of the same year, the USSR Ministry of Defense included it in the list of its facilities as ‘military unit 11284’ and it is this day that is considered the birthday of Baikonur.
On October 4, 1957, the first artificial Earth satellite was launched from the cosmodrome and, on April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin began his historic flight from there on board the Vostok-1 spacecraft.
Several generations of launch vehicles and various intercontinental ballistic missiles have been tested at Baikonur. Today, Russia leases the cosmodrome from Kazakhstan and regularly launches Soyuz manned spacecraft and Progress cargo spacecraft from it.
The first space tourist, American multimillionaire Dennis Tito, set off on his flight from Baikonur. He took off from Earth on April 28, 2001, and returned on May 6.
October 24, meanwhile, is considered a “black day” in the history of the cosmodrome. On this day in 1960, a fire broke out there, killing 78 people, including Chief Marshal of Artillery Mitrofan Nedelin, commander of the Strategic Missile Forces.
Then, on October 24, 1963, another fire killed eight people. Since then, launches have not been carried out on this day in honor of the victims.
Russia is gradually transferring capacity from Baikonur to its new Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Region. However, ‘Roscosmos’ plans to continue using the legendary cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at least until the current lease ends in 2050.