Baikonur Cosmodrome

Baikonur Cosmodrome is located in Kazakhstan’s Kyzylorda Region between Kazalinsk and Tyuratam. The nearby city, also called Baikonur, was formerly known as Leninsk. The spaceport was founded on June 2, 1955, and its first launch took place on May 15, 1957. It served as the Soviet Union’s principal launch site. After the USSR collapsed, it became part of Kazakhstan and is leased to Russia until 2050. The complex contains five active launch pads, 13 assembly and testing buildings, rocket fueling stations, a flight-control measurement center, and two airfields, Krainy and Yubileyny. Crewed and cargo missions continue to launch from Baikonur. By March 2024, 1,540 rockets had lifted off from the site, placing 1,999 spacecraft into orbit.

While preparing a launch pad, builders discovered an ancient fire pit 35 meters underground, estimated to be 10,000–30,000 years old. After the discovery, chief designer Sergei Korolev called the spaceport a ‘lucky place.’ Alcohol was strictly prohibited, although the rule was famously broken once in 1957 when Korolev’s assistant ordered 12 tons of alcohol for technical use and system cleaning.