Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan was the world's first space port. It is still the busiest and looks to stay that way for a long time. Because Russia rents Baikonur from Kazakhstan, and because Russia cannot use Baikonur for sensitive, secret military launches, the Russians constructed a second and more modern cosmodrome at Plesetsk nearly 500 miles north of Moscow. And it is building a new one at Vostochny in the Amur River region close to China and the Pacific Coast. Read more
Baikonur, the world famous launch pad from where the first Soviet and world cosmonaut Yury Gagarin was sent to space has turned 55 years. June 2nd 1955, when the original structure of the pads staff was endorsed, is the official birthday of the cosmodrome. Read more
Kazakhstan limits degree of participation of Russia in Baikonur
Kazakhstan limits degree of participation of Russia in use of Baikonur, the agency reports citing the statement of the head of Russian Space Department, Anatoly Perminov. Read more
Kazakhstan is trying to restrict Russian space activities
The Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) is concerned about the policy of the space authorities of Kazakhstan which is having a negative impact on the implementation of Russian space programs, Roscosmos head Anatoly Perminov said at an expanded board meeting of the agency. Read more
On February 12, 1955, the first military construction units arrived at Tyura-Tam railroad siding (station) to launch the construction of a new missile test range - Scientific-Research Test Range No. 5 of the Soviet Defence Ministry (NIIP-5), currently known as the Baikonur Space Centre. Read more
Kazakhstan needs to develop tourism infrastructure at Baikonur. The Minister of Tourism and Sports Temirkhan Dosmukhambetov said at the press conference today, the agency reports.
Oil-rich Kazakhstan is taking a new look at its Soviet-era space facility at Baikonur, reconsidering Russian use of the facility as well as evaluating ways to develop it as an increased source of profits for the government. Environmental concerns have become increasingly important to the Kazakh government, with Kazakhstans national space agency chief Talgat Musabayev stating that Kazakhstan wants to amend its space agreement with Russia to end Proton-class launches from Baikonur, while nonetheless agreeing that Russia should be allowed to proceed with its Proton-M launch scheduled for July 7
Kazakhstan Terminates Joint Space Project with Russia Kazakhstan has decided to close Ishim joint space project with Russia. Creation of a new aerospace rocket complex will be halted due to economic unreasonableness. The idea was to create Ishim as a complex for launching small aerospace vehicles. It was to be based on MiG-31 planes capable of lifting a small rocket. Benefiting from its own engine, the rocket would separate from the plane at the scheduled altitude, ascend higher and orbit a space vehicle in the last effort.
According to Viktor Remishevsky, Federal Space Agency’s deputy director, Russia plans to resume launches of Dnepr rockets from the Baikonur cosmodrome by the end of this year.
The final decision on further launches of Dnepr from Baikonur would be made after a Russian-Kazakh intergovernmental commission finished its work. The commission will hold its final meeting in a few days.