The legendary Baikonur cosmodrome is located in the Kyzylorda region in the south of Kazakhstan.
The cosmodrome is the world’s first and largest operational space complex. It was built in the desert steppe of Baikonur near the Tyuratam railway station. Currently, the cosmodrome has been leased to Russia by the Government of Kazakhstan until 2050. Baikonur is managed by the State Corporation Roscosmos.
The leased area has a form of ellipse (90 km from east to west and 85 km from north to south) with a cosmodrome in the center.
Baikonur was built during the Soviet era in the late 1950s as a base of operations for the Soviet space program. And now, numerous commercial, military and scientific missions are launched here every year.
Significant events of the last century got their start at Baikonur. The first artificial satellite and the first manned flight into space were launched from this cosmodrome.
After the collapse of the USSR in 1994, Kazakhstan signed an agreement with Russia on Baikonur. Under its terms, the Baikonur space complex was leased to the Russian Federation. The climate in this region is sharply continental with cold winters and dry hot summers.
The closest large city to the cosmodrome is Kyzylorda located 240 km from the cosmodrome. To get to Baikonur, you need to take a plane or train (from Almaty, Astana or Shymkent) to Kyzylorda, and drive from the city to the station.
To visit the Baikonur cosmodrome, you must have a special permit from Roscosmos, and an application must be submitted a couple of months before the trip.
