Map showing the location of Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

The Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakh: Байқоңыр ғарыш айлағы, Bayqoñır ğarış aylağı; Russian: Космодром Байконур, Kosmodrom Baykonur), also called Tyuratam, is the world's oldest and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in Kazakhstan, about 200 kilometers (~125 mi) east of the Aral Sea, on the north bank of the Syr Darya, near the town of Tyuratam. It is leased by the Kazakh government to Russia (until 2050) and managed by the Russian Federal Space Agency. It was originally built by the Soviet Union as the base of operations for its ambitious space program from the late 1950s to the 1980s. One of the launch pads, known as "Gagarin's Start" (Russian: «Гагаринский старт»), is located at 45°57′52.61″N, 63°18′18.26″E and is the launch pad from which Vostok 1 was launched. The administrative offices are positioned at 45°55′12.64″N, 63°20′32.48″E. Image File history File links Map_baikonur_cosmodrome. ... Image File history File links Map_baikonur_cosmodrome. ... Kazakh (also Qazaq and variants[2], natively , , ‎) is a Western Turkic language closely related to Nogai and Karakalpak. ... A spaceport is a site for launching spacecraft, by analogy with airport for aircraft. ... The Aral Sea (Kazakh: Арал Теңізі (Aral Tengizi), Uzbek: , Russian Аральскοе мοре) is a landlocked endorheic sea in Central Asia; it lies between Kazakhstan in the north and Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan, in the south. ... Syr Darya (also known as Syrdarya or Sirdaryo) is a river in Central Asia. ... Tyuratam is a station on the main Moscow to Tashkent railway, located in Kazakhstan. ... The Russian Federal Space Agency (Russian: Федеральное космическое агентство России, commonly known as Roskosmos), formerly the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (Russian: Российское авиационно-космическое агентство, commonly known as Rosaviakosmos) or RKA, is the government agency responsible for Russias space science programme and general aerospace research. ... Vostok 1 was the first manned space mission. ...

Photograph showing the "verticalization" of a rocket at the Baikonur cosmodrome.

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 102 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Photograph showing the veritcalization of a rocket at the Baikonur cosmodrome. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 102 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Photograph showing the veritcalization of a rocket at the Baikonur cosmodrome. ...

Name

It was sometimes assumed the name Baikonur was chosen to intentionally mislead the West as to the actual location of the site by suggesting that the site was near Baikonur, a mining town about 320 kilometers (199 mi) northeast of the space centre in the desert area near Dzhezkazgan. Others assert Baikonur also refers to the entire region.^[1] Map showing Baikonurs location in Kazakhstan. ... Location of Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan Dzhezkazgan, also khnown as Zhezkazgan (Kazakh: - Zhezqazghan, Russian: ), is a city in central Kazakhstan, on a reservoir of the Kara-Kengir River. ...

History

Soviet era

Baikonur was founded on June 2, 1955. It was originally built as a long-range-missile centre and later expanded to include space flight facilities. Sergei Korolev the Chief Designer of the Soviet R-7 Semyorka ICBM selected the site as the radio control system of the rocket required a ground station several hundred kilometers down range of the launch pads. The expense of constructing the launch facilities and the several hundred kilometers of new road and train lines made the Cosmodrome one of the most costly infrastructure projects the Soviets undertook. A supporting town was built around the facility to provide apartments, schools and support for workers. It was raised to city status in 1966 and named Leninsk. June 2 is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (Серге́й Па́влович Королёв) (December 30, 1906– January 14, 1966) was the head Soviet rocket engineer and designer during the space race, known only as the chief designer during his lifetime. ... R-7 with Sputnik 2 The R-7 Semyorka was the worlds first intercontinental ballistic missile and was deployed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War from 1959 to 1968. ... A Minuteman III missile soars after a test launch. ... Map showing Baikonurs location in Kazakhstan. ...

Many historic flights lifted off from Baikonur: the first operational ICBM, the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, on October 4, 1957, the first manned orbital flight by Yuri Gagarin in 1961 and the flight of the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, in 1963. The first astronauts of many other nations, such as Czechoslovakia, France, Germany and Brazil, started their historical journeys from here as well. In 1960 a prototype ICBM exploded before launch, killing over 100 people. Sputnik 1 (Russian: , Satellite-1, byname ПС-1 (PS-1, i. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (Russian: , Jurij Aleksejevič Gagarin IPA: ; 9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968), Hero of the Soviet Union, was a Soviet cosmonaut who on 12 April 1961 became the first human in space and the first human to orbit the Earth. ... 1963 USSR postage stamp depicting Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (Russian: ; born March 6, 1937), is a retired Soviet cosmonaut and was the first woman to fly in space, aboard Vostok 6 on the 16th of June 1963. ... A Minuteman III missile soars after a test launch. ... The R-16 Missile that caused the catastrophe. ...

Photograph showing launch of the Progress cargo vehicle (destined to dock with the ISS) aboard a Soyuz rocket.

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (720 × 960 pixel, file size: 165 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Photograph showing launch of the Progress cargo vehicle (destined to dock with the ISS) aboard a Soyuz rocket. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (720 × 960 pixel, file size: 165 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Photograph showing launch of the Progress cargo vehicle (destined to dock with the ISS) aboard a Soyuz rocket. ...

Russian era

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 the Russian space program continued to operate from Baikonur under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In 1995 the city surrounding the spaceport was renamed Baikonur. On June 8, 2005 the Russian Federation Council ratified an agreement between Russia and Kazakhstan extending Russia’s rent term of the spaceport until 2050. The rent price - which is fixed at 115 million US dollars per year - is the source of a long-running dispute between the two countries. That dispute has prompted Russia to begin upgrading its own Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Oblast of Northern Russia as a fallback option. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ...  Member state  Associate member Headquarters Minsk, Belarus Working language Russian Type Commonwealth Membership 11 member states 1 associate member Leaders  -  Executive Secretary Viktor Yanukovych Establishment December 21, 1991 Website http://cis. ... Map showing Baikonurs location in Kazakhstan. ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Federation Council of Russia (Russian: ; Sovet Federatsii) is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (parliament of the Russian Federation), according to the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... Cyclone-3 rocket launching Meteor-3 satellite (Plesetsk, August 15, 1991) Plesetsk Cosmodrome is a Russian spaceport, located about 800 km north of Moscow and south of Arkhangelsk (coordinates vary in different sources, but 62°08′ N 41°01′ E seems plausible). ... Arkhangelsk Oblast (Russian: , Arkhangelskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). ...

Features

Baikonur is fully equipped with facilities for launching both manned and unmanned space vehicles. It supports several generations of Russian spacecraft: Soyuz, Proton, Tsyklon, Dnepr and Zenit. During the temporary lapse of the United States' Space Shuttle program after the Columbia Disaster in 2003 it has played an essential role in the resupply and deployment of the International Space Station. Space exploration is the physical exploration of outer-Earth objects and generally anything that involves the technologies, science, and politics regarding space endeavors. ... Soyuz rocket on launch pad. ... The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... Tsyklon-3 rocket launching Meteor-3 weather observation satellite (Plesetsk, Aug. ... The Dnepr space launch vehicle (Ukrainian: ; Russian: , named after the Dnieper River), is a converted ICBM used for launching artificial satellites into orbit, operated by launch service provider ISC Kosmotras (established in 1997). ... The Zenit rocket (Ukrainian: Зеніт, Russian: Зени́т; meaning Zenith) is a space launch vehicle manufactured by the Yuzhnoe Design Bureau of Ukraine. ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... Crew of STS-107 on launch day (Close up of faces and names) STS-107 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia. ... “ISS” redirects here. ...

Moments after being launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome, a Soyuz launch vehicle carrying the PanAmSat "Galaxy 14" satellite leaves behind a ghostly plume after staging that catches the sun (below our horizon) and delights spectators. The bright dot near the bottom of the picture, above the tree, is the ascending rocket.

Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

Future projects

On December 22, 2004, Kazakhstan and Russia signed a contract establishing the "Russia-Kazakhstan Baiterek JV" joint venture, in which each country holds a 50-percent stake. The goal of the project is the construction of the Baiterek (poplar tree) space launch complex, to facilitate operations of the Russian Angara rocket launcher. The site is scheduled to be completed in 2009. ^[2] This will allow launches with a payload of 26 tons to low earth orbit, compared to 20 tons using the Proton system. An additional benefit will be that the Angara uses kerosene and oxygen as fuel, which is less hazardous to the environment than the toxic fuels used by older boosters. The total expenditure on the Kazakh side will be $223 million over 19 years.^[3] December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about woody plants of the genus Populus. ... The Angara rocket is a planned space-launch vehicle, designed to place heavy payloads into orbit. ... A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit in which objects such as satellites are below intermediate circular orbit (ICO) and far below geostationary orbit, but typically around 350 - 1400 km above the Earths surface. ...

Popular culture

In the world of Star Trek the Baikonur Cosmodrome launched the SS Mariposa (NAR-7678) on November 27, 2123 and the SS Tsiolkovsky (Russian: К. Э. Циолковский) (NCC-53911) circa 2363. The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series. ... Up the Long Ladder is an episode from the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... November 27 is the 331st day (332nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events 14 September - Venus transit of Jupiter. ... The USS Grissom (NCC-638), an Oberth class starship. ...

In the computer game Command & Conquer: Generals, the Global Liberation Army terrorist faction arms a Soyuz rocket with anthrax and launches it from the base at a nondescript city. In the expansion pack, Zero Hour, a second rocket is launched at an American base in Europe, and a third launch is in progress until the Baikonur launch pad is annihilated in a counter-strike by the USA. This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ...

Winter Hawk by Craig Thomas heavily features Baikonur Cosmodrome during the Soviet period. for other people of the same / or similar name Craig Thomas Craig David Thomas (born 24 November 1942) is a Welsh author of thrillers, notably the Mitchell Gant series. ...

The short story Red Star, Winter Orbit, written by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, (reprinted in Gibson's story collection Burning Chrome) makes several references to Baikonur Cosmodrome. This story from William Gibsons Burning Chrome collection of short fiction is set in an alternate future where the Soviet Union controls most of the Earths resources, especially oil. ... William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948, Conway, South Carolina) is an American-born science fiction author resident in Canada since 1968. ... Bruce Sterling at the Ars Electronica Festival Michael Bruce Sterling (born April 14, 1954) is an American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his seminal work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which defined the cyberpunk genre. ... Burning Chrome. ...

Almost the entire first half of the anime Blue Gender covers the several thousand km journey of Yuji Kaido and Marlene Angel from Korea all the way to Baikonur to escape the Blue infested Earth. The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... Blue Gender ) is a 26-episode anime created by Ryousuke Takahashi (of Armored Trooper Votoms and Gasaraki fame) broadcast in Japan from 1999-2000. ... Korea (Korean: 한국 in South Korea or 조선 in North Korea, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ... Adjectives: Terrestrial, Terran, Telluric, Tellurian, Earthly Atmosphere Surface pressure: 101. ...

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike has a mission to recapture the Baikonur Cosmodrome from Asad Rahil's rebel forces.

References

Khrunichev State Space Scientific Production Center is a Moscow-based producer of space-launch systems. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Interfax is a Russian non-governmental press agency based in Moscow. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Baikonur

• RussianSpaceWeb.com on Baikonur
• RussianSpaceWeb.com on Angara and Baikonur expansion

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 45.965° 63.305°
  • Satellite image from WikiMapia or Google Maps
  • Mapping from Multimap or GlobalGuide