Home Telecommunication The world’s most important space launch facility marks 60 years

The world’s most important space launch facility marks 60 years

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Baikonur Cosmodrome has been used to launch rockets into space since the 50s of the 20th century.

The lease of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, located in the steppes of Kazakhstan, costs for Russia USD115 million annually. Built in the times of the Soviet Union and inherited by Kazakhstan in view of geographical reasons, Baikonur is one of the most important space launch platforms in the world. This week it marks 60 years.
Despite the fact that the decree on establishing cosmodrome was signed by the Soviet government in February 1955, this still operating facility celebrates its official birthday on June, 2. Originally, the complex was used as a platform for testing R-7, the first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Despite the fact that the missile R-7 has never been used for its intended purpose, its modification was used as a carrier rocket, which put into orbit Sputnik in 1957, the world’s first artificial earth satellite, inaugurating the start of so-called space race in the period of the Cold War.
When choosing a site for constructing a space launch platform the Soviet government opted for a site near the railway station Tyuratam, located on Moscow-Tashkent route, 200 km to the east of the Aral Sea and to the north of the Syr-Darya River. To meet the construction and further maintenance needs of the complex there was built a small town, named Leninsk, in the desert steppe.
It is interesting that in Kazakhstan there is a town called Baikonur, but it is located near 322 km to the northeast of the cosmodrome. In those days there existed a version that the Soviet government gave to the spaceport the name of a town not so close to it intentionally, in order to keep secret its real location. You cannot hide a cat in a bag, however, and the cat came out of the bag long ago: as far back as the late 50s of the last century the US reconnaissance aircraft U-2 took pictures of the launch platform near the railway station Tyuratam.
The importance of the Baikonur Cosmodrome had grown from year to year. Following the launch into orbit of the first artificial earth satellite in 1957, the next rocket flew up to the sky form the launch platform of Baikonur in 1959, carrying the vehicle Luna-1 on board right to the moon. And in 1961 the Baikonur Cosmodrome launched into orbit the world’s first manned spacecraft Vostok with Yuri Gagarin on board. There were at Baikonur tragedies as well: in particular, there occurred so-called Nedelin’s catastrophe in 1960, when a prototype of intercontinental ballistic missile R-16 exploded during testing, which resulted in killing hundreds of people. A number of rockets launched from Baikonur exploded in the air shortly after their start above the steppes of Kazakhstan.
The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union didn’t diminish the importance of Baikonur in any way. In 1994 Russia and Kazakhstan concluded a contract on leasing the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Russia for 20 years (Russia tried initially to fix in the contract the period of 99 years). In 2005 the lease term was extended until 2050.
After the United States deactivated the program of launching space shuttles in 2011, the Russian spacecraft Soyuz became the only vehicle capable of delivering manned missions to the International Space Station (ISS) and Baikonur, respectively, turned into the only place in the world suitable for such launches.
In mid-May of this year the carrier rocket Proton-M crashed and fell shortly after its launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, what resulted in loosing the Mexican communications satellite MexSat-1, placed on its board. According to some information, the accident caused an ecological disaster in the steppes of Kazakhstan, which resulted in killing over 100 thousand of saigas.
For the time being Baikonur is not only a sole operating Russian space launch facility, but also one of the busiest and full-range spaceports around the world, serving a lot of commercial military and scientific launches annually. In view of the fact that the lease of Baikonur expires in 2050, Russia has been currently investing in the construction of a launch platform on its territory, comparable by its parameters with Kazakhstan’s Baikonur. The Vostochny Cosmodrome, however, being under construction in the Russian Far East, has already received its portion of troubles. In 2011, when the facility’s construction started, the complex was planned to start launching cargo space vehicles as early as in 2016. Then the deadline of its commissioning was postponed to 2018, and in April of present year some workers, engaged in the construction, went on strike because of four-month wage arrears.

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