Baikonur Cosmodrome
Written by Tega Jessa
Baikonur cosmodrome is the world's largest operating launch facility. It is located in what is now Kazakhstan and has been ground zero for the Soviet and later, Russian space programs' projects. Basically, it’s the Russian space program's Kennedy Space Center.
The Baikonur cosmodrome was founded on June 2, 1955. It was originally a missile launch facility but was later expanded to support space launches as well. The space facility's name is actually an interesting story as it was originally the name of a town 200 miles north of it. The supposition is that this was done to confuse the United States military. This makes sense due to its original purpose and the Space Race that started shortly afterward.
During the Soviet era, when Kazakhstan was still a part of the Soviet Union, Baikonur became the Milan and Venice of the Space exploration renaissance. Many of the Soviet space program's groundbreaking successes in spaceflight occurred here. It was the site where Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, was launched starting the beginning of the famous rivalry in the development of space technology between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was also where the Soviet launched the first animal, a dog named Laika, into space as well as the launch stage for the mission that made Yuri Gagarin the first man in space.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union Baikonur has remained operational and still under the control of the Russian government thanks to agreement with the newly independent Kazakhstan that extends until 2050. The site has become instrumental especially in launching space stations like Mir and more recently the International Space Station. While NASA has carried some major parts of the station itself the majority of the space stations key modules were launched from Baikonur on Russian Proton rockets in 1998.
In the end, the Baikonur Cosmodrome has become a vital part of the development of space exploration. Its contributions with the many firsts in aeronautics it made possible in the past spurred the rapid advance of space technologies with the advent of the Space Race. It helped to build the foundation for many of the discoveries now in place that are the fundamentals of successful space exploration. In modern times its biggest contribution will be the completion of the International Space Station which will not only function in its present capacity as an orbital lab, but will become the testing stage for space technologies that will make future missions to the Moon and Mars possible.
If you enjoyed this article there are several others on Universe Today that you will enjoy. There is an interesting article on a Soyuz rocket launching from Baikonur to dock with the International Space Station. There is also an interesting article about how job losses at NASA will likely affect those in the Russian space program.
If you want to learn more about Baikonur there are also great resources on the web. The NASA website has great information on Baikonur. There is also the russianspaceweb.com the official website of the Russian space program. It has detailed information on Baikonur.
You can also check out Astronomy Cast. Episode 114 Exploration of the Moon is an interesting episode.
Filed under: Astronomy
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