Baikonur is the world's first and largest complex of facilities for launching aircraft into outer space. It covers an area of about 7 thousand square meters. km. There are only three such cosmodromes on Earth.
History of appearance
In the early 50s of the last century, in the Special Design Bureau No. 1, under the leadership of designer and scientist Sergei Korolev, a multistage launch vehicle R-7 was developed. It was intended for military purposes, and then received space applications. For testing the new aircraft, a specialized test site was needed.
In May 1954, the State Commission began choosing a site for the future cosmodrome. Suitable lands were found in Kazakhstan, which at that time was part of the USSR. There was a vast sparsely populated flat area, the Syr Darya river - a source of fresh water, and a railway line, and a motor road. The Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Dagestan and the Astrakhan Region also had views on the placement of the landfill.
Another advantage is the large number of sunny days a year. And most importantly, the proximity to the equator makes it possible to use the planet's rotation speed during launches. So in the spring of 1955, not far from the Kazakh village of Tyura-Tam, in the Kyzyl-Kum desert, the laying of the cosmodrome began.
Construction pace
Near the construction site there was a village where the testers lived. The first building was a wooden barrack - the headquarters of military builders. Now a granite stone with a commemorative inscription has been installed in its place. At first, the village was called Zarya, in 1958 it was renamed Leninsky. In the summer of 1966, it became the city of Leninsky, and finally, at the end of 1955, it became Baikonur.
The cosmodrome was built remarkably quickly. Just four months later, the first launcher was ready and the installation of equipment began. At the cosmodrome, they began testing the R-7 apparatus.
First launches
On October 4, 1957, the R-7 Sputnik launch vehicle launched the first artificial satellite into planetary orbit. Thus began the space age of mankind.
On April 12, 1961, at 9:07 am Moscow time, the Vostok-1 spacecraft with the first cosmonaut on board was launched from Baikonur. It was Yuri Gagarin. The ship made a revolution around the Earth and returned with success. This flight began the practical exploration of space by man.
The next missiles became more and more sophisticated. The pride of Baikonur is the oldest Soyuz rocket and space complex.
The Mir and Salyut orbital stations, communications and television broadcasting satellites were also launched from Baikonur.
Rentals
After the collapse of the USSR, Russia leases Baikonur from Kazakhstan. And not only the cosmodrome, but also the city of the same name. More than 70 thousand people live in it, of which 60% are citizens of Kazakhstan. The lease was concluded until 2050.
