View source for Baikonur Cosmodrome

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox airport
| name                      = Baikonur Cosmodrome
| ensign                    = 
| ensign_size               = 
| ensign_alt                = 
| nativename                = {{lang|ru|Космодром Байконур}}
| nativename-r              = ''Kosmodrom Baykonur''
| image                     = Baikonur Cosmodrome Soyuz launch pad.jpg
| caption                   = Baikonur Cosmodrome's "[[Gagarin's Start]]" [[Soyuz (rocket family)|Soyuz]] [[launch pad]] prior to the rollout of [[Soyuz TMA-13]], 10 October 2008
| LID                       = GC0015
| type                      = [[Spaceport]]
| owner-oper                = {{flagicon image|Roscosmos_logo_ru.svg}} [[Roscosmos State Corporation|Roscosmos]]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Russian Aerospace Forces.svg}} [[Russian Aerospace Forces]]
| location                  = {{KAZ}}/{{RUS}} (leased until 2050)
| opened                    = <!-- {{start date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| built                     = <!-- military airports -->
| timezone                  = [[Moscow Time]]
| utc                       = [[UTC+03:00|+03:00]]
| elevation-f               = 300
| elevation-m               = 90
| metric-elev               = 
| coordinates               = {{coord|45|57|54|N|63|18|18|E}}
| website                   = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| image_map                 = 
| image_mapsize             = 
| image_map_alt             = 
| image_map_caption         = 
| pushpin_map               = Soviet Union#Russia#Kazakhstan
| pushpin_mapsize           = 
| pushpin_map_alt           = 
| pushpin_map_caption       = 
| pushpin_relief            = 
| pushpin_image             = 
| pushpin_label             = 
| pushpin_label_position    = 
| pushpin_mark              = Rocktet icon201001.svg
| stat-year                 = 
| footnotes                 = 
}}

'''Baikonur Cosmodrome''' ({{lang-ru|Космодро́м Байкону́р '''Kosmodrom Baykonur'''}}; {{lang-kk|Байқоңыр ғарыш айлағы ''Bayqoñır ğarış aylağı''}}) is a [[spaceport]] located in southern [[Kazakhstan]]. It<nowiki/> is the world's first and largest operational [[Spaceport|space launch facility]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Baikonur Cosmodrome 45.9 N 63.3 E|url=https://fas.org/spp/guide/russia/facility/baikonur.htm|website=FAS.org|publisher=Federation of American Scientists (FAS)|accessdate=19 July 2014}}</ref> The spaceport is located in the [[Kazakh Steppe|desert steppe]] of [[Baikonur]], about {{convert|200|km|mi|0}} east of the [[Aral Sea]] and north of the river [[Syr Darya]]. It is near the [[Tyuratam]] railway station and is about {{convert|90|m}} above sea level. Currently leased by the [[Government of Kazakhstan|Kazakh Government]] to [[Russia]] until 2050, the spaceport is managed jointly by the [[Roscosmos State Corporation]] and the [[Russian Aerospace Forces]].

The shape of the area leased is an ellipse, measuring {{convert|90|km}} east–west by {{convert|85|km}} north–south, with the cosmodrome at the centre. It was originally built by the [[Soviet Union]] in the late 1950s as the base of operations for the [[Soviet space program]]. Under the current Russian space program, Baikonur remains a busy spaceport, with numerous commercial, military, and scientific missions being launched annually.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=[[Popular Mechanics]] |title=Safe Launch For Critical Space Station Module |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/1282666.html |accessdate=12 August 2009 |date=5 August 2000 |last=Wilson |first=Jim }}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[International Launch Services]]|title=Baikonur Cosmodrome|url=http://www.ilslaunch.com/launch-services/baikonur-cosmodrome}}</ref> All manned Russian spaceflights are launched from Baikonur.<ref name=NASA/>

Both ''[[Sputnik 1]]'', the first artificial satellite, and [[Vostok 1]], the first manned spaceflight, were launched from Baikonur. The launch pad used for both missions was renamed [[Gagarin's Start]] in honor of Russian Soviet [[Astronaut|cosmonaut]] [[Yuri Gagarin]], pilot of Vostok 1 and first human in space.

==History==

===Soviet era===
[[File:Baikonur CIA U-2.gif|thumb|250px|[[Lockheed U-2|U-2]] Photograph of R-7 Launch Pad in Tyura-Tam]]
The Soviet government issued the decree for Scientific Research Test Range No. 5 (NIIP-5; {{lang-ru|''Nauchno-Issledovatel’skii Ispytatel’nyi Poligon N.5''}}) on 12 February 1955. It was actually founded on 2 June 1955, originally a test center for the world's first [[intercontinental ballistic missile|intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/r7.htm|title=R-7|first=Mark|last=Wade|work=Encyclopedia Astronautica|accessdate=4 July 2011| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629074344/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/r7.htm|archivedate=29 June 2011 | deadurl=no}}</ref> the [[R-7 Semyorka]]. NIIP-5 was soon expanded to include launch facilities for space flights. The site was selected by a commission led by Gen. Vasily Voznyuk, influenced by [[Sergey Korolyov]], the Chief Designer of the R-7 ICBM, and soon the man behind the Soviet space program. It had to be surrounded by plains, as the radio control system of the rocket required (at the time) receiving uninterrupted signals from ground stations hundreds of kilometres away.<ref name="vs"/> Additionally, the missile trajectory had to be away from populated areas. Also, it is an advantage to place a space launch site closer to the equator, as the surface of the Earth has higher rotational speed there. Taking these constraints into consideration, the commission chose Tyuratam, a village in the heart of the [[Kazakh Steppe]]. The expense of constructing the launch facilities and the several hundred kilometres 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 housing, schools and infrastructure for workers. It was raised to city status in 1966 and named [[Baikonur|Leninsk]].

The American [[Lockheed U-2|U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance plane]] found and photographed the Tyuratam missile test range for the first time on 5 August 1957.

====Name====
There are conflicting sources about origins of the name ''Baikonur''. Some sources say that it was not until 1961 (i.e. until Gagarin's flight), when the name was deliberately chosen to misdirect<ref name="vs">{{cite book|title=The first manned spaceflight: Russia's quest for space|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G1Bcc67kf2QC&pg=PA17&dq=R-7+spaceflight&hl=en&ei=CZrSS_DnBNeM_Ab957zVDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFkQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q&f=false|last=Suvorov|first=Vladimir|pages=16–17}}</ref><ref name="apollo">{{cite web|url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4209/ch9-12.htm|title=The Partnership: A History of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project|publisher=[[NASA]]}}</ref> the West to a place about {{convert|320|km|mi|0}} northeast of the launch center, the small mining town of Baikonur near [[Jezkazgan]].

Other sources state that ''Baikonur'' was  name of the [[Tyuratam]] region even before the cosmodrome existed.<ref name="apollo"/> The main cosmodrome-supporting town Leninsk was renamed to [[Baikonur]] on 20 December 1995 by [[Boris Yeltsin]].

====Environmental impact====
Russian scientist [[Afanasiy Ilich Tobonov]] researched mass animal deaths in the 1990s and concluded that the mass deaths of birds and wildlife in the [[Sakha Republic]] were noted only along the flight paths of space rockets launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome.<ref>{{cite web|title=Group – Afanasiy Ilich Tobonov|url=http://sciencestage.com/g/4258311/afanasiy-ilich-tobonov.html}}</ref> 
Dead wildlife and livestock were usually incinerated, and the participants in these incinerations, including Tobonov himself, his brothers and inhabitants of his native village of Eliptyan, commonly died from stroke or cancer. In 1997, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation changed the flight path and removed the ejected rocket stages near [[Nyurbinsky District]], Russia.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

Scientific literature collected enough data that confirmed adverse effects of rockets on environment and health of the population.<ref name="ijbch.kaznu.kz">{{cite journal|url=http://ijbch.kaznu.kz/index.php/kaznu/article/view/172|title=The impact of the cosmodrome "Baikonur" on the environment and human health|first1=P. Kh|last1=Abdrazak|first2=K. Sh|last2=Musa|date=21 June 2015|publisher=|volume=8|issue=1|pages=26–29|accessdate=2 August 2016|via=ijbch.kaznu.kz}}</ref> Heptyl, or [[UDMH]], a fuel used in Russian rocket engines, is considered to be highly toxic. It is one of the reasons for acid rains and cancers in the local population, near the cosmodrome. Valery Yakovlev, a head of the laboratory of ecosystem research of the State scientific-production union of applied ecology "Kazmechanobr", notes:
"Scientists have established the extreme character of destructive influence of "Baikonur" space center on environment and population of the region: 
11 000 tons of space scrap metal, polluted by especially toxic heptyl is still laying on the falling grounds." 
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greenwomen.kz/xxi_baikonur_eng.htm|title=GREEN WOMEN|publisher=|accessdate=2 August 2016}}</ref>

====Importance====
Many historic flights lifted off from Baikonur: the first operational [[ICBM]]; the first man-made satellite, [[Sputnik 1]], on 4 October 1957; the first spacecraft to travel close to the Moon, [[Luna 1]], on 2 January 1959; the first manned and orbital flight by [[Yuri Gagarin]] on 12 April 1961; and the flight of the first woman in space, [[Valentina Tereshkova]], in 1963. 14 cosmonauts of 13 other nations, such as [[Czechoslovakia]], [[East Germany]], [[India]] and [[France]], started their journeys from here as well under the [[Intercosmos|Interkosmos]] program. In 1960, a prototype [[R-16 (missile)|R-16]] ICBM [[Nedelin catastrophe|exploded before launch]], killing over 100 people.

===Russian era===
[[File:Soyuz expedition 19 launch pad.jpg|thumb|250px|A Soyuz rocket is erected into position at the Baikonur Cosmodrome's [[Gagarin's Start|Pad 1/5 (Gagarin's Start)]] on 24 March 2009. The rocket launched the crew of [[Expedition 19]] and a spaceflight participant on 26 March 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=Expedition 19|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition19/index.html|publisher=NASA|accessdate=9 June 2011|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20110524223158/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition19/index.html|archivedate=24 May 2011 | deadurl= no}}</ref>]]

Following the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in 1991, the Russian space program continued to operate from Baikonur under the auspices of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]]. Russia wanted to sign a 99-year lease for Baikonur, but agreed to a $115 million annual lease of the site for 20 years with an option for a 10-year extension.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-14967922.html|title=Russia, Kazakhs reach Biakonur lease deal|work=Defense Daily|date=30 March 1994|accessdate=28 May 2015|subscription=yes|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}</ref> On 8 June 2005, the [[Federation Council of Russia|Russian Federation Council]] ratified an agreement between [[Russia]] and [[Kazakhstan]] extending Russia's rent term of the spaceport until 2050. The rent price—which remained fixed at {{US$|115000000}} per year — is the source of a long-running dispute between the two countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Kazakhstan_Finally_Ratifies_Baikonur_Rental_Deal_With_Russia_999.html|title=Kazakhstan Finally Ratifies Baikonur Rental Deal With Russia|publisher=spacedaily.com|date=12 April 2010}}</ref> In an attempt to reduce its dependency on Baikonur, Russia is constructing the [[Vostochny Cosmodrome]] in [[Amur Oblast]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.interfax.kz/?lang=eng&int_id=13&category=exclusive&news_id=28|title=Kazcosmos chief Talgat MUSABAEV: BAIKONUR IS STILL THE CORE OF KAZAKH-RUSSIAN COOPERATION IN SPACE|date=February 2008|publisher=interfax.kz}}</ref>

With the retirement of the American Space Shuttle program, Baikonur has been the only launch site for [[International Space Station]] missions using Russian spacecraft.<ref name=NASA>{{cite web|title=Baikonur Cosmodrome|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/baikonur.html|publisher=NASA|accessdate=24 December 2011}}</ref> Following the conclusion of the [[Space Shuttle program]], Russian spacecraft are now the only means by which astronauts can travel to the International Space Station, making Baikonur the sole launch site used for manned missions to the ISS.<ref>{{cite web|title=Russian Craft Docks At International Space Station|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/russian_craft_docks_at_iss/24431746.html|publisher=Radio Free Europe|accessdate=24 December 2011}}</ref>

[[Yevgeny Anisimov]] was head of the Baikonur space center from 2010 to February 2014, when he was removed from his position as a result of disagreements with senior Roscosmos officials.<ref name=rian20140218>{{cite news|title=Russia's Baikonur Space Center Head Quits|url=http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140218/187647847/Russias-Baikonur-Space-Center-Head-Quits.html|accessdate=18 February 2014|newspaper=RIA Novosti|date=18 February 2014}}</ref>

On 2 September 2015 a Soyuz spacecraft carrying [[Aidyn Aimbetov]] from Kazakhstan, [[Sergey Alexandrovich Volkov|Sergei Volkov]] from Russia, and [[Andreas Mogensen]] from [[Denmark]] launched for a two-day trip to the International Space Station from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.<ref>{{cite web|title=Soyuz carrying 3-man crew blasts off for orbiting station |url=http://www.sunherald.com/2015/09/01/6393882/soyuz-carrying-3-man-crew-blasts.html |website=Sun Herald }}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Features==
Baikonur is fully equipped with facilities for launching both manned and unmanned [[spacecraft]]. It supports several generations of [[Russia]]n spacecraft: [[Soyuz (rocket family)|Soyuz]], [[Proton (rocket)|Proton]], [[Tsyklon]], [[Dnepr (rocket)|Dnepr]], [[Zenit (rocket family)|Zenit]] and [[Buran (spacecraft)|Buran]]. During the temporary lapse of the [[United States]]' [[Space Shuttle]] program after the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|''Columbia'' Disaster]] in 2003 it played an essential role in operating and resupplying of the [[International Space Station]] (ISS) with [[Soyuz (spacecraft)|Soyuz]] and [[Progress (spacecraft)|Progress]] spacecraft. Its high latitude of 46° N required the high orbital inclination of the ISS.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/feedback/expert/answer/mcc/sts-112/09_04_12_54_17.html |title=Mission Control Answers Yuor Questions: Why is the space station in a 51.6-degree inclined orbit instead of something less or something more? |last=Curry |first=John |date=8 October 2002 |website=spaceflight.nasa.gov |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |access-date=28 March 2017}}</ref>

Downrange from the launchpad, spent launch equipment is dropped directly on the ground where it is salvaged by the workers and the local population.<ref>[http://www.russianspaceweb.com/baikonur_downrange.html Baikonur Downrange], Russianspaceweb.com</ref>

===List of launchpads===
{{Location map+
| Baikonur Cosmodrome
| caption = Major launchpads at Baikonur Cosmodrome| alt =Map of launchpads at Baikonur
| places =
{{Location map~| Baikonur Cosmodrome| label =[[Gagarin's Start|1/5]]| position=bottom| lat_deg =45.920| lon_deg  =63.342}}
{{Location map~| Baikonur Cosmodrome| label =[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31|31/6]]| position  =top| lat_deg =45.996| lon_deg  =63.564}}
{{Location map~| Baikonur Cosmodrome| label  =[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 41|41/3]]| position  =top| lat_deg  =45.975| lon_deg  =63.660}}
{{Location map~| Baikonur Cosmodrome| label  =[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45|45/1]]| position  =bottom| lat_deg  =45.943| lon_deg  =63.653}}
{{Location map~| Baikonur Cosmodrome| label  =[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 110|110/37]]| position  =left| lat_deg  =45.965| lon_deg  =63.305}}
{{Location map~| Baikonur Cosmodrome| label  =[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81|81/23]]| lat_deg  =46.074| lon_deg  =62.978}}
{{Location map~| Baikonur Cosmodrome| label  =[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 109|109/95]]| position =bottom| lat_deg =45.951| lon_deg  =63.497}}
{{Location map~| Baikonur Cosmodrome| label  =[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 200|200/39]]| position =bottom| lat_deg  =46.040| lon_deg =63.032}}
{{Location map~| Baikonur Cosmodrome| label  =[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 90|90/20]]| position =bottom| lat_deg =46.080| lon_deg  =62.935}}
{{Location map~| Baikonur Cosmodrome| label  =[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 250|250]]| lat_deg =46.008| lon_deg =63.305}}
}}
*[[Gagarin's Start|Pad 1/5 (Gagarin's Start)]]: [[Soyuz (rocket family)|Soyuz]]-[[Soyuz (spacecraft)|Soyuz]], Soyuz-[[Progress (spacecraft)|Progress]], Soyuz-[[Ikar (rocket stage)|Ikar]] — {{coord|45.920|N|63.342|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31|Pad 31/6]]: Soyuz-[[Kosmos (satellite)|Cosmos]], Soyuz-[[Fregat]] — {{coord|45.996|N|63.564|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 41|Pad 41/3]]: [[R-16 (missile)|R-16]] (Destroyed in 1960 explosion) — {{coord|45.975|N|63.660|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 41|Pad 41/4]] : R-16 (1961–67) — {{coord|45.976|N|63.665|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 41|Pad 41/15]]: R-16, [[Cosmos-3M|Cosmos 3]] (1963–68) — {{coord|45.976|N|63.669|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45|Pad 45/1]]: [[Zenit-2]], [[Zenit-2M]], [[Zenit-3SLB|Zenit-3M]] — {{coord|45.943|N|63.653|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 45|Pad 45/2]] (Destroyed in 1990 explosion): Zenit 2 — {{coord|45.940|N|63.655|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 51: [[SS-8 Sasin|R-9]] (1961–62) — {{coord|45.924|N|63.341|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 60/6: R-16 (1963–66) — {{coord|46.019|N|64.016|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 60/7: R-16 (1963–67) — {{coord|46.018|N|64.018|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 60/8: R-16 (1962–66) — {{coord|46.017|N|64.018|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 67/21: Tsyklon, [[R-36 (missile)|R-36M]], R-36O, UR-MR-100 (1963–72) — {{coord|45.989|N|63.705|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 67/22: Tsyklon, R-36, R-36O (1964–66) — {{coord|45.990|N|63.707|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 69: Tsyklon-2
*Pad 70 (Destroyed in 1963 explosion): R-9 — {{coord|46.033|N|63.096|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 75: R-9 — {{coord|45.963600|N|63.201922|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 80/17: Tsyklon (1965) — {{coord|46.007|N|64.020|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81|Pad 81/23 (81L)]] (inactive >2004): [[Proton (rocket)|Proton-K]] — {{coord|46.074|N|62.978|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81|Pad 81/24 (81P)]]: [[Proton (rocket)|Proton-M]] — {{coord|46.071|N|62.985|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 90|Pad 90/19 (90L)]] (Inactive >1997): UR-200, [[Tsyklon-2]] — {{coord|46.081|N|62.932|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 90|Pad 90/20 (90R)]]: UR-200, Tsyklon-2 — {{coord|46.080|N|62.935|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 101: R-36M (1973–76) — {{coord|45.951504|N|63.427341|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 102: R-36M (1978) — {{coord|45.932813|N|63.435014|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 103: R-36M (1973–77) — {{coord|45.952|N|63.445|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 104: R-36M (1972–74) — {{coord|45.988|N|63.420|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 105: R-36M (1974–77) — {{coord|45.950|N|63.496|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 106: R-36M (1974–83) — {{coord|45.951|N|63.497|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 107: R-36 — {{coord|46.237492|N|63.892040|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 108: R-36 — {{coord|46.238912|N|63.894699|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 109|Pad 109/95]]: [[Dnepr (rocket)|Dnepr]] — {{coord|45.951|N|63.497|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 110|Pad 110/37 (110L)]] (inactive >1988): [[N1 (rocket)|N-1]], [[Energia]]-[[Buran (spacecraft)|Buran]] — {{coord|45.965|N|63.305|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 110|Pad 110/38 (110R)]] (inactive >1969): N-1  — {{coord|45.962|N|63.310|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 130: UR-100 (1965) — {{coord|46.085924|N|62.915518|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 131: UR-100N, UR-100, Rokot (1965–90) — {{coord|46.072|N|62.956|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 132: UR-100NU (2001–02) — {{coord|46.036724|N|63.047795|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 140/18: R-36 (1965–78) — {{coord|45.996640|N|63.553517|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 141: R-36 — {{coord|45.910054|N|63.349123|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 142/34: R-36 (three silo complex) — {{coord|45.940690|N|63.462309|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 160: R-36O — {{coord|46.077709|N|62.942152|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 161/35: Tsyklon (1967–73) — {{coord|46.034|N|63.063|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 162/36: Tsyklon (1966–75) — {{coord|46.032|N|63.067|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 163: R-36O — {{coord|46.013689|N| 63.169115|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 164: R-36O — {{coord|45.944321|N| 63.063822|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 165: R-36O — {{coord|45.991019|N| 62.918739|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 170: UR-MR-100 (1976–79) — {{coord|45.948045|N|63.025630|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 171: UR-100, UR-100N — {{coord|46.103711|N|63.008046|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 172: UR-MR-100 (1978–81) — {{coord|46.065|N|63.092|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 173: UR-MR-100 (1972–78) — {{coord|46.029481|N|63.130727|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 174: UR-100, UR-100K — {{coord|46.081768|N|62.918076|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 175|Pad 175/2]]: UR-100NU, [[Rokot]], [[Strela (rocket)|Strela]] — {{coord|46.051|N|62.987|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 175/59: Rokot (1994) — {{coord|46.052|N|62.986|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 176: UR-100 — {{coord|46.022748|N| 63.046610|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 177: UR-MR-100, UR-MR-100U (1973–78) — {{coord|45.979856|N|63.100512|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 178: UR-100 — {{coord|46.025231|N|62.891115|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 179: UR-100 — {{coord|45.989370|N|62.963890|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 181: UR-MR-100U (1978–79) — {{coord|46.057032|N|63.031970|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 191/66: R-36O (1969–71) — {{coord|45.970|N|63.197|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 192: R-36O — {{coord|46.024256|N|63.299723|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 193: R-36O — {{coord|45.953101|N| 63.389145|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 194: R-36O — {{coord|45.865265|N| 63.286486|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 195: R-36O — {{coord|45.792929|N| 63.274628|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 196: R-36O — {{coord|45.828128|N| 63.147363|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 200|Pad 200/39]] (200L): Proton-M/Proton-K — {{coord|46.040|N|63.032|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 200|Pad 200/40]] (200R): Proton-K (inactive >1991) — {{coord|46.036|N|63.038|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 241: R-36O — {{coord|45.858357|N| 63.455686|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 242: R-36O — {{coord|45.945334|N| 63.481266|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 243: R-36O — {{coord|45.854873|N| 63.736967|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 244: R-36O — {{coord|45.840238|N| 63.634400|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 245: R-36O — {{coord|45.817592|N| 63.526831|E|type:landmark}}
*Pad 246: R-36O — {{coord|45.765601|N| 63.423444|E|type:landmark}}
*[[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 250|Pad 250]] (inactive >1987): [[Energia]] — {{coord|46.008|N|63.305|E|type:landmark}}

===Buran facilities===
{{main article|Buran program}}
As part of the [[Buran program]], several facilities were adapted or newly built for the Buran-class space shuttle orbiters:

* [[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 110|Site 110]] — Used for the launch of the Buran-class orbiters. Like the assembly and processing hall at Site 112, the launch complex was originally constructed for the [[Soviet manned lunar programs|Soviet lunar landing program]] and later converted for the Energia-Buran program.
* Site 112 — Used for orbiter maintenance and to mate the orbiters to their [[Energia]] launchers (thus fulfilling a role similar to the [[Vehicle Assembly Building|VAB]] at [[Kennedy Space Center|KSC]]). The main hangar at the site, called MIK RN or MIK 112, was originally built for the assembly of the [[N1 (rocket)|N1 moon rocket]]. After cancellation of the N-1 program in 1974, the facilities at Site 112 were converted for the Energia-Buran program. It was here that [[1.01 (Buran-class spacecraft)|Orbiter K1]] was stored after the end of the Buran program and was destroyed when the hangar roof collapsed in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/baikonur_energia_112.html |title=Energia-Buran processing complex at Site 112 and 112A |publisher= |accessdate=2 August 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706112853/http://www.russianspaceweb.com:80/baikonur_energia_112.html |archivedate=6 July 2015 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buran-energia.com/bourane-buran/bourane-fin.php|title=Buran The end|publisher=|accessdate=2 August 2016}}</ref>
* Site 251 — Used as Buran orbiter landing facility, also known as Yubileyniy Airfield (and fulfilling a role similar to the [[Shuttle Landing Facility|SLF]] at [[Kennedy Space Center|KSC]]). It features one runway, called 06/24, which is {{convert|4500|m|yd}} long and {{convert|84|m|yd}} wide, paved with "Grade 600" high quality reinforced concrete. At the edge of the runway was a special [[Mate-Demate Device|mating–demating device]], designed to lift an orbiter off its [[Antonov An-225 Mriya]] carrier aircraft and load it on a transporter, which would carry the orbiter to the processing building at Site 254. A purpose-built orbiter landing control facility, housed in a large multi-store office building, was located near the runway. Yubileyniy Airfield was also used to receive heavy transport planes carrying elements of the Energia-Buran system. After the end of the Buran program, Site 251 was abandoned but later reopened as a commercial cargo airport. Besides serving Baikonur, Kazakh authorities also use it for passenger and charter flights from Russia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/baikonur_energia_251.html |title=Buran landing facility at Site 251 in Baikonur |publisher= |accessdate=2 August 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225010245/http://russianspaceweb.com/baikonur_energia_251.html |archivedate=25 February 2015 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ourairports.com/airports/UAON/pilot-info.html|title=UAON pilot info @ OurAirports|publisher=|accessdate=2 August 2016}}</ref>
* Site 254 — Built to service the Buran-class orbiters between flights (thus fulfilling a role similar to the [[Orbiter Processing Facility|OPF]] at [[Kennedy Space Center|KSC]]). Constructed in the 1980s as a special four-bay building, it also featured a large processing area flanked by several floors of test rooms. After cancellation of the Buran program it was adapted for pre-launch operations of the [[Soyuz (spacecraft)|Soyuz]] and [[Progress (spacecraft)|Progress]] spacecraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/baikonur_energia_254.html |title=Buran processing facility at Site 254 in Baikonur |publisher= |accessdate=2 August 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150809030907/http://www.russianspaceweb.com:80/baikonur_energia_254.html |archivedate=9 August 2015 |df=dmy }}</ref>

===Baikonur Railway===
[[File:Soyuz TMA-16 launch vehicle being transported to pad.jpg|thumb|Soyuz TMA-16 launch vehicle being transported to launchpad at Baikonur in 2009.]]
All Baikonur's [[logistics]] are based on its own intra-site [[5 ft and 1520 mm gauge railways|{{convert|1520|mm|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} gauge]] [[railway]] network, which is the largest [[industrial railway]] on the planet. The railway is used for all stages of launch preparation, and all spacecraft are transported to the launchpads by the special [[Schnabel car]]s. Once part of the [[Russian Railway Troops|Soviet Railroad Troops]], the Baikonur Railway is now served by a dedicated civilian state company. There are several rail links connecting the Baikonur Railway to [[Kazakhstan Temir Zholy|the public railway of Kazakhstan]] and the rest of the world.

===Baikonur airports===
The Baikonur Cosmodrome has two on-site multi-purpose [[airport]]s, serving both the personnel transportation needs and the logistics of space launches (including the delivery of the spacecraft by planes).  There are scheduled passenger services from [[Moscow]] to the smaller [[Krayniy Airport]] {{airport codes|BXY|UAOL}}, which however are not accessible to the public. The larger Yubileyniy Airport (Юбилейный аэропорт) {{airport codes| |UAON}} was where the [[Buran (spacecraft)|Buran orbiter]] was transported to Baikonur on the back of the [[Antonov An-225 Mriya|Antonov An-225 ''Mriya'']] cargo aircraft.

==ICBM testing==
Although Baikonur has always been known around the world as the launch site of Soviet and Russian space missions, from its outset in 1955 and until the collapse of the USSR in 1991 the primary purpose of this center was to test liquid-fueled [[ballistic missile]]s. The official (and secret) name of the center was State Test Range No. 5 or 5 GIK. It remained under control of the Soviet and [[Ministry of Defence (Russia)|Russian Ministry of Defense]] until the second half of the 1990s, when the Russian civilian space agency and its industrial contractors started taking over individual facilities.{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}<!-- but the military space forces ran the space programme, there wasn't a civilian space agency. Was it actually primarily for the strategic rocket forces?-->

In 2006, the head of Roskosmos, [[Anatoly Perminov]], said that the last Russian military personnel would be removed from the Baikonur facility by 2007. However, on 22 October 2008 an [[UR-100N|SS-19 Stiletto]] missile was test fired from Baikonur, indicating this may not be the case.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE49L2L320081022|title=Russia test-fires old missile to extend lifespan|work=Reuters|date=22 October 2008}}</ref><!-- rockot?-->

==Future projects==
On 22 December 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 [[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 250|Bayterek]] ("[[Populus|poplar]] tree") space launch complex, to facilitate operations of the Russian [[Angara (rocket)|Angara]] rocket launcher.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.khrunichev.ru/khrunichev_eng/live/full_proect.asp?id=13499|title="Baiterek" Space Launch Complex|publisher=[[Khrunichev]] State Research and Production Space Center|accessdate=10 May 2006|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060630022023/http://www.khrunichev.ru/khrunichev_eng/live/full_proect.asp?id=13499<!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archivedate=30 June 2006}}</ref> This will allow launches with a payload of 26 tons to [[low Earth orbit]], compared to 20 tons using the [[Proton (rocket)|Proton]] system. An additional benefit will be that the Angara uses kerosene as fuel and oxygen as the oxidiser, 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Kazakh President Signs Law Re Baiterek Rocket Center|url = http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Kazakh_President_Signs_Law_Re_Baiterek_Rocket_Center.html|website = www.spacedaily.com|accessdate = 5 August 2015|date = 24 October 2005}}</ref> As of 2010, the project was stalling due to insufficient funding. It was thought that the project still had good chances to succeed because it will allow both parties – Russia and Kazakhstan – to continue the joint use of Baikonur even after the [[Vostochny Cosmodrome]] is commissioned.<ref name="observer">{{cite journal|last=Vorontsov|first=Dmitri|author2=Igor Afanasyev|date=10 November 2009|journal=Russia CIS Observer |title=Angara getting ready for launch|volume=3|issue=26|url=http://www.ato.ru/content/angara-getting-ready-launch|accessdate=3 January 2010| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100101014026/http://www.ato.ru/content/angara-getting-ready-launch|archivedate=1 January 2010 |deadurl=no}}</ref> The first scheduled launch of the Baiterek Rocket and Space Complex is scheduled for 2025.<ref name="BRSC25">{{cite news|title=Baiterek Rocket and Space Complex set to launch in 2025|url=http://astanatimes.com/2017/03/baiterek-rocket-and-space-complex-set-to-launch-in-2025/|publisher=The Astana Times}}</ref>

==Baikonur Museum==
Baikonur Cosmodrome has a small museum, next to two small cottages, once residences of [[Sergey Korolev]] and [[Yuri Gagarin]]. Both cottages are part of the museum complex and have been preserved. The museum is home to a collection of space artifacts. A restored test artifact from the Soviet [[Buran programme]] sits next to the museum entrance. The vehicle that flew a single orbital test mission in 1988 was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002;<ref>{{cite news|publisher=[[BBC]]|title=Russia's space dreams abandoned| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1985631.stm|work=[[bbc.co.uk]]|accessdate=14 November 2007|date=13 May 2002|last=Whitehouse|first=David}}</ref><ref>[http://www.buran.ru/images/jpg/bbur89.jpg Buran.ru: ''Photo of collapsed hangar'']</ref><ref>[http://www.buran.ru/images/jpg/bbur90.jpg Buran.ru: ''Remains of Buran photo with right front windscreen still visible under the debris'']</ref>  For a complete list of Buran artifacts, see [[Buran (spacecraft)]].

The museum also houses photographs related to the cosmodrome's history, including images of all cosmonauts. Every crew of every expedition launched from Baikonur leaves behind a signed crew photograph that is displayed behind the glass.

Baikonur's museum holds many objects related to Gagarin, including the ground control panel from his flight, his uniforms, and soil from his landing site, preserved in a silver container. One of the museum rooms also holds an older version of the Soyuz descent capsule.

==In popular culture==
* In ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' the Baikonur Cosmodrome was a [[United Federation of Planets|Federation]] shipyard where the ''SS Tsiolkovsky'' was launched.<ref>{{Citation | date     = October 5, 1987 | title    = The Naked Now | work = Star Trek: The Next Generation | publisher = Paramount}}</ref>
* In ''[[Command & Conquer: Generals]]'', US and Chinese forces guard the facility against GLA attack. However, their failure allows the GLA to attack the world using MIRVs launched from this facility.
** In its expansion pack, ''[[Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour]]'', US forces destroy the facility after the GLA attack in Northern Europe.
* In ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops]]'', this facility is featured as the main location of the mission "Executive Order", involving sabotage of the Soviet space program, and is the location of the multiplayer map "Launch" as well as the zombies map "Ascension".
* In ''[[Jormungand (manga)|Jormungand]]'', in the final episode "Century of Shame", Koko and Valmet are at the cosmodrome with Kasper, Jonah, and Chiquita as Koko launches the final rocket.
* Much of ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' episode "[[The Big Bang Theory (season 5)#Episodes|The Countdown Reflection]]" takes place atop a rocket at the facility.
* In ''[[Destiny (video game)|Destiny]]'', the fictional Russian Federal Bureau of Aeronautics (РФБА) in "Old Russia" is based on the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Also, Old Russia, the first location in-game is based off the Cosmodrome.
* In ''[[Blue Gender]]'', the Baikonur Cosmodrome is an important plot element, providing transportation back to Second Earth. Over a span of several episodes, the protagonists travel across Asia to Baikonur and attempt to board a space shuttle at the Cosmodrome.
* In the book ''[[Plague Ship (Cussler novel)|Plague Ship]]'' by [[Clive Cussler]], Juan Cabrillo relates how he had infiltrated the facility to sabotage a fictional [[Kinetic bombardment|Orbital Ballistic Projectile Weapon]] which was being launched on an Energia rocket.
*In the book "Locked On" by Tom Clancy, the Cosmodrome is seized by Dagestani terrorists under orders from rogue elements in the Pakistani ISI, threatening to destroy Moscow with stolen nuclear weapons in order to force the Russian government into granting Dagestan and Chechnya independence.

==See also==
{{Portal|Human spaceflight|Spaceflight|Soviet Union|Russia|Kazakhstan}}
*[[Plesetsk Cosmodrome]]
*[[Vostochny Cosmodrome]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* J. K. Golovanov, M., "Korolev: Facts and myths", [[Nauka (publisher)|Nauka]], 1994, ISBN 5-02-000822-2
* [http://epizodsspace.airbase.ru/bibl/chertok/kniga-1/01.html "Rockets and people"] – [[Boris Chertok|B. E. Chertok]], M: "mechanical engineering", 1999. ISBN 5-217-02942-0 {{ref-ru}}
* «A breakthrough in space» – Konstantin Vasilyevich Gerchik, M: LLC "Veles", 1994, – ISBN 5-87955-001-X
* «At risk,» – A. A. Toul, [[Kaluga]], "the Golden path", 2001, – {{Listed Invalid ISBN|5-7111-0333-1}}
* "Testing of rocket and space technology – the business of my life" Events and facts – [[Arkady Ostashev|A.I. Ostashev]], Korolev, 2001.[http://cosmosravelin.narod.ru/r-space/bibliografia.html]
* "Baikonur. Korolev. Yangel." – M. I. Kuznetsk, [[Voronezh]]: IPF "Voronezh", 1997, ISBN 5-89981-117-X
* "Look back and look ahead. Notes of a military engineer" – Rjazhsky A. A., 2004, SC. first, the publishing house of the "Heroes of the Fatherland" ISBN 5-91017-018-X.
* "Rocket and space feat Baikonur" – Vladimir Порошков, the "Patriot" publishers 2007. ISBN 5-7030-0969-3
* "Unknown Baikonur" – edited by B. I. Posysaeva, M.: "globe", 2001. ISBN 5-8155-0051-8
* "Bank of the Universe" – edited by Boltenko A. C., [[Kiev]], 2014., publishing house "Phoenix", ISBN 978-966-136-169-9

==External links==
{{commons category|Baikonur Cosmodrome}}
* Baikonur Cosmodrome [http://www.buran.ru/htm/baykonur.htm historical note (in Russian) and historical pictures (2002)] on [http://www.buran.ru buran.ru] — [[NPO Molniya]], maker of Russian space shuttle [[buran program|Buran]].
*[http://www.russianspaceweb.com/baikonur.html RussianSpaceWeb.com on Baikonur]
*[http://www.360pano.eu/baikonur/ 360° interactive panoramas] of Baikonur Cosmodrome
*[http://stefane.carlier.free.fr/Baikonur/wiki_EN/ Baikonur: the town, the cosmodrome, the MetOp-A launch campaign]
*[http://sometimes-interesting.com/2014/05/26/scientific-test-range-no-5-the-baikonur-cosmodrome/ "World’s Oldest Space Launch Facility: The Baikonur Cosmodrome."] ''Sometimes Interesting''. 26 May 2014
* [http://www.russianspaceweb.com/r16_disaster.html Nedelin Disaster] // RussianSpaceWeb.com {{ref-en}}
* [http://www.baikonuradm.ru/index.php?mod=all/news&ID=4004 The official website of the city administration Baikonur] // Baikonur commemorated a test rocket and space technology.{{ref-ru}}
* [http://soyuzveteranov.ru/?q=content/delegaciya-rossiyskogo-soyuza-veteranov-pochtila-pamyat-ispytateley-pogibshih-pri-ispolnenii The Russian Union Of Veterans] // Day of memory and grief.{{ref-ru}}
{{Memoryalpha}}

{{coord|45.965|63.305|type:landmark_region:KZ|display=title}}
{{Baikonur Cosmodrome launch sites}}
{{Spaceport}}

[[Category:Baikonur Cosmodrome| ]]
[[Category:Infrastructure completed in 1955]]
[[Category:Spaceports]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Kazakhstan–Russia relations]]
[[Category:Space program of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Rocket launch sites]]
[[Category:Soviet and Russian space program locations]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures built in the Soviet Union]]