The Baikonur Cosmodrome launch site is the world’s first and largest operational space launch facility. The spaceport is located about 200 kilometres (124 mi) east of the Aral Sea and north of the river Syr Darya. It is situated in the desert steppe of Baikonur, about 90 meters (300 ft) above sea level.
Baikonur Cosmodrome Image by David Mark from Pixabay
The spaceport is currently leased by the Kazakh Government to Russia until 2050, and is managed jointly by the Roscosmos State Corporation and the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The spaceport was originally built by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s and served as the base of operations for the space program of the USSR. Many historic missions were launched from this spaceport including First artificial satellite and the first human spaceflight of Vostok 1.
Under the current Russian space program, Baikonur remains an active spaceport, with numerous commercial, military, and scientific missions being launched annually. All crewed Russian spaceflights are launched from Baikonur.
