🇰🇿Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan
Country
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
Region
Asia
Established
1955
Launches / Year
10-15
Coordinates
45.9649° N, 63.3052° E
About
Baikonur Cosmodrome is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. Located in the Kazakh steppe, it was the departure point for Sputnik, Yuri Gagarin's historic flight, and has served as Russia's primary crewed launch site for decades. Though located in Kazakhstan, Russia leases the facility through 2050.
Key Features
World's first spaceport — operational since 1955
Site of Gagarin's launch (Pad 1) — a protected historic monument
Russia's only site for crewed Soyuz launches to the ISS
Vast complex with dozens of launch pads, many now decommissioned
Leased by Russia from Kazakhstan through 2050
Rockets That Launch Here
Companies Operating Here
Orbit Types
Notable Launches
Sputnik 1 (1957) — First artificial satellite in history
Vostok 1 (1961) — Yuri Gagarin becomes first human in space
Voskhod 2 (1965) — First spacewalk by Alexei Leonov
Buran (1988) — Soviet space shuttle's only flight
ISS Expedition crews — Decades of Soyuz crewed missions