Baikonur Cosmodrome Overview

Baikonur Cosmodrome, located in Kazakhstan and leased to Russia, is the world's largest operational space launch facility. Established by the Soviet Union in 1955 primarily for ICBM testing, it later became the center of the Soviet space program. Historic missions from Baikonur include the launches of Sputnik 1 and Vostok 1, making Yuri Gagarin the first human in space. Managed jointly by Roscosmos and the Russian Aerospace Forces, it's pivotal for Russian crewed spaceflights and international missions, including those to the International Space Station. Despite modern challenges and the construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome to reduce dependency on Baikonur, it remains a key site in global space exploration.