Töretam (Kazakh:Төретам,romanized: Töretam;Russian:Тюратам,romanized: Tyuratam) is a station on theTrans-Aral Railway, located inKazakhstan. The name means "Töre's grave" in the Kazakh language. Töre, or more formally, Töre-Baba, was anobleman and descendant ofGenghis Khan. Töretam is near theBaikonur Cosmodrome, a Russian – formerly Soviet – spaceport, and near the city ofBaikonur (formerly Leninsk, Baiqongyr in Kazakh), which was constructed to service the cosmodrome.
In the mid-1950s, the Soviet Union announced that space activities were being conducted from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which was assumed to be near the mining village ofBaikonur, in theKazakh SSR. The naming was a bit of misdirection as the launch facilities were located 250–300 kilometres (160–190 mi) to the southwest at Töretam.[1][2] At a press conference for theApollo–Soyuz Test Project,Jules Bergman ofABC News said to astronautThomas P. Stafford,
Baikonur, if you'll look on the coordinates, is 135 miles [217 km] away or something. Tyuratam may only be a railhead, but it is the Tyuratam Launch Complex. They call it Baikonur, I know. . . . I'm going to call it Tyuratam. ABC is going to call it Tyuratam.SAC calls it Tyuratam. Can we once and for all straighten that out and arrive at a . . . name for it, Tom?[3]
Deke Slayton said if they wanted to use the name the Soviets commonly used, they would have to say Baikonur.[3] Although it is likely the Soviets originally called it Baikonur to hide its location, the Baikonur Cosmodrome quickly surpassed the original village of Baikonur's fame and importance. In 1995, the city that was founded to the south of Töretam to support the cosmodrome, originally named Leninsk by the Soviets, was officially renamed to Baikonur (Baiqongyr in Kazakh), after the cosmodrome.
TheCIA tried to locate this launch site by systematically tracking over the major rail networks of the Soviet Union inCentral Asia withU-2 spy planes. The site was discovered and photographed in 1957.[1]Francis Gary Powers was scheduled to fly over it on hisill-fated mission in 1960.[1][4]
Mike Gruntman (2019), "From Tyuratam Missile Range to Baikonur Cosmodrome",Acta Astronautica,155, Elsevier Ltd:350–366,Bibcode:2019AcAau.155..350G,doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2018.12.021
45°39′00″N63°18′50″E / 45.65000°N 63.31389°E /45.65000; 63.31389
