Baikonur[a] is a city inKazakhstan on the northern bank of theSyr Darya river. It is currently leased and administered by theRussian Federation as anenclave until 2050.[3] It was constructed to serve theBaikonur Cosmodrome with administrative offices and employee housing. During the Soviet period, the town was known asLeninsk, and was sometimes referred to asZvezdograd (Russian:Звездоград,lit. 'Star City').[4] It was officially renamed Baikonur by Russian presidentBoris Yeltsin on December 20, 1995.
The Russian controlled area is an ellipse measuring 90 kilometres (56 mi) east to west by 85 km (53 mi) north to south, with the cosmodrome situated at the area's centre.
Foreign visitors and tourists can visit the cosmodrome and city but need to obtain a specific permit fromRoscosmos.
The originalBaikonur (Kazakh for "wealthy brown", i.e. "fertile land with many herbs") is amining town located about 320 kilometres (200 mi) northeast of the present-day spaceport, nearDzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan'sKaragandy Region. In the run-up to theVostok 1 flight in April 1961, Soviet authorities deliberately applied the name "Baikonur" to the launch site to obscure its true location. Residents of the mining town briefly exploited the confusion to obtain scarce materials before officials discovered the misunderstanding.[5]
The modern city of Baikonur was built several kilometres south of the existing railway settlement ofTöretam, which predates the cosmodrome. Töretam, located on theTrans-Aral Railway, served as the original railhead in the region and gave the early test range its first widely used name, "Tyuratam".
The fortunes of the new city have risen and fallen with theSoviet and laterRussian space programme and the operations of theBaikonur Cosmodrome. Due to its military and scientific significance, the settlement was aclosed city during the Soviet period and did not appear on publicly available maps beforeperestroika.
The Soviet government formally established the Scientific-Research Test Range No. 5 (Russian:Nauchno-Issledovatel'skii Ispytatel'nyi Poligon No. 5; NIIIP-5), or by decree on 12 February 1955. TheU-2 reconnaissance aircraft first identified and photographed the Tyuratam missile test range (the present-day Baikonur Cosmodrome) on 5 August 1957.[6][7]
Most local landmarks reflect the city’s close ties to the space programme, with only a few exceptions such as the preserved locomotive, an Orthodox church, and a mosque.[8]
Administratively, the city belongs to theOdintsovsky District ofMoscow Oblast in accordance with internal Russian arrangements,[9][10] but it remains an administrative unit of Kazakhstan. Under the bilateral agreement between Russia and Kazakhstan, Baikonur is granted an unofficial status equivalent to aRussian city of federal significance for the duration of the lease of the Baikonur complex (currently through 2050).[11]
South of city center, near the Syr Darya River there is a large park with several sports and amusement facilities. Among these is a ferris wheel, which is no longer in use. The park is located at coordinates45°36′42″N63°19′06″E / 45.61167°N 63.31833°E /45.61167; 63.31833.
Baikonur features acold desert climate (BWk). Summers are hot with July highs averaging slightly over 34 °C (93 °F), while winters are cold, with longer periods of sustained below-freezing temperatures.[12]
"Unknown Baikonur" - edited by B. I. Posysaeva, M.: "globe", 2001.ISBN5-8155-0051-8
"Rocket and space feat Baikonur" - Vladimir Порошков, the "Patriot" publishers 2007.ISBN5-7030-0969-3
A.I. Ostashev,Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov - The Genius of the 20th Century — 2010 M. of Public Educational Institution of Higher Professional Training MGULISBN978-5-8135-0510-2.
"Bank of the Universe" - edited by Boltenko A. C.,Kyiv, 2014., publishing house "Phoenix",ISBN978-966-136-169-9
"We grew hearts in Baikonur" - Author: Eliseev V. I. M: publisher OAO MPK in 2018,ISBN978-5-8493-0415-1
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