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Why in News?
In November 2025, the launch of Soyuz MS-28 damaged Launch Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, forcing a temporary suspension of crewed launches while engineers assess and repair the facility.
Location and Ownership
- Baikonur Cosmodrome is located in the Kazakh Steppe of Kazakhstan.
- It is the world’s oldest and largest operational spaceport.
- After the breakup of the Soviet Union (1991), Kazakhstan retained ownership of Baikonur.
- Russia leases and operates the facility under a lease agreement valid till 2050.
Historical Background
- Baikonur was built in the 1950s as a missile test range.
- It later became the main launch centre of the Soviet space programme.
- It was from Baikonur that the R-7 rocket launched Sputnik-1 in 1957, the first artificial satellite of the world.
- Vostok-1 (1961), which carried Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, was also launched from Baikonur.
Major Accidents
- Nedelin Catastrophe (1960):
- An R-16 missile exploded on the launch pad.
- It caused the death of hundreds of engineers and personnel.
- It remains one of the worst disasters in space history.
- 2025 Soyuz MS-28 Incident:
- A Soyuz-2.1a rocket accident damaged the launch infrastructure.
- A service platform collapsed into the flame trench.
- This led to the temporary halt of crewed operations.
