June 2, 2020
Categories: Baikonur Cosmodrome

On June 2, 1955, a directive of the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR approved the project for the construction of the Scientific Testing Ground No. 5. This day is considered the date of the official foundation of the first and largest Baikonur cosmodrome in the world.
Baikonur was built as a test range for the first intercontinental ballistic missile R-7. The first ballistic missile was test-fired from Baikonur on May 15, 1957. The testing range was transformed into a spaceport on October 4, 1957, when the first satellite was put into orbit.
Several historic flights originated there: that of the first artificial satellite (1957), the first crewed orbital flight (carrying Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space; 1961), and the flight of the first woman in space (Valentina Tereshkova; 1963), the first flight to carry two people (Voskhod 1, 1964) and the first crewed launch to a space station (Soyuz 11, 1971).

Photo credit: Roscosmos

More from this category:
December 9, 2013

British communication satellite InmarSat 5-F1 separated from Briz-M upper stage and was placed under the management of the ordering party, – Roscosmos representative reported. “The…

full story
January 15, 2019

On January 14, 2019, Russian remote sensing satellites “Kanopus-B” №5 and №6, launched into orbit on the eve of the new 2019 year, transferred the…

full story
July 23, 2020

Roscosmos decided to develop hydrogen engine for Angara booster, – corporation press-office reported. “It will enable us first to develop the booster of higher carrying…

full story
January 30, 2014

According to Eurockot company responsible for launch services with the help of Rokot booster European Space Agency (ESA) made arrangements about Sentinel-5p launch by this…

full story
May 21, 2015

Russian Space Exhibition postponed due to the lack of guarantees from the British part will open in London on September 18, – British Science Museum…

full story
January 26, 2017

First manned launch to the ISS according to two-orbit rendezvous scheme will probably take place in 2019 RSC Energia specialist Raphail Murtazin stated. “First spaceflight…

full story
June 13, 2024

The fifth helium leak has been discovered in the propulsion system of the Starliner spacecraft. Apparently, it began after docking with the International Space Station,…

full story
July 16, 2024

The Russian Orbital Station (ROS) plans to perform new tasks that were previously unfeasible. So, for example, the board will manage the satellite constellation. First,…

full story