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:
November 30, 2013

An unmanned Russian resupply spacecraft carrying an improved navigation system docked early Saturday with the International Space Station, Russian Mission Control said. The docking had…

full story
July 24, 2014

Soyuz-U booster with “Progress M-24M” cargo vehicle was launched to the ISS from Baikonur spaceport on July 24 at 01.44 Moscow time. At 01.53 Moscow…

full story
March 27, 2014

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying a trio of crew members is scheduled to dock automatically with the International Space Station on Friday, senior Russian space…

full story
December 1, 2014

The second Russian new generation navigational satellite Glonass-K was successfully orbited, – Russian Ministry of Defence Aerospace Defence troops press-office representative colonel Alexey Zolotukhin reported….

full story
January 30, 2019

On January 28, the RD-180 rocket engine was successfully tested in the Scientific Testing Complex of NPO “Energomash” JSC. According to Andrei Ushkov, the chief…

full story
March 5, 2019

At Baikonur, preparations continue for the planned on March 14 flight of a space rocket with the “Soyuz MS-12” spacecraft to the International Space Station…

full story
January 12, 2015

Japanese entrepreneur Satoshi Takamatsu to be Sarah Brightman’s back-up crew member  will start training in Star City late this month, – American Company Space Adventures …

full story
April 22, 2020

The Baikonur Cosmodrome is undergoing final operations to prepare for the launch of the “Soyuz-2.1a” launch vehicle with the “Progress MS-14” cargo spaceship. In accordance…

full story