Why Russia, having its own spaceports, rents Baikonur from Kazakhstan for fabulous money

Baikonur, which was built in 1955, remains the main cosmodrome for our country today. Now it is located in Kazakhstan, and this is the territory of another country. In this regard, Russia has to pay annual rent. The amount is impressive - ten billion rubles. Despite the remoteness of the territory and the high rent, Roscosmos continues to invest in the project. Why does our state not stop financing this facility, and what will happen after the lease expires?

1. Excursion to the past

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The USSR founded Baikonur in the Kazakh Republic in 1955, the choice of a place for it was carried out for quite a long time / Photo: miraterra.ru

The USSR founded Baikonur in the Kazakh Republic in 1955. The choice of a place for it was carried out for a long time. The territories were to be uninhabited and not developed for growing crops.

As a result, the Soviet Union could rightfully be proud of the cosmodrome. From it the famous Belka and Strelka set off on a space journey. An artificial satellite, the first in the world, was also launched from here. Yuri Gagarin also flew into space from Baikonur. There is no larger platform for launching rockets anywhere on the planet today.

After the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceased to exist, Baikonur found itself in a difficult situation. The station staff left it en masse. No one understood to whom the cosmodrome would belong under the created conditions. As a result, the infrastructure of the settlements located nearby also fell into decay.

Kazakhstan in 1994 Russia leased this object. Its term ends in 2050. But recently, more and more often from the Kazakhs heard about the independent operation of the cosmodrome. The government claims to revise the terms of the contract and take back Baikonur.

Accordingly, there is a risk of losing an important object in the event of discord between Russia and Kazakhstan. It may take more than tens of billions of dollars to restore access to outer space. rub. The only question is where to get this money.

2. Lack of spaceports in a space state

Russia is thinking about moving the platform for sending into space to its territory. Unfortunately, this is not possible at this stage. Other domestic cosmodromes cannot be compared with Baikonur in terms of equipment and capabilities. The advantage is clearly not in their favor. At the disposal of our country, with the exception of Baikonur, there are three cosmodromes: Vostochny, Soyuz, Plesetsk.

East is the most promising. Its location is the Far East. The construction of the spaceport began in 2011. Five years ago, the first rockets were launched. In theory, it can become a replacement for Baikonur. But there are also disadvantages. The pilot equipment will be launched over the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Accordingly, it will be necessary to maintain not only the site, but additionally rescue ships in large numbers.

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There is no infrastructure near the cosmodrome, so there are no living conditions for astronauts and other specialists. For these purposes, considerable funds are required, and Russia has problems with this. At the moment, the construction of the spaceport "ate" 100 billion rubles. rub. It will take three times as much to fully modernize the facility. Thus, Russia needs Baikonur, which means it has to pay.

In continuation of the topic, read what 4 points on the map of the planet are used by Russia, but are not included in its borders.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/040921/60406/

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