Also known as Leninsk, neighbour to the city of Tyuratam, Baikonur is the former Soviet and current Russian space center located in south-central Kazakhstan. It is the oldest space launch facility in the world. The same pad that launched Yuri Gagarin in 1961 is still being used to launch cosmonauts, astronauts and tourist to the International Space Station.

Baikonur lies on the north bank of the Sy Darya River, about 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Kyzylorda. The Soviets built the city of Leninsk near the facility to provide apartments, schools, and administrative support to the tens of thousands of workers at the launch facility.

Founded in 1955, the Baikonur Cosmodrome supports the largest range of launch vehicles: Soyuz, Proton, Tsyklon, Dnepr and Zenit. With several launch pads operational for both manned and unmanned missions, Baikonur is the most active launch site in the world. Baikonur is also the home of all manned and man-related (e.g. space stations and resupply ships), lunar, interplanetary, high-altitude navigation, and GEO missions. Baikonur also plays an essential role in the deployment and routine operation of the International Space Station.