Zhukovsky Air Base is the Russian equivalent to Edwards AFB in California and is a highly restricted military facility. It is home to the Gromov Flight Research Institute - the host for all Space Adventures' flight training programs. The Institute is one of Russia's largest centers of aviation science research and testing. It is used as a testing facility for the country's top aircraft design and construction bureaus.

The Institute is 20 km south-east of downtown Moscow. It has a unique aerodrome equipped with modern landing systems, air-traffic, and flight experiment control systems. There are three runways (the longest is 6 km long), large areas for aircraft storage and maintenance, a huge hangar, and several other sites. Work is now being done to expand the existing sites due to increasing international freight operations and planned passenger services.

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