Baikonur District
Purpose-built Soviet space city (1955) leased to Russia through 2050 for $115M/year. Launched Sputnik, Gagarin, and still launches all ISS crew. Kazakhstan developing parallel Baiterek complex. By 2026, commercial competition and sanctions test whether Cold War space infrastructure stays relevant.
Baikonur exists for a single purpose: spaceflight. The city was built in 1955 alongside the Baikonur Cosmodrome, constructed in secret on the Kazakh steppe specifically because its isolation made concealment possible. From here, Sputnik launched the space age, Gagarin became the first human in orbit, and every crewed mission to the International Space Station still departs. The city is less municipality than company town for the cosmos.
The legal arrangement reflects this singularity. Russia leases both the cosmodrome and Baikonur city from Kazakhstan through 2050, paying $115 million annually. Russian law governs the territory, Russian rubles circulate, and Russian civil servants administer a population of roughly 76,000. Kazakhstan maintains sovereignty in principle but practical control rests with Roscosmos and the Russian government.
By 2024, Baikonur navigates the changing space industry. Commercial launch providers (SpaceX, Rocket Lab) erode Roscosmos market share, while Kazakhstan develops its Baiterek launch complex at Baikonur for its own Saryarka rocket. Sanctions complicate Russian operations, yet the infrastructure's sunk costs make relocation prohibitive. The city remains essential for ISS operations and Russian national launches.
Through 2026, Baikonur will test whether Cold War space infrastructure remains relevant in the commercial era. Kazakhstan's parallel development signals hedged bets—maintaining Russian partnership while building independent capability. The purpose-built city's future depends on whether humanity's expanding presence in space requires its launching pad or bypasses it entirely.