In April 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin travelled into orbit on board Vostok 1, the first successful launch of a human into space. Sixty-five years later, and from the same launch center, the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan and Russia are preparing for the long-awaited test launch of a joint project, the Soyuz-5 rocket. 

The main launch site of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, Baikonur embodies Russia’s status as a pre-eminent space power. With the United States and China surpassing Russia’s annual number of launches, and the Russian space program complicated further by technological challenges due to sanctions, Baikonur increasingly symbolizes Russia’s past. 

And yet, Baikonur is becoming a center for Kazakhstan’s own space capabilities and marks a new era in space cooperation. Kazakhstan can work with Russia on joint space projects, pursue cooperation with other countries, and create its own astronomical capabilities. Through its participation in the Baiterek project with Russia and cooperation with other nations, Kazakhstan is transforming into a regional space power. 

Located in southern Kazakhstan, Baikonur, called “Leninsk” during the Cold War, was the center of the decorated Soviet space program. The Soviet government named it “Baikonur,” after a mining town 200 miles away, and not after the nearest town, Tyuratam, to deceive the West about its location. 

Baikonur served as the launch site for the first satellite, the first man, and the first woman into space, all within six years. In July 1975, during a period of détente in U.S.-Soviet relations, the site launched Soyuz 7 KM/T for the Apollo-Soyuz project, the first international space mission. Protected by its secrecy, the cosmodrome was also used for testing and storing Soviet nuclear weapons.

Russia finished building the Mir space station in 1996, the largest space station at the time. Two years later, Russia began cooperating with the United States on building the International Space Station (ISS), and Baikonur became an essential launch site for materials and crews to the ISS. Most recently, on March 22, a Soyuz rocket carrying the Progress MS-33 cargo supply ship launched from Baikonur to the ISS.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the newly independent Kazakhstan and Russia signed an agreement in 1994: Baikonur would be leased to Russia from Kazakhstan for 20 years for an annual rent of $115 million. 

In January 2004, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazerbayev agreed to extend Russia’s lease of Baikonur to 2050. At the end of that year, the two signed an additional agreement to establish a bilateral space cooperation platform, the Baiterek Space Rocket Complex project. The goals of the project include the preservation and modernization of the Baikonur Cosmodrome and assisting Kazakhstan in the creation of its own space capabilities. 

To replace the Proton carrier rocket, which uses highly toxic rocket fuel, the Baiterek project will introduce modern and environmentally friendly rockets at Baikonur.

Despite the high level of interest from both countries, from its start the project faced complications and setbacks. The original plan was for the Proton rockets to be replaced by the Angara rocket. However, the Russian side announced a few years later that it would prepare the Angara rocket for future launch at its new space site, Vostochny, in eastern Russia. Disputes over funding from both governments and partner companies created a cycle of delays.  

In July 2020, officials signaled that Kazakhstan and Russia were moving forward with the project, with the Russian space company Energia signing a contract for building the new rocket.

Kazakhstan is responsible for constructing and modernizing the infrastructure at the Baikonur Cosmodrome and the site No. 45 launch pad. Russia is responsible for creating the Soyuz-5 (“Sunkar” in Kazakh) rocket and transporting it to the launch pad. 

At the time of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit to Moscow on November 13, 2025, Qazinform reported that the Soyuz-5 rocket had been recently delivered by rail to the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Almost 21 years since the creation of the Baiterek project, the joint rocket was finally at the site and scheduled for a December launch. 

However, on November 27, one of the launch pads was damaged after a rocket launch to the ISS. With attention set on fixing the launch pad to the ISS, the Soyuz-5’s launch date was delayed to 2026. 

Reuters reported earlier this month that the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov, told Putin that the Soyuz-5 was in the vertical launch position and is undergoing final verifications. Technical inspections and safety checks once again postponed the launch of Soyuz-5, with an April 16 report suggesting the new date would be shifted back to April 26. As of writing, the rocket has not been launched and a new date has not been announced.

Despite its reputation as a great space power, Russia’s space capabilities have fallen behind in recent years. According to Jonathan’s Space Report, Russia conducted approximately 17 launches in 2025 compared to 26 launches in 2015. Last year, the United States was responsible for an impressive 181 rocket launches, 165 of which were SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, with China following with 92 launches. 

Russia’s space capabilities have been set back even further due to increasing technical difficulties. Sanctions imposed against Russia include restrictions of scientific product imports, especially microelectronics, from Europe and the United States, costing the Russian space industry billions of dollars in much-needed materials. Losing access to the global technology market has forced the Russian space industry to rely heavily on domestic alternatives. Furthermore, Russia lost hundreds of contracted space flights at Baikonur and foreign launch sites since February 2022.

The Moscow Times reported in 2025 that the U.S. and Russia agreed to extend cooperation on the ISS to 2028 but mentioned that the station will likely deorbit by 2030. When the ISS returns to Earth, Russia will need to find another destination for its Baikonur launches, possibly its own space station. 

Despite multiple delays and tough negotiations, Kazakhstan continues to participate in the Baiterek project to its benefit. Through the Baiterek project, Kazakhstan can conduct its own space missions at a lower cost than operating Baikonur or building its own cosmodrome. 

While Russia holds jurisdiction over Baikonur until 2050, Kazakhstan owns and is responsible for maintaining the Baiterek Complex launchpads. Qazinform reported in April 2025 that the new Baiterek Space Complex can accommodate 6 to 8 launches annually once it is completed in 2028. 

Besides collaboration with Russia, Kazakhstan is pursuing space cooperation with other countries in accordance with its multivector foreign policy.

In December 2025, Euro News reported that China and Kazakhstan launched a nanosatellite, the Di’er-5, into orbit, the result of a joint project between Kazakhstan’s Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and China’s Northwestern Polytechnical University. In addition, Kazakhstan is also a newly added member of the Russian-Chinese International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) issued a 25.45 million euro loan, alongside a 34.4 million euro loan from the European Union (EU), in March 2025 to expand internet coverage to rural areas of Central Asia. At the end of January, the EU sponsored a 24-hour space agency competition in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with a Kazakh team winning first place. 

Although space cooperation with the United States is limited, Kazakhstan plays a crucial role in American astronauts traveling to and from the ISS. According to a news release from NASA in December 2025, American astronaut Jonny Kim and two Russian cosmonauts landed near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, after their stint on the ISS. 

As its global partnerships grow, Kazakhstan’s National Space Agency, KazCosmos, is setting its own space goals in the production of satellites. In a recent Forbes Kazakhstan article, the aerospace company Kazakhstan Garysh Sapary (KGS) has signed agreements with Mongolia, Republic of Congo, and Nigeria, to build and sell Kazakh-made satellites, with up to 60 percent of the components made domestically. 

The Baiterek project, cooperation with multiple countries, and the production and export of satellites will gradually transform Kazakhstan into a regional space power. 

The rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome during the Cold War made Russia a space power. The test launch of Soyuz-5 will represent not only the perseverance of the space partnership between Kazakhstan and Russia, but also Kazakhstan’s growing potential as an independent space power. Although the Russian space program has seen better days, it is a new dawn for the Kazakh space program. Through its role in the Baiterek project with Russia and its technological cooperation with other nations, Kazakhstan is transforming into a new space power.