Russia's historic spacecraft launch site, the Baikonur Cosmodrome, is world renowned. It's where the the first human launched into outer space. And it has been host to several other landmark events. Russia still uses the busy spaceport to launch rockets into orbit around the earth. 

Baikonur Cosmodrome is located in a quiet, semi-arid area in Kazakhstan. Ideal conditions for space exploration.

In 1957, the former Soviet Union launched the world's first man-made satellite, Sputnik 1 from the site.  Four years later, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made the first human space-flight in history onboard the Vostok 1.

The Cosmodrome has been host to many landmark events but there have been tragedies too. In 1960, over 100 people died when a prototype R-16 ICBM exploded moments before launch. 

Baikonur remains a busy space-port. Russia still uses the spaceport to launch commercial, military and scientific missions into outerspace.

Baikonur, formerly called Leninsk, is located in a remote desert about 200 kilometers east of the Aral Sea. Kazakhstand has pledged to continue to lease the area to Russia for at least another 34 years. 

Back in the late 1980s, Baikonur was home to some 140,000 inhabitants. But the population has nearly halved since then. Most of those who have stayed are Russians who work in the space industry, in addition to a small number of local Kazakhs in the service sector.

Russia's Federal Security Service controls access to the town.