Moscow and Astana may have finally settled a long-running dispute over the use of the Baikonur Cosmodrome - the world’s first and largest space launch facility - located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan.
One year of difficult negotiations has ended with the signing of a roadmap agreement to chart the use of the facility, which was the main space launch site of the former Soviet Union.
According to Kazakhstan’s space chief, Talgat Musabayev, who welcomed the roadmap as a “great step”, the negotiations were tough. “This step did not come easily to us, to be frank,” Musabayev told Russian daily Izvestiya. Under the new roadmap, Kazakhstan has limited concessions over jurisdiction at Baikonur, which is leased by Russia for $115m per year under an agreement running until 2050.
The dispute between Russia and Kazakhstan escalated last summer when a Russian Proton rocket crashed on takeoff and spilt toxic fuel. The crash resulted in $89m in damage.
Under the new agreement, the two countries agreed to modernise the facility’s Zenit system so that one day it can replace Russian Proton launches, which are very controversial because Proton fuel is highly toxic. Environmentalists say it can cause acid rain and doctors warn it is linked to cancer. Numerous protests and demonstrations have been organised outside the Baikonur launch pad.
Environmental concerns are just one side of the problem. The other is national sovereignty. Under the terms of the lease, Russia has control over the territory. This means that people living in the town of Baikonur are not subject or protected by Kazakhstan’s laws.
Russia, however, has agreed to allow Kazakhstan national curriculum in schools in Baikonur and to establish government services in the town.