We collect stories that connect people, places, and the past. This April, our journey takes us deep into the Kazakh steppe—to Baikonur, the cradle of human spaceflight.
On April 8, 2025, we’ll stand beneath the wide open sky and witness something extraordinary: the launch of a manned rocket from the legendary Baikonur Cosmodrome from only 1 km distance. It’s the same ground from which Yuri Gagarin made history in 1961, becoming the first human in space and where our Andre Kuipers got launched in a Soyuz TMA-03M a spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS) on 21 December 2011. To be here, in person, is to feel history lift off right in front of us.
“Our launch” is the Soyuz MS-27 on 8 April 2025 11:00 Kazakh time. It will launch from platform 31/6. The mission will transport three crew members, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, along with NASA astronaut Jonny Kim to the International Space Station ISS.
We met Damir and Aceke via Instagram. Damir made it possible to get the permits within 2 weeks before launch. The impossible made possible.
Launch and our viewpoint
The launch is from platform 31/6 and we will watch it from 1 km distance. Closer is impossible without burning of the hair on our arms 😉
We expected to be watching from the free viewpoint from the highway at a 30 km distance. But with our permit we are allowed to get very close.
About Baikonur
Baikonur, like Cape Canaveral in the United States, is situated in the south, close to the equator. This strategic location is ideal for rocket launches as it allows spacecraft to benefit from the Earth’s rotational speed, which enhances efficiency during lift-off. Interestingly.
Although Baikonur is now located within Kazakhstan, it was part of the USSR before 1991, Russia leases the area from Kazakhstan for approximately $115 million per year. Under this agreement, the spaceport and surrounding area are treated as Russian territory, allowing Russia to continue operating its iconic Cosmodrome.
Visiting Baikonur isn’t simple. Access to the city and the Cosmodrome is tightly controlled, so spontaneous trips are off the table. The organized “tourist programs” that offer an exclusive glimpse into this legendary spaceport cost €5,000 per person—which is more then we wanted to spent.
Baikonur Cosmodrome is the world’s first and largest space launch facility, located in the vast steppes of Kazakhstan. Built during the Soviet era in the 1950s.
Where we watched it
There are different places to watch the launch without an euro 5.000,- guide tour.
This seems to be the closest you can get. Not sure if it is completely legal though.