00:00The new eco-friendly Soyuz-5 rocket, a joint Kazakh-Russian project, is set to lift off from the ground here at Baikonur from a modernized launch pad by the end of the year, signaling a new era and more frequency to these kind of launches.
00:14Kazakhstan is reimagining Baikonur Cosmodrome, which marks its 17th anniversary this year as a tourism hub between launches. Russia, which leases the site, has decommissioned and returned more than 50 facilities.
00:30Now Kazakhstan plans to build new visitor infrastructure around historic landmarks like Gagarin's launch pad, the site of humanity's first space flight, with hotels, glamping sites and even a children's camp.
00:44Join me as I explore how Kazakhstan is turning space exploration into a cultural experience. This is Modern Nomads.
00:58Baikonur Cosmodrome set in Kazakhstan's southern steppes is where the space race began. The first satellite launched here in 1957 was followed by the first human in 1961.
01:08Long before rockets launched, this land echoed with the legend of Korkitata, a mystic who created the kobus, an instrument set to bridge the earthly and cosmic realms through its sound.
01:18Legend says this is the Earth's navel, where cosmic energy flows straight into the steppe. Standing here at Gagarin's legendary launch pad, where the first human blasted into space, I can honestly say you do feel it.
01:34Once hidden behind the Iron Curtain, these Soviet-era relics continue to captivate.
01:39I'm walking at the Energia test complex, once used to prepare the Soviet-era Energia rockets and Buran shuttle for launch. The towering structures here show the scale of Soviet ambitions in space.
01:52With over 300 sunny days a year, minimal wind and a location near the equator, Baikonur is ideal for space launches. Earth's spin gives rockets a head start.
02:08But beyond engineering, Baikonur could also serve as a launch pad for diplomacy, innovation and global dialogue with parts of the site envisioned as immersive stays and cultural retreats.
02:20At this moment, we are going to develop four areas of cosmic and underground tourism.
02:27The first is educational tours. The second is cultural and cultural tours. The third is cultural tours. The third is events. And the fourth is culturally active tours.
02:38If accommodation expands, Baikonur could host 50,000 visitors annually by 2029, a five-fold increase from today, prompting experts to imagine new ways to unlock its full tourism potential.
02:51It would be good that people would be able to see their eyes at the moment of the launch.
02:55And the vision extends beyond tourism. As Kazakhstan advances its own space program, including the Baikonur rocket complex, it envisions Baikonur as a hub for science and education.
03:14Cosmos, in the first of all, is a dream for people. When people have a dream to learn the galaxies and new planets.
03:24So in this part, tourism causes a great interest. And this tourism gives a great motivation for children who can learn this story,
03:33to inspire the progress that they have achieved in terms of the development of the cosmos.
03:37and where they can learn more about their goals.
03:42Baikonur is more than a launch site. For creatives, thinkers and dreamers, it's a boundary between the known and the unknown.
03:49A space to imagine, to create, to reflect.
03:52That is a kind of one-in-a-lifetime experience. This event really can make you cry.
03:58So I really recommend you. And when you go to such kind of trips, you have some expectations.
04:06And I had some expectations, but that was beyond all of them.
04:09I highly recommend trip to Baikonur during the launch, during the normal time.
04:14Just to visit the museum and the facility that Baikonur has.
04:18That really touched my soul, touched my heart, and I really enjoy it.
04:23It was such an explosion of emotions from what you saw. And you're like,
04:29as if you're surrounded by some new... I don't know, it's so powerful.
04:33It's such a huge energy when you're there.
04:36So, with a huge enthusiasm and enthusiasm, we're back home.
04:42Kazakhstan isn't just a place between east and west. It's a bridge between earth and space.
04:47The creators of Baikonur Open Air Space Museum say, the new era isn't eastward, it's upward.
04:54See you next time on Modern Nomads.
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