00:00The new eco-friendly Soyuz 5 rocket, a joint Kazakh-Russian project,
00:04is set to lift off from the ground here at Baikonur
00:07from a modernized launch pad by the end of the year,
00:10signaling a new era and more frequency to these kind of launches.
00:18Kazakhstan is reimagining Baikonur Cosmodrome,
00:21which marks its 17th anniversary this year as a tourism hub between launches.
00:25Russia, which leases the site, has decommissioned and returned more than 50 facilities.
00:31Now Kazakhstan plans to build new visitor infrastructure around historic landmarks
00:36like Gagarin's launch pad, the site of humanity's first space flight,
00:40with hotels, glamping sites and even a children's camp.
00:45Join me as I explore how Kazakhstan is turning space exploration into a cultural experience.
00:52This is Modern Nomads.
00:55Baikonur Cosmodrome, set in Kazakhstan's southern steppes,
01:01is where the space race began.
01:02The 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 Korkı Tata,
01:12a mystic who created the kobız,
01:14an 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.
01:24Standing here, at Gagarin's legendary launch pad, where the first human blasted into space,
01:31I 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.
01:47The towering structures here show the scale of Soviet ambitions in space.
01:57With over 300 sunny days a year, minimal wind, and a location near the equator, Baikonur is ideal for space launches.
02:05Earth'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,
02:16with parts of the site envisioned as immersive stays and cultural retreats.
02:21At this point, we will develop four areas of cosmic and earthly tourism.
02:27The first is the educational tours.
02:29The second is the cultural and scientific tours.
02:33The third is the educational tours.
02:35And the fourth is the culturally active tours.
02:38If accommodation expands, Baikonur could host 50,000 visitors annually by 2029, a five-fold increase from today,
02:47prompting experts to imagine new ways to unlock its full tourism potential.
02:52It would be good if people would be able to see their eyes at the moment of the launch of the launch.
02:55They would become the king of the launch of the launch of the rocket.
03:00And the vision extends beyond tourism.
03:03As Kazakhstan advances its own space program, including the Baikonur rocket complex, it envisions Baikonur as a hub for science and education.
03:15The cosmos, in the first of all, is a dream for people.
03:20It's when people have a dream to study galaxies and new planets.
03:24So in this part, tourism causes a great interest.
03:28And this tourism gives a great motivation for children who can learn about this story,
03:33to inspire the progress that they have achieved during the exploration of the cosmos.
03:38And where they can learn better, better set their goals.
03:43Baikonur is more than a launch site.
03:45For creatives, thinkers, and dreamers, it's a boundary between the known and the unknown.
03:50A space to imagine, to create, to reflect.
03:53That is a kind of one-in-a-lifetime experience.
03:56This event really can make you cry.
03:58So I really recommend you.
04:00And 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.
04:10I highly recommend trip to Baikonur during the launch, during the normal time.
04:15Just to visit the museum and the facility that Baikonur has.
04:18That really touched my soul, touched my heart.
04:21And I really enjoy it.
04:23It was such an explosion of emotions from what you saw.
04:29And you're as if you're surrounded by some new ones.
04:32I don't know, it's so powerful.
04:34It's such a huge energy when you're there.
04:37So, with a huge enthusiasm and enthusiasm, we're back home.
04:43Kazakhstan isn't just a place between east and west.
04:45It's a bridge between earth and space.
04:48The creators of Baikonur Open Air Space Museum say,
04:51the new era isn't eastward, it's upward.
04:54See you next time on Modern Nomads.
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