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 spaceflight, 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 Korky Tata, 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.
01:25Standing 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.
01:47The 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.
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.
02:20At this point, we are going to develop four areas of cosmic and marine tourism.
02:27The first is educational tours, the second product is related to cultural and scientific tours,
02:33the third is events and the fourth is actively active tours.
02:38If accommodation expands, Baikonur could host 50,000 visitors annually by 2029,
02:45a five-fold increase from today, prompting experts to imagine new ways to unlock its full tourism potential.
02:51And the vision extends beyond tourism, as Kazakhstan advances its own space program, including the Baikonur
03:10as a hub for science and education.
03:15Cosmos, in the first of all, is a dream for people.
03:19It is when people have a dream to study galaxies and new planets.
03:24So in this part, tourism causes a great interest, and this tourism gives a great motivation for children,
03:31who can learn about this story and inspire the progress that we have achieved in terms of discovering 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.
04:09I highly recommend a 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.
04:21And I really enjoyed it.
04:25It 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, it'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,
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