Site 90 at the
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome ( kk, Байқоңыр ғарыш айлағы, translit=Baiqoñyr ğaryş ailağy, ; russian: Космодром Байконур, translit=Kosmodrom Baykonur, ) is a spaceport in an area of southern Kazakhstan leased to R ...
is a
launch complex
A launch pad is an above-ground facility from which a rocket-powered missile or space vehicle is vertically launched. The term ''launch pad'' can be used to describe just the central launch platform ( mobile launcher platform), or the ent ...
consisting of two pads, which has been used by
UR-200,
Tsyklon-2A and
Tsyklon-2 rockets. Built in the 1960s for the UR-200, which was first launched from the complex on 3 November 1963,
it was converted for use by
Tsyklon rockets after further development of the UR-200 was cancelled. One pad is currently active, pending the final Tsyklon-2 launch which is expected to occur in 2012.
The two pads at the site are 90/19, which was the first to be used, and 90/20, which saw its first launch in September 1964. The last launch from Site 90/19 occurred on 9 December 1997, whilst 90/20 remains operational, its most recent launch having occurred in June 2006.
In total, the complex has been used for 123 launches as of March 2012. These launches consisted of nine UR-200, eight Tsyklon-2A,
and 106 Tsyklon-2 rockets.
There is no data on which of the two pads was used for 74 of the Tsyklon-2 launches known to have originated from the complex, however it is known that twenty two launches, including six UR-200s and five Tsyklon-2As, occurred from Site 90/19, and 27 launches, including three UR-200s and three Tsyklon-2As, occurred from pad 90/20.
References
{{Baikonur Cosmodrome launch sites
Baikonur Cosmodrome