Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 24
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: Russia and Kazakhstan signed a roadmap on joint operation of the Baikonur Cosmodrome for 2014-2016, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.
The agreement was signed by representatives of the two governments during the visit of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Moscow on Dec. 24.
The Baikonur Cosmodrome is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility, located in Kazakhstan's desert steppes. It is being leased by the Kazakh government to Russia until 2050 and is managed jointly by the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Russian Space Forces.
Under the current Russian space program, Baikonur remains a busy space port with numerous commercial, military and scientific missions being launched annually.
Edited by C. N