Advertisement

Baikonur Cosmodrome's Abandoned Space Shuttle

So the Baikonur Cosmodrome was built by Russia in Kazakhstan and the West didn't know about it at that time. The first cosmonaut was Yuri Gagarin, which was launched in April 1961 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. In the picture, the space shuttle you are seeing is called "Buron." This space shuttle with a cabin capacity to hold 6 passengers flew just once in November 1988.

heraldweekly.com

The purpose of the shuttle was to send 30 tons to space and come back to earth with 20 tons. Before launching the shuttle, 24 tests were carried out. However, the program was put to a halt in 1991 as a result of the Communist government's downfall. As a result of it, many half-finished space shuttles are rotting in the place. In 2012, one of the shuttles was destroyed when the hanger in which it was kept suddenly collapsed.