Geohistorical changes and space exploration: a study of the Baikonur Cosmodrome

Abstract

This study attempts to identify the geohistorical changes resulting from the establishment of space launch sites based on the experience of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The concept of geohistory proposed by Braudel (2015, p.630), bibliographic information, memoirs of Soviet scientists and military officers, and official documents were used for the analysis. First, geographical and socio-political aspects related to the establishment of space launch centers were studied, such as proximity to the equator, low population density, and others. It turns out that the Baikonur region suited the interests of the Soviet government at the time, which led to the transformation of a desert region into a dynamic center of interstate disputes during the Cold War. After the end of the Soviet Union, changes in the socioeconomic conditions of the city and the cosmodrome led to a loss of dynamism in the region. Currently, environmental issues and the new techno-economic paradigms of the space sector pose challenges to the continued importance of the Baikonur space center.