Baikonur captured through a photographer's lens
Every three months, a rocket carrying a trio of astronauts launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, described as "Earth’s primary space portal," in Kazakhstan to reach the International Space Station. Around the same time, another trio returns to Earth, landing near the village of Kenjebai-Samai.
Photographer Andrew McConnell, who first visited Kazakhstan nearly a decade ago to explore the cosmodrome, defined the region as a paradoxical landscape - "both on the frontier of human exploration and unchanged for centuries."
In an Instagram post, McConnell shared his images of the perennial Launch Pad One, describing how little has changed since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's historic launch aboard the Soyuz rocket in April 1961.
"Standing at this site I’m always struck by its place in human history because no matter how advanced our technology becomes or where we go in the cosmos, the beginning will always be traced back here, to this obscure concrete structure on the plains of Central Asia," reads the caption.
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A post shared by Andrew McConnell (@andrewmcconnellphoto)
With each visit to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, McConnell grew more accustomed to the "rhythm of the landings." On these occasions, the photographer camped on the steppe with the space agency's ground crew, waiting for the sound of an explosion in the sky that would signal the separation of the returning capsule.
"They would drive out over the wasteland to meet it as it landed – a vehicle no bigger than a family car," the publication notes.
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A post shared by Andrew McConnell (@andrewmcconnellphoto)
However, McConnell's interest soon extended to the locals of the nearby village of Kenjebai-Samai, where he often stayed during his visits.
"The steppe, which at first appeared as a boundless void, would over time reveal unexpected details. I found a people largely uninterested in the space travellers and yet somehow bound up in this strange ritual," he says.
Photo ©️ Andrew McConnell
One of McConnell's photographs, taken at a waste dump in 2018, captures one of the village boys, Roman, who had come to collect scraps from the discarded space debris.
Earlier, Kazakhstan unveiled its plan to launch its first rocket into space, with new details emerging from the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry.