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The Baikonur Cosmodrome tour
Watch the amazing lift-off of the spacecraft!
Launch of Progress MS-30 – February 12, 2025.
The cargo SC Progress MS-30 will deliver on aloft more than 2,5 tones of different supplies, like scientific equipment, propellant components, meals, personal effects and nanosatellites.
The Progress MS-30 cargo spacecraft launch is scheduled for November 21, 2025.
Documents are accepted up to January 12, 2025.
To take part in the tour you need to send in your application to info@vegitel.ru along with the participants’ data and the passport copies (the 1st page). Costs: Stardart Baikonur tour 5 days (4 nights) – 3400 Euro per pax. VIP Baikonur tour 5 days (4 nights) – 5350 Euro per pax.
The price includes:
- All the necessary permissions for gaining access to the cosmodrome
- Transportation services in Baikonur
- Travel assistance by a company representative
- Accommodation in the 4* hotel “Sputnik” BB
- Photo and video shooting permission
- An English-speaking guide
- Guided excursions, entrance tickets
- Execution of the program
- Visa support
We can either arrange an abridged tour program or a program without flights for you if necessary. Thus you get to Baikonur yourself the most way comfortable for you while we arrange your stay in Baikonur and the implementation of the program. We can also offer a tour with the accommodation in Tsentralnaya hotel (Soviet type 2* hotel, no wi-fi). In this case, the cost of the tour will be 2150 Euro.
+7 (495) 506-32-23
+7 (495) 662-45-99
For more information about the organization of the program please contact our managers by phone, e-mail or Skype.
Our company offers you a unique opportunity – an amazing trip to the Baikonur cosmodrome during manned and unmanned launches of spacecrafts. This exclusive program of the Baikonur tours will bring you unforgettable impressions and emotions because you’ll have a chance not only to visit the famous cosmodrome, launch pads, integration and checkout buildings, museums and historical places, but also to witness all the stages of preparation for the launch – the roll-out and the installation of the rocket, the cosmonauts’ farewell ceremony, the space crew ready-to-go official report, pre-launch excitement and finally you’ll observe a historical moment – the launch of the rocket. Space will become closer and you’ll never forget this magnificent journey!
Baikonur tours — 2025 launches schedule
Preliminary space launches program for 2025:
- February 12, 2025 – Progress MS-30 (unmanned launch)
- March 20, 2025 – Souz MS-27 (manned launch)
- May 28, 2025 – Progress MS-31 (unmanned launch)
- August 13, 2025 – Progress MS-32 (unmanned launch)
- October 25, 2025 – Souz MS-28 (manned launch)
- November 20, 2025 – Progress MS-33 (unmanned launch)
Baikonur tour program (Soyuz manned launches)
Day 1
- Arrival in Kyzylorda airport
- Group transfer to Baikonur
- Hotel check-in
- Free time/rest
Day 2
- Transfer to cosmodrome
- Watching the roll-out of the rocket from the hangar (Pad #31)
- Transfer to Launch Pad #31
- Watching the installation of the rocket onto the launch pad
- Transfer to pad #42
- Visiting Zenit launch complex facilities
- Transfer to the museum (pad #2)
- Excursion in the Museum of Baikonur cosmodrome
- Gagarin’s and Korolev’s historical cottages
- Buran orbital spaceship
- Transfer back to town
- General sightseeing of the town of Baikonur (information about the history of the town, stops near the memorials and monuments)
- Excursion in the International space school
Day 3
- Saturn tracking station
- Transfer to cosmodrome
- Proton launch pad
- Energia-Buran launching facilities
- Visit to Energia Bunker
- Pad #251, Yubileyny airfield
- Transfer back to the town
- Weigtlessnes monument
Day 4
- Excursion in the Museum of the history of cosmodrome Baikonur
- Transfer to Pad 17 (Cosmonaut hotel)
- Seeing off the crew from Cosmonaut hotel
- Walk along the historical alley of Cosmonauts where personalized trees are planted
- Transfer to the cosmodrome, Pad 254
- Space Crew ready-to-go official report
- Transfer to the museum complex
- Transfer to the observation site of the Soyuz launch pad
- Observation of Soyuz MS launch
- Transfer back to town
Day 5
- Breakfast in the hotel
- Transfer to Kyzylorda airport
Baikonur tour program (Progress cargo launches)
Day 1
- Arrival in Kyzylorda airport
- Group transfer to Baikonur
- Hotel check-in
- Free time/rest
Day 2
- Transfer to cosmodrome
- Watching the roll-out of the rocket from the hangar (Pad #31)
- Transfer to Launch Pad #31
- Watching the installation of the rocket onto the launch pad
- Transfer to pad #42
- Visiting Zenit launch complex facilities
- Transfer to the museum (pad #2)
- Excursion in the Museum of Baikonur cosmodrome
- Gagarin’s and Korolev’s historical cottages
- Buran orbital spaceship
- Transfer back to town
- General sightseeing of the town of Baikonur (information about the history of the town, stops near the memorials and monuments)
- Excursion in the International space school
Day 3
- Saturn tracking station
- Transfer to cosmodrome
- Proton launch pad
- Energia-Buran launching facilities
- Visit to Energia Bunker
- Pad #251, Yubileyny airfield
- Transfer back to the town
- Weigtlessnes monument
Day 4
- Walk along the historical alley of Cosmonauts where personalized trees are planted
- Transfer to the observation site
- Observation of Progress MS launch
- Transfer back to town
Day 5
- Breakfast in the hotel
- Group transfer to Kyzylorda airport
Baikonur tour VIP package
We invite you to join our VIP tour to Baikonur cosmodrome! A unique adventure arranged by experienced aerospace tourism professionals guarantees you unforgettable impressions and comfortable stay in Baikonur. Choosing this special offer you will definitely find an individual approach to every customer, ongoing support and assistance of our English-speaking coordinator, accommodation in the best hotel of Baikonur city, comfortable transport vehicle for a small VIP group (up to 12 participants), full board, souvenir package, individual excursions and guides’ services. The cost of our VIP 5 days / 4 nights tour package – 5350 Euro per pax and includes the following:
- All necessary access clearance papers for visiting Baikonur complex
- Flights Moscow – Kyzylorda – Moscow (upgrade to BUSINESS CLASS upon request)
- Complex support and assistance of Company representative
- Individual transportation services in the framework of program implementation
- Accommodation in 4-star Sputnik hotel (BB)
- Meals in best Baikonur city restaurants and cafes
- Assistance of TsENKI representative
- Prelaunch activities program
- Full excursion program both in the city and at the launchsite area (incl. entrance tickets and guides’ services)
- Observation of Soyuz launch
- Permission for non-professional photo and video shooting
- Visa support if necessary (Russian visa)
Notes:
This is a preliminary program. The time and order of visiting the facilities of the Baikonur cosmodrome can be changed because of the specificity and technical features of this complex. Besides, the duration of the program depends on the date and time of the rocket launch, so each program is always adjusted for the particular launch. Please, contact our specialists for more details.
In addition to the basic program in Baikonur, we can offer you a visit to Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (various excursion programs, training on real space simulators, corporate programs), to visit the museum of Air Force, the Memorial Museum of cosmonautics, Moscow sightseeing program. You can surely rely on us if you need:
- Russian visa support
- Hotel reservation in Moscow, St.Petersburg, in the Moscow district near Star City, other cities in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan
- City tour in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and other Russia cities with an experienced guide and driver
- Reservation of plane and train tickets round Russia and abroad
- Reservation of car, van or bus in Moscow, St.Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod
Formalities:
- You should send in your application at least 35 days before the visit of cosmodrome Baikonur with special questionnaires and copies of passports of all the participants enclosed.
- The program should be paid at least 21 days in advance according to the contract and the invoice.
- To participate in the tour to Baikonur it is necessary to obtain a double-entry Russian visa, Kazakh visa is not necessary.
You will find all the necessary documents here
Baikonur tour reviews from our guests:
Having booked this trip with a travel company in Russia I set off from London wondering what to expect. As I arrived at the airport, as promised, was the travel rep with the sign ‘Vegitel Biaknour’. During our programme we visited numerous launch sites, some current and some from the past, from the Proton to Moon N-1 to the Buran Space Shuttle, to a space capsule where you could enter and feel at home! The museums were numerous and captivating, including visiting and using equipment form the 1980’s Buran Mission Control Centre, seeing all the space equipment, spacesuits, engines from over the years, visiting the International Space School where I had the privilege of launching a rocket. As a 10-year-old kid watching Apollo and Soyuz programmes on TV I never thought I would get the chance to view a Soyuz launch ‘live’. Well that only part of it, viewing the rollout of the space craft from its hanger, its transit and erection into the launch position was unbelievable and all at such a close distance with the various partners of Roscosmos in attendance. For the launch we were about 2kms away what a sight, I took some pictures of the first few seconds and then just watched in awe as the astronaut and cosmonaut lifted off into the distance as the rocket flames contrasted against the deep blue sky. The logistics of obtaining all the necessary passes were very well led by the Vegitel team, with an excellent hotel, transport arriving on time taking us to and from the cosmodrome for each day’s activity. For the launch we had a great location as the Soyuz rose above the ground, however a much better location for the launch of Soyuz MS10 would have been from the International Space Station as it flew over the site, I can but dream. The trips provided by Vegitel are to be recommended.
Chris D Jones
London
October 2018, Soyuz MS-10
Hi Ksenia
Thank you for a wonderful tour to Baikonur. I enjoyed all items of the itinerary and soaked up all the space rocket history there is at both the Cosmodrome and in town.
Thanks very much to the team who looked after us, security (Olga), tour guides and the respective museum guides, teachers (international School), and launch site ( Proton) staff, all of whom did a great job.
I enjoyed the staff, food and facilities at the Sputnik Hotel which was great.
Overall, the tour experience was above my expectation and I just wanted to say thanks.
All the best.
Kind regards
Pete
Peter Conrad
Australia
June 2018, Soyuz MS-09
Dear Ksenia,
As well we would like to say THANK YOU very much for this very, very special and fazinating time in Baikonur – we will never forget this trip and we will keep all the impressions in our heart our lifetime.
Daniel Kubler
Germany
June 2018, Soyuz MS-09
A brilliant experience, if you’re interested in space flight this is a tour you should do! Our guides and tour organisers – Ksenia, Elena and Anna – were excellent…. well organized, knowledgeable and attentive. Plenty of visits and activities arranged for each day ….all the guides in the cosmodrome highly knowledgeable about their specialism.
The ‘after launch’ chocs and russian champagne on the coach back..were a enjoyable suprise!
Thanks again for a unique vacation!!
Gillian White
Great Britain
June 2018, Soyuz MS-09
Dear Ksenia, Elena and Anna,
It was a pleasure to travel with you. Due to your excellent English language it was easy to follow all your detailed information about Russian space flights.
Everything was perfect organized. As a German resident I traveled on my own from Frankfurt via Astana to Kyzyloda. On this route an extra Russian visa was not necessary. From Kyzyloada airport we travelled together with the complete group to Baikonur. The Soyuz MA-09 launch tour was very varied. My personal highlight was watching the international Soyuz crew in front of the “Cosmonaut Hotel” early in the morning. Beside Sergei Prokopyev (Russia) and Serena Aunon-Chancellor (USA), our German astronaut Alexander Gerst was a member of the crew. Also the transportation of the Soyus rocket to the launch pad, the preparations of the rocket and the launch was impressive. The City of Baikonur was safe, the residents very friendly and curious to know about us tourists.
Andreas Barowski
Frankfurt, Germany
June 2018, Soyuz MS-09
I had two amazing experiences, one to witness and experience the tension and exhilaration of the landing of MS07 Expedition 55 on the steppe.
And two, wit a dash across Kazakhstan to the Baikonur Cosmodrome for the Launch of MS09 Expedition 56.
My entire Vegitel adventure ran to plan, right on time always.
Thank you Vlad & Ksenia for your professionalism and dedication in fulfilling my 2 dreams in one adventure
John Begg
USA
June 2018, Soyuz MS-09
Hello Ksenia, Elena and Anna,
It was also for us a pleasure to meet you!
Your team did an excellent job on-site! We enjoyed every single Moment of the tour. Beside the great and professional organization of the tour itself, your team was also a huge help and support for ALL requests raised by the tour participants. I also explicitly support the emotional but good reaction regarding those tour participants who did not behave so well.
I would recommend to all people who are interested to witness a rocket start in Baikonur the Vegitel team! It was not just a tour, it was a mission! The Vegitel team made it complete!
Thanks so much and all the best!
Thomas Breit
Germany
June 2018, Soyuz MS-09
Please accept my thanks for the good work you, Anna, and Ksenia did during the recent tour to Baikonur. Everything (except maybe for the long bus rides) was very interesting and well presented.
I will not hesitate to recommend Vegitel to my colleagues.
Thanks again. All the best. Bradley
Bradley Kerr
USA
June 2018, Soyuz MS-09
I would like to acknowledge and congratulate Vegitel, Stephanie and you for the great time I spent during the Baikonur Cosmodrome tour.
Everything run smoothly. Visits and events were timely and well organized. Hotel Sputnik was comfortable, clean, with good food and kind employees.
I will certainly recommend Vegitel to friends willing to enjoy this experience.
With my warmest regards.
Jordi Bozzo
Spain
I liked:
Seeing a big, manned launcher lift off from near. Being in places where history happened. Seeing the rocket moving to the launchpad and being erected.
Was impressed by the openness. Being less than 1.5 km from the lauchpad as a tourist would not have been possible in the US (or Japan, or Guyana) for «safety concerns».
The guy doing the explanations at the space school left a big, very positive impression. The people from Denmark and Kazakstan cheering at their kosmonauts were impressive and partly funny. Weather was nice.
Tour organisation and operation was trouble free. Accomodation in Baikonur was good.
Wolfgang Daniel
Germany, Berlin
What a tremendous week you have given to us …
Preparations for launching, rocket moved out of the hangar, the roll-out, vibrations of the air and ground as close to the firing point as the rocket cracks at night.
And the moments shared with friends and family of Thomas Pesquet as well as with the formers French astronauts present in the same hotel as us. Claudie Haigneré, Jean Pierre Haigneré and Jean Francois Clervoy.
Really great.
An attentive and professional Russian team.
Hello to colleagues from USA, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, England with whom I spent the week.
Do it again and this time I will come with my wife, frustrated to have stayed at home. We would have liked to share these great moments together.
Roger Gucciardi
France, Normandy
Probably the best thing is the access. You can get very close to hardware, people, cosmonauts. For a few days one has the feeling to be part of the space business without any real restrictions. The first time in 2013 we travelled with a group that included people from Star City and NASA, including astronauts. This time we travelled with an air force plane again with people from Star City, press, etc. During both tour we could meet NASA, ESA, and cosmonauts during the various events.
Again, the access and closeness to events is the best part.
Another very important aspect is authenticity. People who have been to the Kennedy Space Center have told us that it is almost like a theme park. One cannot get close to the actual hardware and people. The only thing one can visit is a special visitors center, remote from the actual assembly buildings and launch pads, with models and a very commercial approach.
It would be very, very sad if any of the access or authenticity would be lost. One can visit museums and theme parks in a lot of places, but there is only one place where you can experience real space travel this close and that is Baikonur/Kazakhstan.
Ton Schudelaro and Janneke van de Westelaken
Netherlands, Tilburg
This week was completely amazing to all of us. To be honest we only realise now, that we will remember this trip for the rest of our life. The programme was fine, the timing perfect and each day we were more and more impressed by the tour.
I thank you a lot for your availability during the tour. There were no time wasted and no activity that could be skipped. We enjoyed each day. And the final day was awesome.
To be honest we are still above the clouds and haven’t landed yet 😉
I listen a lot the “Trava Y Doma” song, this reminds me good moments of the tour. I even have watched The white sun of the desert, i think i’m almost ready for the nest cosmonaut selection 😉
I hope we will have new opportunity to come with vegitel. I d like to show the tour to my family and other friends.
Thanks for having perfectly organised our trip.
Pierre-Yves Pariselle
Paris, France
Visiting Baikonur was very special for me (I really love space exploration and Baikonur is a kind of Mecca) and the launch was, for sure, the best.
Also, it was great to hang out with the taxi driver (Nurlibyek), he showed me all around and I explored how people lives in Baikonur town, wich is great for my book.
Ksenia I really want to give thanks to you again. I know that you make some efforts to help me and to match my personal schedule with the group schedule and the transport and all. I am really glad and I appreciate your help.
About the Baikonur tour, I should said that although is very expensive, is… “unique and especial”. I really enjoyed it (I smiled a lot during the lift off and still now 🙂
Pablo Morales Andreau
Corrientes, Argentina
Our family trip to witness the Soyuz TMZ 17M launch from Baikonur was truly out-of-this-world experience. It offered us an exclusive membership into the world of passionate zealots of Space Exploration.
In the build up to the actual launch, we had the rare opportunity of seeing the roll out of the Soyuz rocket and it`s journey to the launch pad. We met crew doubles in person and immersed ourselves in sheer enthusiasm for this human endeavor.
We were amazed by how down to Earth the whole experience was/ The families of Lindgren (US Austronaut) and Oleg Kononenko (Russian Cosmonaut) were very approachable, and the support group of Jpanese Astronaut Kimiya Yue were very cheerful. To be present at the press conference with the Crew and their doubles just meters away was surreal. Bidding them goodbye as they boarded the buses to the music of the known Soviet band Zemlyane was like sending off a part of us.
Under the cover of amazingly starry skies, we chatted with fellow space enthusiasts until interrupted by the blinding spectacle and deafening roars of the launch. Then the space ship slowly disappeared from earthily view until reappearing six hours later on the big screen of the live conference.
Walks in this once closed to the public town, so distinctly Soviet in its architecture and history, were also a real treat for explorers of everything Soviet. Visits to the town`s museum and «Space» school revealed the passionate Soviet-Russian drive to be a world`s mindful contributor to Space exploration. The Space Museum at the Gagarin`s launch pad epitomizes just that.
Our journey wouldn`t have been smooth without excellent guides, Elena and Ksenya. The girls, were just as passionate about the experience as were we.
We highly recommend this trip as a family adventure. Our boys, ages 9 and twins of 7, were beyond wowed by everything and everyone. While they might not become astronauts, they surely appreciated the privilege of being part of history.
Timmerman family
Netherlands, Roderkirk
The tour was as wonderful as it had been previous time.
Fortunately we could see the night launch this time. The Soyuz rocket suddenly flushed in the darkness, the orange fireball flew higher and further, and then it became one of the brilliant star light, and gone out of our sight.
It was so fantastic!
We also had a lot to see both in the cosmodrome and the city. They are full of historical memories of space exploration. I wish I could have had more time enough to see all of it.
The Vegitel and its attendants organized the tour very well. Thank you so much!
Kaneko Ryoko
Japan, Tokyo
I wanted to again extend my appreciation for how you handled all the details of my trip to Baikonur to watch the rocket launch. I would highly recommend Starcity Tours and you if you ever require a reference. I would also like to sincerely thank you for getting the tickets to Swan Lake, we went to many cultural events during our time in Russia and this was by far the best ballet that we got to experience.
Again, thank you for all your assistance during the visa application process, the details of the trip and then the actual trip itself. You always responded to all my questions in a timely and efficient way.
Constance Dean-Milino
Canada, Oxbow
Thank you for a great tour; you did a great job arranging everything. It was great to have such good access to all the activities. And thanks for arranging the Moscow and Star City sightseeing for me too. I really enjoyed those tours.
Also thanks for the birthday present. I will enjoy all the pictures on the calendar. It was a pleasure to meet you and I enjoyed meeting the other tour members. Everyone got along well together.
My trip to Baikonur with you was the highlight of my year
Richard Robison
USA, New Orleans
Thanks for a great trip. I thought you did a fantastic job organising everything, and I had a wonderful time.
I shall certainly be recommending this!
Peter Brogden
Great Britain, London
I wish to thank you and everyone from Vegitel who helped make my trip to Moscow and Baikonur such a success.
I had wanted to get to Baikonur for many decades and I am so glad I did and that the launch went beautifully.
Mark Rigby
Australia, Brisbane
+7 (495) 506-32-23
+7 (495) 662-45-99
For more information about the organization of the program please contact our managers by phone, e-mail or Skype. HAVE A QUESTION? Feel free to use our contact form to send an online message. We will answer you shortly.
About Baikonur
The Baikonur Cosmodrome is a complicated engineering and technical complex, it is the world’s oldest and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppes of Kazakhstan, about 200 kilometers east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tjuratam railway station. The cosmodrome occupies the total area of 6717 square kilometers. It was originally built by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s as the base of operations for its ambitious space program, but fell into decline in the years after the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991. Later on, it was leased to Russia by the Kazakh government (currently until 2050) and today it is managed by the Russian Federal Space Agency. Sputnik – the world’s first satellite – was launched from this cosmodrome (1957), and since the first human space flight of Yuri A. Gagarin onboard the Vostok spacecraft ( April 12, 1961) over 1.200 spacecrafts were launched into the universe from this port. Baikonur is fully equipped with all the facilities required to launch both manned and unmanned space vehicles. It supports several generations of Russian spacecrafts: Soyuz, Proton, Tsyklon, Dnepr, Zenit, and Buran. During the temporary lapse of the United States’ Space Shuttle program after the Columbia Disaster in 2003, it played an essential role in operating and resupplying the International Space Station with Soyuz and Progress spacecrafts. Nowadays the Baikonur cosmodrome is open for international cooperation in the sphere of space exploration and for the insertion of manned international orbital complexes of a new generation to orbit.
