KZBlog

Just as the lease comes up on Baikanour and the Kazakhstan Parliament considers increasing the price (Subscription Only) for Russia to rent and operate the base, Russia is making accusations that Kazakhstan is interfering. The charges are sufficiently vague:

Kazakhstan’s position on various matters regarding the use of the Baikonur cosmodrome is complicating the execution of tasks in Russian space exploration,” Anatoly Perminov was quoted as saying.

“Kazakhstan has announced an array of approaches to the organisation of international cooperation in space, limiting Russia’s role and degree of participation,” he added, quoted by Interfax and ITAR-TASS.

The best the journalists could dig up was that Kazakhstan passed a law in 2007 that banned rockets from flying over areas where the president is visiting. Furthermore Kazakhstan gets only $115 million a year for rent and Russia basically controls the town of Baikanour as well as the space operations. Kazakh citizens who want to go to Baikanour have to get permission from the Russian authorities. So it’s basically a small Russian state in the middle of Kazakhstan. It’s a lot to ask of the country and then make vague accusations that they want some control over their own base.

There are also clear and concrete reasons why the government of Kazakhstan should have authority over operations. This week it was announced that Proton rocket launches will continue even though they are an environmental danger. Proton rockets use toxic fuel and have crashed a few times, damaging the environment of Kazakhstan.

It seems a bit odd that Russia is complaining about Kazakhstan and not the other way around.