10 photos of an abandoned cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

Photos bring forgotten shuttles back to life at Baikonur Cosmodrome

Abandoned places often produce beautiful photographs. Fascinating, disturbing photos. This is still the case in Ralph Mirebs’ urbex study near Baikonur in Kazakhstan.

Immersion among Soviet cosmonauts in Kazakhstan

You had to think about it. Then head to the vast plains of central Kazakhstan. City explorer diving inside this massive base in the former USSR, home to space shuttle construction from 1974 to 1993 Ralph Mirebs It gives a second life to the Baikonur cosmodrome.

Spreading over 6700 km2, the Baikonur cosmodrome is considered the largest on the planet. This spaceport, some of which is still in operation, saw twenty-three Soyuz rockets take off in 2015, whose missions consisted of refueling the International Space Station and reworking cosmonauts. The mind-blowing snapshots taken by Ralph Mirebs will be compiled into a condensed book that brings rusty missiles back to life, and in a control room showcasing old computer hardware.

A souvenir from the Cold War

You better not be dizzy in this part of the building where time stopped 22 years ago. Ralph Mirebs intercepted the heart of an abandoned hangar near the Baikonur cosmodrome, photographing from all angles two “forgotten” OK-MT shuttles for twenty years.

Dubbed the “Buran”, this futuristic machine prototype designed during the Cold War belongs to the last remnants of the Soviet space program, which began in 1974 and ended in 1993. Positive impact on scientific and technical progress. You may regret the time wasted and lament the greatness of the past, but the truth is there.”

© Ralph Mirebs