Baikonur in the context of "Cluster II (spacecraft)"

Baikonur in the context of "Cluster II (spacecraft)"

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⭐ Core Definition: Baikonur

Baikonur is a city in Kazakhstan on the northern bank of the Syr Darya river. It is currently leased and administered by the Russian Federation as an enclave until 2050. It was constructed to serve the Baikonur Cosmodrome with administrative offices and employee housing. During the Soviet period, the town was known as Leninsk, and was sometimes referred to as Zvezdograd (Russian: Звездоград, lit. 'Star City'). It was officially renamed Baikonur by Russian president Boris Yeltsin on December 20, 1995.

The Russian controlled area is an ellipse measuring 90 kilometres (56 mi) east to west by 85 km (53 mi) north to south, with the cosmodrome situated at the area's centre.

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👉 Baikonur in the context of Cluster II (spacecraft)

Cluster II was a space mission of the European Space Agency, with NASA participation, to study the Earth's magnetosphere over the course of nearly two solar cycles. The mission was composed of four identical spacecraft flying in a tetrahedral formation. As a replacement for the original Cluster spacecraft which were lost in a launch failure in 1996, the four Cluster II spacecraft were successfully launched in pairs in July and August 2000 onboard two Soyuz-Fregat rockets from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. In February 2011, Cluster II celebrated 10 years of successful scientific operations in space. In February 2021, Cluster II celebrated 20 years of successful scientific operations in space. As of March 2023, its mission was extended until September 2024. The China National Space Administration/ESA Double Star mission operated alongside Cluster II from 2004 to 2007.

The first of the four Cluster II satellites to re-enter the atmosphere did so on 8 September 2024 and the second one on 22 October 2025. The remaining two are expected to follow in summer 2026. The scientific payload operations of all satellites ended as the first satellite re-entered the atmosphere (other flight operations are still being performed with the remaining flying satellites until the satellites have all re-entered).

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