Baikonur is a city in Kazakhstan, known primarily for the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. Established in the 1950s, it has been the launch site for many significant space missions, including the first human spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin in 1961. The city itself was originally built to support the cosmodrome and has a unique blend of Soviet-era architecture and modern developments. It serves as a hub for space exploration activities and is leased by Russia for its space program, making it a key location in the history of space travel.