A Belgian and two Dutch nationals are being investigated for espionage, but according to a UGent Russian expert they are undoubtedly urban explorers looking to access the famous Baikonur Cosmodrome
Foreign News
Belgian and Dutch nationals arrested on Russian spacecraft launch site
Lisa Bradshaw
Published:
A Belgian and two Dutch nationals were arrested earlier this week in Kazakhstan after they were discovered on the territory of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the Russian-owned space launch facility. Baikonur is the largest spaceport in the world, used to launch all manned Russian spaceflights.
According to local media in Kazakhstan, which lies south of Russia, the men – all in their 20s – are being investigated for espionage. But Ghent University Russian expert Bart Hendrickx is convinced that they are simply urban explorers.
It’s impossible to fence in the entire base, so with a bit of luck you can manage to get in
Russian space expert Bart Hendrickx
“Urban explorers are people who make a sport out of accessing places that are closed to the public,” he says. Baikonur is a popular destination for such explorers. Last month a French national died from exposure trying to reach the remote location in the middle of the desert.
“It’s impossible to fence in the entire base,” explains Hendrickx, “so with a bit of luck you can manage to get in. The Russians are probably aware of this phenomenon and have become a bit more vigilant.”
Hendrickx, who writes many articles about Russia’s space programme, has toured the base himself – on an officially sanctioned visit. Urban explorers at Baikonur are mostly interested in the hangar that contains Russia’s two Buran spaceplanes, decommissioned in the 1990s. The Buran was Russia’s answer to America’s space shuttle and famously flown just once – as an unmanned flight in 1988.
“I was there in 1992,” shares Hendrickx. “The Buran project was not officially scrapped yet, and you could see the shuttles in the hangar. Many decommissioned shuttles are just sitting there rotting at Baikonur. Urban explorers have put videos on YouTube to show that they were there.”
Soviet remnant
The spaceport was established when Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union. After the fall, Russia continued to rent the ground from the country. “It’s basically Russian territory in Kazakhstan,” explains Hendrickx.
The launch facility is not as active as it once was, mostly hosting missions to the International Space Station. Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne has launched out of Baikonur twice on his was to the ISS.
Hendrickx: “The Russians mostly use the Vostochny Cosmodrome to launch spacecraft, which is in their own country. The agreement between Russia and Kazakhstan for Baikonur runs until 2050, but there’s a good chance that within a few years there won’t be any more launches there.”