‘Portal to space’: the place where astronauts take off and land – in pictures

Rocket parts, near Kenjebai-Samai, 2019

Launch Pad One is where the first human, Yuri Gagarin, launched to space on April 12, 1961. The Soyuz spacecraft has been in operation since the late 1960s and, due to its length of service, is considered the safest and most cost-effective space vehicle. The capsule of the spacecraft, which is not reusable, measures just 2.2 metres long and 2.1 metres wide. Each one can carry up to three people. It takes six hours to reach the space station and just three and a half hours to return