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Putin approves Baikonur agreement

MOSCOW, June 22 (UPI) -- Russia has approved a new agreement with Kazakhstan to continue operating the Baikonur Cosmodrome - the site of man's first conquest of space.

Russian President Vladimir Putin of Russia signed a new bill into law this week ratifying an agreement with Kazakhstan on cooperation and the use of Baikonur, the official Kazakhstan News Bulletin reported Wednesday.

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The first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, was launched into orbit from Baikonur in 1961. The Cosmodrome remains important to Russia today because it is far nearer the equator than the newly built Plesetsk space center and therefore is far more favorably placed for launching satellites into orbit.

In the past, the site, and its launches have been leased out, to launch others' payloads at a no frills price hard to beat.

The agreement was originally signed in the Kazakh capital Astana in January 2004. It provides for the extension of Russia's lease of Baikonur until the year 2050 and increased cooperation between the two countries in modernizing the Cosmodrome and building the Baiterek joint space complex.

The agreement also provides for joint environmental research and protection at the Cosmodrome, an important component of the cooperative effort.

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