据介绍，拜科努尔航天发射场位于哈萨克斯坦，早在苏联时代就用于航天发射任务。该发射场设有1号和31号发射台用于载人航天任务。其中1号发射台曾先 后承担过第一颗人造卫星"斯普特尼克1号"和世界第一名进入太空的宇航员加加林的发射任务。苏联解体后，俄罗斯和哈萨克斯坦在1994年签署了租赁协 议。如今1号发射台已经封存，31号发射台是俄罗斯唯一能够执行载人航天任务的设施。俄罗斯也在发展东方航天发射场，但后者现在仍缺乏进行载人发射 的条件。 拜科努尔航天发射场31号发射台首次使用于1961年1月，迄今已支持了400多次发射。叶戈罗夫表示，如果拜科努尔航天发射场的修复时间过长，俄罗斯将自 1961年以来首次"失去将人送入太空的能力"。俄罗斯火箭发射分析师格奥尔基·特里什金表示，拜科努尔31号发射台对俄罗斯的国际空间站任务至关重要， 该发射台受损，可能影响俄罗斯后续的"联盟"号载人飞船和"进步"号货运飞船发射计划。 波音载人飞船遭遇挫折 【环球时报特约记者 晨阳】服役多年的国际空间站已确定将在2030年正式退役，但最近它却接连遭遇困境——先是美国国家航空航天局（NASA）宣布减少 波音公司研制的"星际客机"载人飞船的发射次数 ...

Core Points - NASA announced that the Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft successfully reached the International Space Station (ISS) after overcoming initial launch issues, temporarily alleviating supply concerns for the ISS [1] - The Cygnus XL is Northrop Grumman's latest cargo spacecraft, designed to meet the growing demands of the ISS, with an increased cargo capacity of over 11,000 pounds, up from the standard 8,500 pounds [3] - The Cygnus XL mission is critical as it carries essential supplies, including nitrogen, oxygen, food, and spare parts for urine processing systems, to ensure the ISS's operational needs are met [4] Company and Industry Insights - The Cygnus XL mission faced challenges due to an early engine shutdown during its trajectory adjustments, highlighting potential vulnerabilities in U.S. near-Earth orbital transportation capabilities [5] - Currently, only Northrop Grumman and SpaceX have the capacity to deliver cargo to the ISS, indicating a limited supply chain resilience in the U.S. space logistics sector [5] - The next scheduled cargo delivery to the ISS will be from Japan's HTV-X spacecraft, set to launch in October, emphasizing the ongoing reliance on international partners for ISS resupply [4]

Core Points - Baikonur Cosmodrome celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, having launched over 1,500 rockets and nearly 2,000 spacecraft into orbit over the past seven decades [1][3] - The launch site, located in southern Kazakhstan, covers approximately 7,000 square kilometers, which is equivalent to two and a half times the area of Moscow [3] - Baikonur has been the site of significant historical events, including the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite in 1957 and Yuri Gagarin's historic flight in 1961 [3] Infrastructure and Facilities - The Baikonur Cosmodrome includes 15 launch complexes, 4 intercontinental ballistic missile test launch pads, 11 assembly and testing buildings, two airports, 470 kilometers of railway, and 1,281 kilometers of highways [3] - Currently, Russia rents the launch site from Kazakhstan and continues to use it for regular launches of the Soyuz crewed spacecraft and Progress cargo spacecraft [3] Historical Significance - October 24 is marked as a "dark day" for the launch site due to tragic incidents, including a fire in 1960 that resulted in 78 fatalities [4] - Despite the gradual transfer of launch operations to the new Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East, the Russian space agency plans to continue using Baikonur until at least the expiration of the lease in 2050 [4]