Kazakhstan on Thursday refuted claims that Russia intends to terminate its lease of the Baikonur Cosmodrome prior to its expiration in 2050. This comes amidst theories suggesting that Moscow might be preparing to abandon the historic launch facility.

Kazakhstani media have speculated that Russia might exit the lease sometime between 2026 and 2028 as it reduces its involvement in international space collaborations, including a potential withdrawal from the International Space Station (ISS) as early as 2028.

“The issue of an early lease termination or transferring full control of Baikonur to Kazakhstan is not under discussion at the moment,” a representative from Kazakhstan’s Aerospace Committee informed AFP.

Russia currently pays Kazakhstan $115 million each year for the lease of Baikonur, a site it has utilized since the Soviet period to launch astronauts to the ISS, marking one of the few remaining avenues for collaboration between Russia and Western nations.

The Soviet-era facility, situated in southern Kazakhstan, has been pivotal in significant milestones of the Cold War space race, including the launches of Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, in 1961, and Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, in 1963.

While Moscow has not released any official statements regarding a withdrawal, it has intensified efforts to enhance alternative domestic launch sites, such as the newer Vostochny Cosmodrome located in the Russian Far East.

Efforts to modernize Baikonur, initiated in 2004, have encountered delays, largely due to ongoing underfunding and geopolitical tensions following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.