45°59′46″N 63°33′51″E / 45.99611°N 63.56417°E / 45.99611; 63.56417

Site 31/6

A Soyuz-2 rocket at LC-31/6
Launch site	Baikonur Cosmodrome
Location	Kazakhstan
Operator	RVSN, VKS, Roscosmos
Launch pad(s)	1
Orbital inclination range	49° – 99°
Launch history Status Active Launches 435 First launch 14 January 1961 R-7A Last launch 15 August 2024 Soyuz 2.1a / Progress MS-28 Associated rockets R-7A Vostok Voskhod Polyot Molniya Soyuz Soyuz-L Soyuz-U Soyuz-U2 Soyuz-FG/Fregat Soyuz-2 (current)

Baikonur Site 31, also known as Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, is a launch site used by derivatives of the R-7 Semyorka missile. Since Roscosmos' change from flying crew on the Soyuz-FG to the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle for crewed flights in 2020, it has served as the primary launch site for Soyuz flights to the International Space Station. It took over from Site 1/5 (Gagarin's Start) after the latter failed to receive funding to modernize it for the slightly larger Soyuz-2 rocket.^{[1][verification needed]}

Before that, it only saw a handful of crewed flights when Site 1/5 was unavailable (Soyuz TMA-06M, Soyuz TMA-15M, Soyuz MS-02).

It was first used on 14 January 1961, for an R-7A ICBM test mission. As of 2023 it is currently used for Soyuz-2 launches. In the 1970s and early 1980s, several crewed missions were launched from the site.

A panorama of the Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31 taken from atop the Soyuz support structure. A Zenit facility can be seen in the distance.

• Gagarin's Start (Baikonur Site 1)

• "Baikonur LC31". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 4 September 2003.

• J. K. Golovanov, "Korolev: Facts and myths", Nauka, 1994, ISBN 5-02-000822-2;
• "Rockets and people" – B. E. Chertok, M: "mechanical engineering", 1999 ISBN 5-217-02942-0 (in Russian);
• «A breakthrough in space» - Konstantin Vasilyevich Gerchik, M: LLC "Veles", 1994 - ISBN 5-87955-001-X;
• "Testing of rocket and space technology - the business of my life" Events and facts - A.I. Ostashev, Korolyov, 2001 [1];
• "Baikonur. Korolev. Yangel" - M. I. Kuznetsk, Voronezh: IPF "Voronezh", 1997, ISBN 5-89981-117-X;
• "Look back and look ahead. Notes of a military engineer" - Rjazhsky A. A., 2004, SC. first, the publishing house of the "Heroes of the Fatherland" ISBN 5-91017-018-X.
• "Rocket and space feat Baikonur" - Vladimir Порошков, the "Patriot" publishers 2007. ISBN 5-7030-0969-3
• "Unknown Baikonur" - edited by B. I. Posysaeva, M.: "globe", 2001. ISBN 5-8155-0051-8

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31.

v t e R-7 rockets
Missiles	R-7 Semyorka R-7A Semyorka
Launch systems	Sputnik Polyot Voskhod Vostok Luna Vostok-L Vostok-K Vostok-2 Vostok-2M Molniya Molniya Molniya-M Soyuz Soyuz/Vostok Soyuz Soyuz-L Soyuz-M Soyuz-U Soyuz-U2 Soyuz-FG Soyuz-2 Soyuz 2.1a / STA Soyuz 2.1b / STB Soyuz 2-1v
Launch sites	Baikonur Site 1/5 Site 31/6 Plesetsk Site 41/1 Site 16/2 Site 43/3 Site 43/4 Vostochny Site 1S Guiana ELS
Launches	1957–1959 1960–1964 1965–1969 1970–1974 1975–1979 1980–1984 1985–1989 1990–1994 1995–1999 2000–2004 2005–2009 2010–2014 2015–2019 2020–2024
See also	Korolyov Cross Soyuz at the Guiana Space Centre RD-107 (engine)