Originally named Military Unit 26266, Star City was shrouded in secrecy. It was a secret training base for Soviet cosmonaut candidates. Star City is located just east of Moscow. It became the home of the cosmonauts.
In 1960, the Soviet Union established this secret city. It was here that young Russians trained to be launched into space. Sergei Korolev believed a cosmonaut training center was needed. By the end of 1959, the decision to create a special center in the Air Force was finalized.
Air Marshal K. A. Vershinin signed a directive on January 11, 1960. This directive formed the Cosmonauts Training Center personnel. The first twenty future astronauts arrived in March 1960. A year later, Yuri Gagarin made the world’s first manned space flight. In 1968, the center was named after him.
Star City blossomed into a real town. It had its own post office and movie theater. There was also a railway station and a couple of schools. All were very secret. Citizens received special passports for entry and exit. Star City was a small world. It was kept hidden from other countries and fellow Russians.
Initially, the cosmonaut candidates lived at Frunze Central Airfield. Later, they moved to an apartment block in Chkalovsky. Finally, they settled into newly built apartments on-site. They remained there with their families throughout their training.
The space program was a major point of pride. But in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. This left Star City and its cosmonauts in trouble. Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev was on the Mir space station at the time. The landing site in Kazakhstan was suddenly no longer part of the USSR. Sergei remained on Mir for months. Russia struggled with the Kazakhstan government.
Star City then began working with NASA. By the mid-1990s, the secrecy had lifted slightly. Visitors could see the tank where cosmonauts practiced spacewalks underwater. They could also view the centrifuge. This machine swung soon-to-be space travelers at dizzying speeds. They experienced eight times the force of gravity.
In 2008, control of Star City transferred to Roscosmos. It became a civil organization rather than a military one. Since its establishment in 1960, Star City became open to the public. However, permission was still needed.
Today, cosmonauts and their families still live in Star City. Valentina Goryacheva, Yuri Gagarin’s wife, resides here. Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, also calls Star City home. The town has added a Russian Orthodox church. It also has a space travel museum. A monument to Laika, the first dog in space, was erected.
The Yuri A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center offers essential infrastructure. Cosmonauts train across a range of experiences. This includes simulated G-loads. There is mission specific and suit training. Medical observation and testing is done here too. Astronavigation is also taught.
The center boasts full-size mockups of major spacecraft. These include Soyuz and Buran vehicles. There are TKS modules and orbital stations from the Salyut Program. You can also find Mir and ISS modules. Room 1 houses Salyut 4, 6, and Mir modules. Room 1A contains Soyuz simulators. Other rooms feature Salyut 7, Spektr, and Buran simulators.
Zero-gravity training aircraft simulate weightlessness. The IL-76 MDK has an internal volume of 400 cubic meters. Training aircraft operate from Chkalovskiy airfield. The original office of Yuri Gagarin remains. Monuments and busts honor him and other cosmonauts.
From secrecy to international collaboration, Star City remains a vital center for space exploration.