The Soyuz rocket on a launch platform at the Baikonur cosmodrome.
A space base or cosmodrome is the set of facilities prepared for the launch, arrival or technical assistance of rockets or spacecraft. In the countries of the former Soviet Union, these facilities are known as cosmodromes (from the Greek cosmos, world, and dromos, track). Although the term "spatial basis" has a more widespread use and the use of the term "cosmodrome" is usually restricted to a geographically delimited context, in the post-Soviet states this term is accepted as a synonym.
Spacebases are usually located in sites large enough so that a rocket explosion does not endanger adjacent rockets and human lives. It prefers launching sites near the Equator and fired towards the East. With this, it is possible to take full advantage of the speed of rotation of the earth and also have a good position to reach geostationary orbit. Obviously, this increases the mass that can be carried to orbit. However, this does not work for polar orbits or Molniya orbits. The fact of launching the rocket in the direction of a desert or maritime zone improves security.
The first space base in the world was the Baikonur Cosmodrome, still in operation today and currently the busiest in the world, mainly due to its support activity for the International Space Station.
It is possible that in the future, with the development of hypersonic vehicles, the space bases will be long runways instead of the traditional vertical launching ramps. Examples
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