Kazakhstan Ratifies Protocol With Russia for Baikonur Cosmodrome Incidents

Kazakhstan's upper house of parliament ratified a protocol, introducing amendments to the 1999 intergovernmental agreement with Russia on procedures in the event of an accident occurring during a rocket launch from the Baikonur space center, local media reported Thursday.

ASTANA (Sputnik) – The protocol, signed on June 2, 2015, aims to define the steps that should be taken by the two countries' authorized bodies should incidents arise during rocket launches from Baikonur and in the aftermath of such events, Novosti Kazakhstan reported.

In respect to removing the consequences of accidents, the protocol defines the course to be followed by the joint staff, including the volume and terms of the work to be carried out.

The Baikonur Cosmodrome is an international facility in Kazakhstan for operating Russian and multinational space programs. Russia has leased the Baikonur space center until 2050.