Star City, Russia, Cosmonaut training center in Moscow Oblast, Russia
Star City is a cosmonaut training center in Moscow Oblast that extends east of Moscow and contains training facilities, residential areas, and two lakes. The complex prepares space travelers for missions in orbit and beyond.
The facility was established in the early 1960s as a restricted military area and was initially known as closed military townlet number 1. It became central to the Soviet space program and continues to shape cosmonaut training today.
The settlement is named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and functions as a closed town with monuments and a space museum that reflect the history of human spaceflight.
The site is not open to the public and requires special authorization to visit. Transportation options include bus, taxi, or arrival through the nearby Chkalovsky Air Base.
The complex contains large hydro-laboratories where cosmonauts practice spacewalks in water-filled tanks to simulate weightlessness. This training method has remained essential for preparation for decades.
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