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Euronews
09-05-2025
- Science
- Euronews
Kazakhstan to regain legendary 'Gagarin's start' space launch site
Russia will return the oldest and most famous launch pad in the Baikonur Cosmodrome, also known as 'Gagarin's Start,' to Kazakhstan, handing it over by 1 June. Kazakhstan plans to turn the world's first crewed space launch site — which was decommissioned back in 2019 — into a museum. 'The Gagarin's Start was decommissioned due to its unsuitability for launching the new Soyuz-2 rockets, which are now launched from the 31st platform of the cosmodrome,' said the spokesperson for the Kazakh Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry. To fund the site's modernisation, Russia and Kazakhstan partnered with the United Arab Emirates and signed a trilateral agreement in 2021. However, the project stalled amid shifting geopolitical dynamics. Russia's war in Ukraine forced countries to reevaluate their partnership and the use of Soyuz-2 rockets. In the meantime, Russia turned its attention to its own launching sites of Plesetsk and Vostochny, shifting commercial launches to one of them. While it still leases Baikonur from Kazakhstan until 2050, it has presented Kazakhstan with a list of 234 facilities it no longer needs, to be struck from the lease agreement. According to authorities, 53 have already been accepted by the Kazakh side. 'The Russian side will continue to use the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the future. A total of nine launches were planned for 2025, of which two were completed,' the ministry said. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan continues to develop its own Baiterek space complex, though progress has been slow. Experts warn that delays, coupled with the waning relevance of Baikonur, could result in outdated infrastructure and missed economic opportunities. The Gagarin's Start, also known as Baikonur Site 1 or Site 1/5, holds deep historical significance. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey into space from this pad. The Earth's first artificial satellite, Sputnik, was also launched from this pad. After mulling over an upgrade, Russia's space agency Roscosmos initially proposed turning the launch pad into a museum, citing the importance of preserving the site as a global heritage site. Soon to be in charge of the project, Kazakhstan hopes to increase Baikonur's tourism potential by opening it to the public. 'Given the historical significance of the Gagarin's Start and for the purpose of developing tourism at the Baikonur complex, the Kazakh side, in collaboration with the Russian side, plans to create a museum complex dedicated to the history of space exploration,' said the statement by the Kazakh ministry. The future museum will showcase rockets, space equipment and other artefacts from Baikonur's 70-year history. Both sides will also work on including the launch pad in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Currently, visiting Baikonur requires a special permit issued two months in advance, limiting broader access. The ministry said it was working on reducing the time needed to obtain the access permit and develop a digital pass. Officials hope the museum project will boost the region's domestic and international tourism. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a series of short-range ballistic missile tests simulating tactical nuclear counter attacks against US and South Korean forces, state media have reported, as Pyongyang blamed joint military drills by its adversaries for raising tensions. According to the Korean Central News Agency, Thursday's tests were part of training exercises aimed at enhancing the operational effectiveness of missile and rocket units under North Korea's nuclear command structure. The launch demonstrated the "rapid counteraction posture" of the regime's forces in response to a nuclear threat, the agency said. The tests involved a mobile ballistic missile system resembling Russia's Iskander and 600-millimetre multiple rocket launchers. South Korean officials classify both systems as ballistic missiles due to their guided trajectories and propulsion capabilities. Kim Jong-un reportedly emphasised the need to expand the role of nuclear forces in both deterrence and combat scenarios. He called for enhanced military preparedness and improved precision strike capabilities, criticising joint military drills by the United States and its allieds, which North Korea views as provocative. South Korea's military had earlier detected several launches from North Korea's eastern coast, with missiles fired between 8:10-9:20 am from the vicinity of Wonsan. The longest-range projectile travelled approximately 800 kilometres, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Lee Sung-joon, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs, said the launches may have also served to test weapons intended for export, particularly amid suspicions that North Korea continues to provide military support to Russia in its war against Ukraine. South Korea's Unification Ministry condemned the launches as a "clear act of provocation" and a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Spokesperson Kim Inae said the tests posed a threat to regional peace and stability. Japan's Defence Minister Gen Nakatani confirmed that no missiles entered Japan's exclusive economic zone and there was no reported damage to aircraft or maritime traffic. The launches mark North Korea's sixth known missile event this year and the first since 10 March, when the regime fired multiple projectiles in response to annual joint US-South Korea military exercises. In a separate development, KCNA reported that Kim visited the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. During the visit, he praised the "long-standing strategic relationship" between North Korea and Russia. The weapons tests come just a day after Kim urged increased production of artillery shells, further signalling his deepening military ties with Moscow.
Mid East Info
15-02-2025
- Business
- Mid East Info
City of Astana partners with Presight for AI-powered smart city project - Middle East Business News and Information
· The Astana smart city project will deliver community-wide benefits from reduced traffic and congestion to faster emergency response times. · Kazakhstani companies will be responsible for 60% of the total project scope, which will be managed, implemented and resourced with a local Kazakhstan-based workforce. · The Astana smart city project follows other Presight projects with Kazakhstan's Ministry of Digital Development, Samruk-Kazyna and Astana Hub. · Presight expands its Astana office as it grows presence in Kazakhstan and the wider Central Asia region. Astana, Kazakhstan – February, 2025 – Presight, a leading global big data analytics and applied intelligence company, has signed a USD $190 million, six-year agreement with the Akimat (municipal government) of the City of Astana to deploy an AI-powered smart city project to digitize urban infrastructure, enhance traffic management, and modernize public services. The Astana smart city project will deliver community-wide benefits from reduced traffic and congestion to faster emergency response times. The AI-powered nation-building project is designed to enhance Astana's liveability, sustainability, citizen services, and digital transformation agenda. It will see the introduction of sensors and IoT-enabled infrastructure to create a digital twin of the city, which will improve liveability, safety and community wellbeing. Kazakhstani companies will be responsible for 60 percent of the total project scope of the smart city project, ensuring that jobs, in-country value creation and investment remains in Kazakhstan. The smart city project closely follows other major announcements for Presight in Kazakhstan. In 2024, the Kazakhstan Ministry of Digital Development, in collaboration with Samruk-Kazyna, the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Kazakhstan, appointed Presight to develop a state-of-the-art AI supercomputer and data center cluster to enable the country's digital transformation initiatives. In 2023, Presight also partnered with Astana Hub, the largest international technology park for IT startups in Central Asia, to power venture financing deals for startups. To complement the Astana smart city project and Presight's other nation-building initiatives in Kazakhstan, Presight today also announced the expansion of its Astana office to better service in-country projects as it grows operations in Kazakhstan and the wider Central Asia region. Thomas Pramotedham, Chief Executive Officer of Presight, commented: 'We congratulate the City of Astana for being a global leader in the adoption of world-leading AI for smart city applications. The Astana smart city project aims to develop an ecosystem powered by AI-driven video analytics, enhancing urban management, traffic optimization, and public safety. By integrating advanced monitoring infrastructure and intelligent vision systems, the initiative will provide real-time insights to improve city operations and situational awareness. 'A key component includes AI-powered traffic management solutions designed to enhance road safety and streamline mobility. Additionally, existing visual data sources will be unified into a real-time digital twin of the city, enabling predictive analytics and faster response times to incidents. This initiative underscores a commitment to leverage AI and data-driven solutions for more efficient, secure, and sustainable urban development.' Through the responsible and ethical implementation of AI-driven solutions, citizens of Astana will experience improved public services, digitized infrastructure, enhanced healthcare access, and safer, more efficient urban environments . Presight is committed to developing AI solutions that enhance communities while upholding privacy and security. This project aligns with the City of Astana's digital transformation goals and ensures AI is used ethically and transparently to deliver tangible benefits to citizens . About Presight: Presight is an ADX-listed public company with Abu Dhabi based G42 as its majority shareholder and is the region's leading big data analytics company powered by GenAI. It combines big data, analytics, and AI expertise to serve every sector, of every scale, to create business and positive societal impact. Presight excels at all-source data interpretation to support insight-driven decision-making that shapes policy and creates safer, healthier, happier, and more sustainable societies. Today, through its range of GenAI-driven products and solutions, Presight is bringing Applied AI to the private and public sector, enabling them to realize their AI strategy and ambitions faster.
South China Morning Post
05-02-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Belt and robot: Chinese start-up to open first robotics facility in Central Asia
China's fast-growing humanoid robotics industry is set to establish its first foothold in Central Asia, after a Shanghai-based start-up agreed a deal with Kazakhstan to partner on a series of ventures in the country. Advertisement The deal will see the Chinese company, AgiBot, establish a joint venture in Kazakhstan to build robotics manufacturing facilities, a 'data factory' for training robotic systems and a research and development centre, among other projects. The agreement between AgiBot and Kazakhstan's Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry will mark the first time a Chinese robotics company has localised production in a Central Asian country. For Kazakhstan, the move aligns with its recent push to attract foreign investment as it seeks to diversify its economy beyond natural resources, with a focus on artificial intelligence, manufacturing, green energy and other emerging industries. 'Partnership with an advanced company like AgiBot is an important milestone in the history of Kazakhstan's robotics industry,' said Zhaslan Madiyev, the country's minister of digital, innovations and aerospace. Advertisement 'This will not only help launch a facility in one of the most promising branches of mechanical engineering, but also strengthen local expertise and create a domestic centre of competence in robotics,' he added, according to the Times of Central Asia. Kazakhstan, which is China's northwestern neighbour, is also reportedly expanding its IT sector by building a global network of tech hubs, with new offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
