Site 51: R-9 and GR-1

 military, rocket launch pad

In 1960, military construction crews started building the first launch facilities for the testing of the R-9 ICBM, developed at OKB-1 design bureau led by Korolev. The original infrastructure supporting the R-9 project involved three sites: a surface pad at Site 51, a radio-control station, RUP, at Site 52 and a support communication facility at Site 53.

The surface pad at Site 51, designated Launch Pad 5, was located just 400 meters north of Site 1 for the R-7 missile, in the central region of Baikonur Cosmodrome. Both facilities (Sites 1 and 51) were serviced by the personnel from the 1st Test Directorate, specialized in testing of the rocketry developed by Korolev's OKB-1. The existing assembly building, MIK-2, built for the R-7 was also used to prepare the R-9.

The first launch of the R-9 missile was made from Site 51 on May 9, 1961, just days before man's first voyage into outer space, which originated from the nearby Pad 1.

In the later years, R-9 testing was transferred to the newly built surface and silo-based launch pads in Baikonur, while Site 51 infrastructure was meant for testing of the R-9-based Global Rocket 1 (GR-1). However, the GR-1 project had been curtailed before any launch attempt was made.

From 1974 to 1977, tests of the emergency escape system for the TKS spacecraft were also conducted at Site 51.