One Belgian and two Dutch nationals have been arrested at the Russian rocket launch base of Baikonur in Kazakhstan, after they allegedly entered the site illegally and were caught.
The three people in their 20s were arrested on Tuesday at the Baikonur launch site. They are being investigated for possible involvement in espionage, according to local media. Others, however, believe that the three are urban explorers.
"They are probably urban explorers: people who make a sport of visiting dilapidated and often not publicly accessible buildings," space expert Bart Hendrickx told VRT. The site, home to many of these buildings, is a popular destination for urban explorers. Last month, a French national died trying to reach the base.
As the vast launch site is the largest in the world, located in the steppe of Kazakhstan, it is impossible for the authorities to completely enclose the base. "Many explorers therefore try to enter, and with a bit of luck they manage to."
A number of urban explorers have succeeded in this in the past without being caught. "The Russians are probably aware of this and may therefore have become a bit more vigilant," Hendrickx said.
The old models of the Buran, the Russian counterpart of the space shuttle, are particularly popular targets for urban explorers. "The Buran only made one flight in 1988 and that was it. A number of the discarded shuttles are still wasting away there on Baikonur. Urban explorers then make YouTube videos of them to show that they have been there."
