A trip to Baikonur, Kazakhstan where space rockets are launched is a once in a lifetime experience. If you are interested in seeing it, though it can be an exhausting trip, it is worth the trouble.

Here are a few tips if you do this trip:

1. Baikonur has been rented by the Russian government until 2050. Up until a few years ago, it was almost impossible to go to the area to witness a rocket launch as a tourist due to Russian restrictions. But that has changed recently and the local administration is hoping to attract more tourists.

2. The easiest way to witness a launch is to find an accredited tourist agency which will get access for you from Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. The costs vary from 800 to 5000 US dollars depending on whether the tour includes transportation and accommodations.

3. One day before the launch, a priest comes and blesses the rocket. Priests are also on location until the last moment and bless the astronauts and cosmonauts before they depart. 

4. One of the most emotional parts of the program is to see the astronauts and cosmonauts as they are getting ready for the launch on the day. You get to see them before they depart for the launch area and then when they put on their space suits. The emotional part is saying goodbye. It could never be taken as a daily routine as you get to see a father saying goodbye to his child before going to the outer space.

5. Astronauts and cosmonauts are differentiated by the space program that trains them.  Astronauts are from NASA, ESA, CSA, and JAXA while cosmonauts are the ones trained by the Russian Roscosmos agency.

6. For whatever purpose you are going there, whether it’s just for your own interest, for work or for filming purposes – definitely choose the manned launches, they are the ones that make it more meaningful. They have the potential to change life as we know it.

7. If you are planning to take your children – take note, it is not an easy trip. Launch times can be in the wee hours in the morning – like at 3:00 a.m. and there is a lot of waiting around until the actual lift-off. This could be tiring for children.

8. Timing can be important as the weather in Kazakhstan changes between extremely hot and extreme cold within a single day. Even during a September launch when daytime temperature was about 26 degrees Celsius, at night the launch location got very cold. Check daytime and nighttime weather before your trip.

9. You reach the launch area about an hour and a half before the take-off. Tourists and journalists are all taken to a field about two kilometers away from the rocket. There is a large screen placed in the field in front of you that streams a live feed from inside of the cockpit so you see the astronauts and cosmonauts live as they are preparing to take off.

10. The last minute is breathtaking. As the countdown begins you hear Russian announcements being made. Everyone gets quiet. And lift off! A massive roar. It feels like you are literally going to be blown away. You can see the rocket for a few minutes before it disappears.   You’ve just witnessed history. The rest is left to your imagination.