Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Simulated satellite image of Kazakhstan taken from low Earth orbit, showing the area down-range from the Russian space launch site at Baikonur. Major physical features include the Aral Sea to the west, Lake Balkhash to the east, the Syr Darya River and the Kyzyl Kum desert to the southwest. The dry grasslands of the Kazhak Steppe extend to the Ural Mountains on the northwestern horizon.