Cosmodrome

Cosmodrome
Overview
Location:	Old Russia, Earth
Hostile races:	Fallen; Hive; Taken
Gameplay
Accessibility:	Complete Restoration
Landing zones:	The Steppes

"A whole Golden Age shipyard, but crawling with Fallen."

— Arach Jalaal

The Cosmodrome is a shipyard located in Old Russia,^[1] holding the abode of Warmind Rasputin^[2] and the Replication chamber of SIVA.^[3]

Overview

Operated by the Russian Federal Bureau of Aeronautics, or PФБA,^[4] the Cosmodrome was a vital link to space during humanity's Golden Age, and centuries after the Collapse, the remnants of forgotten colony ships on the launch pad can still be seen, waiting to fly again.^[5]

Every location in Old Russia, including the Plaguelands, lies within the confines of the Cosmodrome's vast security wall, with the exception of the Gateway and Felwinter Peak.^[6] The ruins of the Cosmodrome tell some of the history of the Collapse: hundreds of civilian vehicles are seen outside the facility's walls trying to get in, with tanks parked on the opposite side of the entrance. The colony ship that stands as the centerpiece of the area had been one of the last ships attempting to escape the Darkness, but failed to launch due to a fuel line explosion.^[7].

Spinmetal can be found in lots of places throughout the Cosmodrome and can be used to upgrade gear or given to a Faction in return for advanced materials and Reputation.

History

Besides launching colony ships, the Cosmodrome was vital for its planetary array which maintained contact with the colonies, and for housing the Warmind Rasputin, who was responsible for protecting Earth from outside threats. Since the Collapse, the House of Devils made their lair here,^[8] with a Hive invasion force fighting to establish a beachhead for a pending invasion of Earth^[9] and the House of Kings keeping watch from the old control center.^[10] By the time of the SIVA Crisis, the Kings have withdrawn and the Devil Splicers risen to power thanks to SIVA, threatening the remaining Hive nests.^[11] Ultimately, with the defeat of Aksis, Archon Prime and all of his forces,^[12] the Devils have pulled out of the Cosmodrome en masse, apparently following a trend set by other Fallen Houses.^[13] Following after, Zavala issued a quarantine forbidding any contact with the Cosmodrome. Only The Guardian returned during an investigation of Master Ives' murder.

Four years after the events of the SIVA Crisis, the Fallen returned to the Cosmodrome, most notably members of the House of Dusk and House of Salvation. Two hidden sects of Hive, lead by Navôta, Eir Spawn and her rival Ak-Baral, had also established a presence, replacing the Hidden Swarm forces that originally occupied certain areas. To counteract this, the quarantine in the Cosmodrome was lifted, and Shaw Han's fireteam was the first to be deployed in the region.

Locations

The Breach
- Gateway
- Splicership Menkis-Syn
The Divide (Public Location)
- Exodus Garden 2A (Lost Sector)
Forgotten Shore (Public Location)
- The Grottos
  - The Mine
- Veles Labyrinth (Lost Sector)
Mothyards (Public Location)
Rocketyard (Public Location)
- King's Watch
- Refinery
  - The Blast
  - The Devils' Lair
    - Devil's Spire
Skyshock (Crucible map)
Skywatch (Public Location)
The Steppes (Public Location)
- Dock 13

Trivia

The Cosmodrome is based upon a real-world location in Kazakhstan. Bungie artists stated that they chose the Baikonur Cosmodrome as the game's starting point for its history in the evolution of spaceflight.^[7]
- However in Beyond Light, the Cosmodrome was stated to be located in Siberia by Devrim Kay as new lights worked to acquire the Riskrunner. This may be an oversight, though the real-world Vostochny Cosmodrome is also located in Siberia.
The Divide was originally supposed to be packed with dead civilians trying to make their way past military checkpoints, but was dropped, citing resource constraints, busy environments, and overly grim setting.^[7]
Based on the Director image and real world maps, the Cosmodrome is located in the northern part of the Caspian Sea.
The Cosmodrome returned temporarily in the Quest The Lost Cryptarch in Destiny 2 Forsaken, which was made inaccessible with the weekly reset on November 27th. The player traveled here to track down the killer of Master Ives and reclaim the Exotic machine gun Thunderlord. It also featured a boss which spawned in the same way that Riksis did in the 2013 Gameplay Demo, through a hole in the wall.
- In Beyond Light the Cosmodrome was reintroduced as a permanent destination in Destiny 2, the second location from the original destiny to do so with the Ocean of Storms in Shadowkeep being the first.