By Andrey Matveev, PR Team Leader
Kia Motors Russia

We had driven more than 1,500km on challenging terrain with six Kia Mohaves and 30 journalists to test drive the vehicles on our way to a shuttle launch.

We finally reached our goal in Baikonur. The city in the heart of the steppes, where a man stepped into space for the first time.

The Central Square of Baikonur (formerly was known as Leninsk). Here, all is as it was in the USSR.

We held our press conference launching the Kia Mohave on the Russian market.

The report of the astronauts. A few hours later they would be in open space – over 400 km from Earth.

Supporting columns are forced apart a few minutes before launch.

Take off!

MIC (operations and checkout facility). The rocket comes from here.

All participants of the run are on ‘Gagarinsky Start’. A spaceship with three astronauts on board left the launch pad a little more than an hour ago.
More photos you can find at the http://picasaweb.google.ru/KIAMotorsRussia/KIAMohaveStarLaunch# – the official online photo album of Kia Motors RUS.