The site was chosen for its proximity to Moscow and other infrastructure that would be essential for its function: Chkalovsky Airport, and the Yaroslavl railroad.

[3] Military doctor Colonel Yevgeny Karpov was appointed as the first chief of the cosmonaut training centre or Tsentr Podgotovki Kosmonavtov (TsPK) on 24 February 1960.

[2] The centre was home to approximately 250 personnel divided into various departments who were responsible for the development of all aspects of the space program ranging from equipment to the well-being of the cosmonauts.

[2] Until April 2009 the center was owned and operated by the Ministry of Defence (Russia) in cooperation with Russian Federal Space Agency.

In April 2009, Russia President Dmitry Medvedev signed a presidential decree transferring the center from the Defence Ministry to the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos).