Russia intends to carry out up to 45 percent of its carrier rocket launches from the Vostochny Space Center, under construction in the Far East, by 2020, the deputy head of Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said.
The space center, intended as a "new stage in the development of Russian cosmonautics," will host almost 1,500 facilities, including two launch systems, a training center, and oxygen and hydrogen generation plants, Viktor Remishevsky said during a round table in the Far Eastern Amur Region.
"A new, modern town, comfortable in every respect and intended for specialists in the space sphere and their families will be created here," Remishevsky said.
The new space center is being created using the most advanced technologies, which minimize environmental damage, said the chief designer of a company involved in the construction of the space center.
Russia currently uses two launch sites: the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, which it has leased since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the Plesetsk space center in northwest Russia.
The new space center, which will employ 20,000-25,000 people, will ensure Russia's independence in the launch of piloted space vehicles, currently carried out at Baikonur.
The Russian government intends to spend 24.7 billion rubles (around $811,000) on the construction of the space center, which is expected to start in 2011.
Vostochny is expected to be put into operation in 2015 and be used for launching cargo spacecraft and satellites at the first stage. Manned spacecraft will be launched from the space center starting 2018.
VLADIVOSTOK, November 13 (RIA Novosti)
