Russia to launch half of carrier rockets from Far East space centre by 2020

Russia to launch half of carrier from Far East space centre by 2020. Photo courtesy RIA Novosti.

The space centre is intended as a "new stage in the development of Russian cosmonautics." 

It will host almost 1,500 facilities, including two launch systems, a training centre, and oxygen and hydrogen generation plants, Viktor Remishevsky said during a round table meeting 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 centre is being created using the most advanced technologies, which minimise environmental damage, said the chief designer of a company involved in the construction of the space centre.

Russia currently uses two launch sites: the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan, which it has leased to ESA and Nasa, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the Plesetsk space centre in northwest Russia.

The new space centre, which is forecast to 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, 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. It is planned that manned spacecraft will not be launched from the space centre before 2018.