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Russia to Build New Space Center for Manned Missions

29 August 2010 01:55 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Russiaâ€™s prime minister says his country will launch its manned space missions from a new center in the countryâ€™s Far East starting in 2018, as its national space program seeks greater independence, APA reports quoting voanews.com website.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made the announcement Saturday at the Amur Region site where the new facility is scheduled to be built. He said the Vostochny space center is one of Russiaâ€™s biggest and most ambitious projects, set to cost more than $779 million during the first phase of construction.
Mr. Putin added that the center will give thousands of young professionals a chance to use their talents, and will grant Russia direct access to space.
Russia currently launches its manned spacecraft from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, which it has leased since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
While the first manned missions are set to be launched in 2018, the new center is expected to begin launching unmanned spacecraft in 2015.