During his visit to Amur Region, Vladimir Putin will see how the work is progressing on the construction of the Vostochny Space Launch Centre, a Russian spaceport being built as per the Presidential Executive Order of November 6, 2007.
After the visit to the space launch centre, the President will hold a meeting in Blagoveshchensk on the Russian space sector development, timed to coincide with Cosmonautics Day. The meeting will be attended by members of the Presidential Executive Office and Government Cabinet, as well as heads of relevant agencies and companies.
* * *
The Vostochny Space Launch Centre is designed to launch automated space vehicles and manned space missions serving different purposes for state, international and commercial programmes.
Its construction began in mid-2012. The first booster launch is planned for late 2015 and the first manned launch is planned for 2018. It is planned to build ten technical and support sites, which will accommodate more than 400 social, engineering and transport infrastructure buildings, including a launch facility for a medium-class heavy-lift booster with two launchers, an airfield, oxygen nitrogen plant, hydrogen gas plant, electric power supply system, 115 kilometres of roads and 125 kilometres of railroad tracks.
The start of operations at Vostochny Space Launch Centre will allow Russia to have independence of space activities, increase its space exploration potential and the intensity of space launches, reduce the environmental impact on Russian regions with intensive space-related activity, form the necessary conditions for developing priority sectors of the economy in the Far East Federal District, create jobs in related industries, and increase the region’s investment appeal.