The Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur Region is slated to become Russia’s major spaceport, with nearly half of the space launches planned to be carried out from it after 2020, the Russian Space Agency reports.
The Vostochny space launch facility will be built in addition to the currently operational Plesetsk and Baikonur space launch facilities which are insufficient to satisfy Russia’s growing needs in space exploration.
Construction will begin in summer 2011. Vostochny will embrace about 1,500 facilities, including 2 space launch pads, a training and a medical center and an hydrogen and oxygen plant.
The first launches are planned for 2015. The new spaceport will be built on the basis of the experience accumulated during the construction of the Kourou space launch facility in French Gui…