Putin urges Ukraine to join new Russian space centre project
April 13th, 2011 - 4:02 am ICT by IANSKiev (April 13) (IANS) Ukraine should participate in the construction of the Vostochny Space Centre in Russia’s Far East, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in Kiev Tuesday.
Russia currently uses two launch sites: Baikonur in Kazakhstan, which it has leased since the end of the Soviet Union, and Plesetsk in northwest Russia.
Putin said construction work at the new space centre had already started.
“You can join at the first stage,” the prime minister said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Yanukovych, in response, said there were good prospects for Russian-Ukrainian space cooperation.
The Russian government intends to spend 24.7 billion rubles (around $800 million) on the construction of the Vostochny Space Centre, billed as a “new stage in the development of Russian cosmonautics”.
The vast facility will eventually include two launch pads, a training centre and oxygen and hydrogen generation plants.
Vostochny is scheduled to be put into operation in 2015 and will initially be used for launching cargo spacecraft and satellites. Manned spacecraft will be launched from the space centre starting 2018.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
sd
- New space centre to come up in Russia - Jul 20, 2010
- Russia looks for commercial space projects - Apr 13, 2012
- Kazakhstan allows Russia to resume space launches - Jun 16, 2012
- Russia plans three space launches in August - Jul 30, 2011
- New space station crew in orbit - May 15, 2012
- Russian freighter docks with ISS - Apr 23, 2012
- Russia launches manned spacecraft to ISS - Nov 14, 2011
- Russia to build new space centre in 2011 - Sep 07, 2009
- Russia launches manned spacecraft - Apr 05, 2011
- World should unite to send manned flight to Mars: Cosmonaut - Apr 12, 2011
- Russia, Kazakhstan extend Friendship Treaty for 10 years - Jun 08, 2012
- Russia's Soyuz spacecraft docks with ISS - Oct 10, 2010
- Russia launches space freighter - Oct 31, 2011
- Russia sends two carrier rockets to French Guiana - May 21, 2011
- Russia launches space freighter to ISS - Jan 26, 2012
Tags: construction work, cosmonautics, far east, generation plants, hydrogen generation, kiev, launch pads, manned spacecraft, northwest russia, novosti, plesetsk, rubles, russian government, russian space, soviet union, space centre, space cooperation, ukrainian president, viktor yanukovych, vladimir putin