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Friday, 21.10.2011
Roskosmos alerts Putin: Cosmodrome in danger
Moscow. The Russian space agency complained to Prime Minister Putin: Funding for the creation of the new Cosmodrome is slow and the first rocket launch scheduled for 2015 is in danger.
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It is known that Russia launches its Sputniks and space vehicles into space from Baikonur in Kazakhstan, leased from the former Soviet Republic for a substantial amount of money. Moscow pays about $300 billion annually for the lease and maintenance of the cosmic basis in the Kazakh steppe.
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Russia has the permission to launch from Baikonur until 2050, but has started to set up its own Cosmodrome in the mean time. The ambitious project had been started by the former Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007 - in 2011 the construction of the base Vostotchny in the Amur region was to be started and in 2015 the first rockets to be launched.
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According to the newspaper Isvestia, the management of the space agency Roskosmos has pointed out to Putin that this is completely unrealistic under the current finance policy.
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Slowly but surely flip
In order to finance Vostotchny, 46 billion rubel (Euro 1,07 billion) are needed between 2012 and 2014. According to Roskosmos this is a negotiated compromise with both ministries. Roskosmos is looking for an approval of an additional 21 billion rubel for the same time period.
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According to the Russian press, the two Ministries, who had been against the new Cosmodrome but were unable to succeed, apply a 'policy of concealment' to quietly flip the project.
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The construction of the Cosmodrome in Siberia was to be started in the summer of this year, but up to now not even the exact location of the future complex has been agreed upon. Putin was informed one and a half years ago on the impending delay by the former Roskosmos boss Anatoli Perminov.
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If the funding stays at the current level, the rocket would not be launched from the new Cosmodrome in 2015 as ordered by Putin in 2007, but at the earliest in 2020.
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Original German text can be found here >>>
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