Russia on the Way to Adopt New Program on Development of Space Centers

The federal program for the development of Russian space launch centers for the period of 2017-2025 may be adopted as early as by September, the head of Roscosmos State Space Corporation Igor Komarov said Friday.

ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) — Komarov said in May that the program had been submitted to the government, and it was expected to keep within the budget not exceeding 340 billion rubles (some $6 billion).

"We are planning to adopt the Federal Targeted Program by September," Komarov said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Vostochny, which has been under construction since 2012, is expected to reduce Russia's dependency on the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. Baikonur is on lease to Russia until 2050.

SPIEF, a major global platform for communication between business representatives and discussion of crucial economic issues, kicked off in Russia’s St. Petersburg on Thursday and will continue through Saturday. Sputnik News Agency is the official media partner of the forum.